Roughly a year after Panasonic officially broke ground on its $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant in De Soto, Kansas, construction crews still have more than a year of work to go before the targeted opening in the first quarter of 2025. But, Panasonic officials say the senior leadership team is in place, 34 engineers have already been hired and are training at the company’s Gigafactory plant near Reno, Nevada, to help set up and open the De Soto facility. The workers who will be on the line on day one are expected to be hired in January and February, and spend much of 2024 training up to be ready to run the Kansas facility. “Anyone wanting to be a part of advanced manufacturing, we’ll have opportunities at all levels,” said Panasonic Vice President of Human Resources Kristen Walters. That’s why she says the company is already working closely with local community colleges and four-year institutions to mold degree and certification programs to teach the skills Panasonic will need. Those programs will allow entry-level workers to advance through the ranks, helping prolong a career in manufacturing either within Panasonic or at one of the region’s other manufacturing businesses. The goal is to spread those programs around the region to help draw workers that already live in the metro, around 50 miles around the plant.
Source: KSN-TV
