Republican Sen. Jerry Moran used De Soto’s Panasonic opening to argue that advanced manufacturing does not require a one-way ticket out of Kansas. Behind him stood the scale: two wings, eight battery lines and a production design capable of turning out approximately 66 lithium-ion batteries every second.
When the Kansas Department of Commerce documented the July 2025 opening, mass production was beginning and Panasonic had already hired approximately 1,000 people. The department called it the largest electric-vehicle battery manufacturing plant in the United States. The old coastal script said advanced industry belonged somewhere else. De Soto answered with steel, concrete, and a working factory.
The opening gave De Soto a working employer, a production floor and a long-term industrial address.
The company is investing $4 billion, making the project the largest economic-development effort in Panasonic’s history and Kansas’ history, according to the state. An independent Wichita State University study cited by Commerce estimates another 4,000 jobs connected to suppliers and community businesses, in addition to up to 4,000 Panasonic jobs and 16,500 construction jobs.
Commerce estimates the project will generate $2.5 billion in new annual economic activity in Kansas. That is an estimate attached to a facility that is already producing, not a promise pinned to a rendering.
The investment reaches beyond Panasonic’s payroll. A technician’s paycheck reaches a restaurant, a landlord, a school, a parts supplier and a local contractor. Construction crews and future suppliers will draw on the same regional economy.
Moran linked the investment to keeping talent in Kansas. In the Commerce account, he praised Panasonic for creating quality jobs and said the investment can help the next generation stay and build a future in the Midwest.
The plant also rebuts the coastal assumption that advanced industry belongs elsewhere. Kansas workers are now building it on Kansas soil.
The state’s Panasonic project overview lists up to 4,000 new jobs, as many as 4,000 additional supplier and community jobs, 16,500 construction jobs, and a minimum 15-year commitment to remain in Kansas. The job and economic-activity counts are estimates tied to the project’s expected buildout, while the 300-acre facility and its first hires are present facts.
Moran’s pro-growth case now has a 300-acre address. Panasonic is manufacturing advanced batteries in De Soto, and the next generation can build its future here.