Supplier for Panasonic plant to bring 180 more jobs to De Soto
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DE SOTO, Kan. — This week, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced one of Panasonic’s major suppliers at its EV battery plant in De Soto will spend $110 million and bring 180 more jobs to the Johnson County facility.
Since the plant was first announced, we knew Panasonic would attract other businesses, like suppliers, who would want to do business around the $4 billion EV battery plant.
That’s why a Germany company called H&T Recharge is already making plans to move to De Soto.
“They’re going to come because they want to be here, so not a lot of effort on our part to make sure they came,” said De Soto Mayor Rick Walker.
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It’s why Walker said he was a little surprised by the announcement because after years of pitches to land Panasonic, his city is seeing that work payoff, even before the first electric vehicle battery rolls off the line.
“It’s kind of what all this economic development is about. Strategic economic development activities to bring more opportunities for our community,” Walker said.
H&T Recharge is already working with Panasonic at the Tesla Gigafactory Plant in Reno, Nevada.
When FOX4 visited that site in 2022, we were told to expect suppliers and other EV companies to put down roots too, usually without the kind of tax incentives needed to attract in Panasonic.
A more local partnership is also giving us a better idea for how the new industrial building a mile down the road will be used.
North Kansas City’s Wagner Logistics will be moving raw materials and finished products between the plant and the more than 5,000 square feet Panasonic has already secured at the site, on new, larger roads the city is building right now.
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Wagner’s Joe Oliaro said they employ about 200 people in the Kansas City metro now but they could hire up to 50 more for the work they have to do here.
“It helps solidify confidence in our customer and community to say we’ve got the right people we can apply them here and put them into this operation every quickly and do what the customer needs us to do,” he said.
With more big announcements rolling in over the next few months.
You’ve got all these people that want to be in close proximity, there’s a lot of great conversations, there’s a lot of opportunities,” Oliaro said.
The Panasonic plant is supposed to open and start producing electric vehicle batteries in 2025.
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Wagner tells FOX4 the Flint Logistics Center, just a mile away, should be open this summer so their workers can start getting ready for Panasonic.
