As Panasonic Energy prepares to open a third battery production line at its plant in De Soto, it needs employees to run it — and 100 offers are on the table this Thursday.
From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Panasonic Energy is hosting a hiring fair for skilled machine technicians at 10701 Astra Parkway, De Soto; at the construction offices under the four water towers.
Requirements for the hiring include:
- Previous manufacturing experience,
- the ability to pass an on-site drug test,
- and register here in advance.
“I’d love to get a jump start for specifically skilled machine technicians,” said Kristen Walters, vice president of human resources at Panasonic Energy. “Those are our most important team members as we start up new lines.”
Roughly 1,400 employees currently work at the plant on electric vehicle battery production. The $4 billion plant opened in July 2025, roughly three years after first breaking ground on a portion of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant in western Johnson County.
The plant has two lines of production open and is ramping up to open two more this year. While the second wing of the facility is still under construction, it will also eventually support four additional production lines. Once the facility is completed, Panasonic will have eight production lines.
The goal Thursday is to give out 100 offers, Walters said. By late spring, she added, they hope to hire even more people to support incoming production lines.
“We are really looking for individuals that have some manufacturing exposure in their background,” Walters said. “But really, people that want to learn, that want to work together as a team towards common goals and are really excited about working in our advanced manufacturing site.”
