“During the selection process, it became clear that IBTS has the expertise, experience and capability to ensure the Panasonic facility meets the city’s requirements for employee and community safety,” said the city manager. by DeSoto Mike Brungardt, PE
The Institute of Building Safety and Technology (IBTS) will provide plan review and inspection services on behalf of the City of De Soto, Kan., during the construction of the 4-year Panasonic Electric Vehicle (EV) Battery Factory billions of dollars.
Through a competitive procurement process, the national nonprofit was selected by the City to provide plan reviews and site inspections for the 5.5 million square foot facility.
The groundbreaking took place in November, with battery production expected to start in March 2025. The construction of this fast-paced project will be monitored by IBTS’ Local Government Solutions team, who will be on site full-time to ensure that the structure meets the requirements of the code.
Once built, the plant will produce lithium-ion batteries for automakers to meet growing domestic demand for electric vehicle batteries. The plant is expected to create thousands of new jobs and be a significant economic development boon for both the State of Kansas and the electric vehicle market.
De Soto is a small city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Region with a population of approximately 6,000. While the Panasonic facility represents a tremendous opportunity for the area, the project also presented a challenge to the city in meeting the corresponding increase in building code enforcement requirements.
To meet this need, Council selected IBTS to provide third-party construction department services through its experienced and professional staff, certified by the International Code Council (ICC). The Kansas City branch of IBTS has been providing these and other services to local governments in the region for more than 10 years.
“During the selection process, it became clear that IBTS has the expertise, experience and capability to ensure that the Panasonic facility meets the city’s requirements for employee and community safety,” the city manager said. by De Soto Mike Brungardt, PE “We appreciate IBTS’ ability to not only assist the city with this important and complex project, but their commitment to our community and its future.
“IBTS is proud to support the City of De Soto by providing timely services to ensure facility safety,” said Curt Skoog, IBTS Local Government Services Development Manager. “We are excited about the opportunity to participate in the historic comeback of advanced manufacturing facilities in the United States and the breadth of opportunity it provides for our communities”
IBTS is a national non-profit organization and trusted advisor and partner to local, state and federal governments. Our nonprofit mission to serve and strengthen communities is carried forward through our professional services. These include building code services and regulatory expertise; compliance and monitoring; community planning; experience in disaster planning, mitigation and recovery; energy solutions; municipal services; grant management; market research; program management and supervision; resilience services; solar quality management; and workforce development and training. The work of the IBTS is guided by a board of directors composed of representatives from the Council of State Governments (CSG), the International Association for City/County Management (ICMA), the National Association of County (NACo), the National Association of Governors Association and National League of Cities (NLC).
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