TAB USA TO OPEN U.S. HEADQUARTERS AND ASSEMBLY OPERATION IN LIBERTY, MISSOURI.
TAB, an international manufacturer of industrial, SLI and lithium-ion batteries, selected Liberty, Missouri, for a 66,700-square-foot facility. The company will invest $15 million and create 50 jobs over the next five years.
Its first location in North America, the facility will serve as TAB USA’s headquarters, as well as include industrial battery assembly, distribution and sales operations. The company noted the Kansas City region’s central location and strong workforce as major factors in its selection.
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CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS AT PANASONIC PLANT CONTINUES
Construction has ramped up at Panasonic Energy’s $4 billion EV battery plant in De Soto, Kansas, as the company plans to have production lines operational in early 2025. The project will increase the construction workforce from 800 daily workers today to 3,500 in the next year.
At this point in the construction process, 5 million cubic yards of dirt have been moved. Mass grading and concrete foundations on the site are 99% complete, and the steel erection is 93% complete in Wing 1 of the building and 44% complete in Wing 2. There has also been substantial progress made on concrete decks in Wing 1, and the roofing in that wing is 43% complete.
The 4.7 million-square-foot plant’s construction will allow for phased production start, and the facility will manufacture batteries for various automakers. The completed building will be approximately 2,200 feet long and 1,700 feet wide with 2,000 parking spaces.
NEW CDL TRAINING FACILITY BREAKS GROUND
Johnson County Community College (JCCC) broke ground in January on a new CDL training facility in Edgerton, Kansas. As the Kansas City region experiences sustained industrial growth, training facilities are essential to provide a skilled workforce pipeline to meet demand.
In the last year, 636 students completed Commercial Driver’s License training with JCCC, and it is anticipated that the completed range will nearly double the number of students they are able to serve.