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Top Reasons Your Company Should Locate Your Next Manufacturing Facility in Evergy's Region
Manufacturing
General & Advanced Manufacturing
Evergy’s geographic territory is home to over 4,400+ manufacturing firms. Manufacturing accounts for 10% of or region’s employment, compared to the national average of 8%. The total population in our territory exceeds 4.3 million people and is expected to increase by 1.4% by 2024.
Wichita ranks #1 in manufacturing jobs as percent of all jobs out of the top 100 largest U.S. metro areas, and #3 in percent of manufacturing jobs classified as “very high-tech.” (Brookings Institution, 2012.)
In our Kansas City region manufacturing is expected to grow by more than 7% by 2024, despite an almost 7% decrease projected nationwide during this same timeframe.
Click here for a breakdown of the number of manufacturing companies in our region.
Our Region’s Manufacturing Clusters
Advanced Materials
- Our territory has a cluster of companies in the engineered materials and polymers spaces. Consider that our territory has the following number of people employed in these industries more than the national average:
- 4 times the national average of people employed in Rubber & Plastics Hoses and Belting Manufacturing
- 3 times the national average of people employed in Mineral Wool Manufacturing
- 3 times the national average of people employed in Adhesive Manufacturing
- 3 times the national average of people employed in Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
- 3 times the national average of people employed in Laminated Plastics Plate, Sheet (except Packaging), and Shape Manufacturing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Tire Manufacturing
Metals
- Our territory has a cluster of companies in the metalworking space. Consider that our territory has the following number of people employed in these industries more than the national average:
- 14 times the national average of people employed in Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing
- 6 times the national average of people employed in Farm Machinery & Equipment Manufacturing
- 4 times the national average of people employed in Metal Plumbing Fixture Fitting & Trim Manufacturing
- 3 times the national average of people employed in Metal Container Manufacturing
- 3 times the national average of people employed in Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
- 3 times the national average of people employed in Metal Valve & Pipe Fitting Manufacturing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Metal Window & Door Manufacturing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Heating Equipment Manufacturing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, and Anodizing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Steel Wire Drawing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Mechanical Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Metal Tank Manufacturing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Fabricated Wire Product Manufacturing
Aerospace
- Our territory has a cluster of companies in the aerospace manufacturing space. Consider that our territory has the following number of people employed in these industries more than the national average:
- 6 times the national average of people employed in Aircraft Manufacturing
- 4 times the national average of people employed in Aircraft Parts Manufacturing
Automotive
- Our territory has a cluster of companies in the automotive manufacturing space. Consider that our territory has the following number of people employed in these industries more than the national average:
- 8 times the national average of people employed in Light Truck and Utility Vehicle Manufacturing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Automobile Manufacturing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Motor Vehicle Seating and Interior Trim Manufacturing
Electronics
- Our territory has a cluster of companies in the electronics manufacturing space. Consider that our territory has the following number of people employed in these industries more than the national average:
- 6 times the national average of people employed in Electronic Component Manufacturing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Residential Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing
Food/Value-Added Agriculture
- Our territory has a cluster of companies in the food processing and value-added agricultural spaces. Consider that our territory has the following number of people employed in these industries more than the national average:
- 8 times the national average of people employed in Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing
- 8 times the national average of people employed in Fats and Oils Refining & Blending
- 8 times the national average of people employed in Flour Milling
- 3 times the national average of people employed in Meat Processed from Carcasses Manufacturing
- 3 times the national average of people employed in Other Animal Food Manufacturing
- 3 times the national average of people employed in Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
- 3 times the national average of people employed in Confectionery Manufacturing from Purchased Chocolate
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans
- 2 times the national average of people employed in Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
Click here for a breakdown of the number of food companies in our region.
Skilled Labor: Number of People Employed in General & Advanced Manufacturing in Our Region:
Our region enjoys an abundant, highly skilled workforce as evidenced from the following manufacturing jobs numbers for the year 2021:
- 22,065 people employed as Assemblers and Fabricators, including Team Assemblers
- 19,307 people employed in Aircraft Manufacturing
- 17,969 people employed in Engineering Services
- 8,079 people employed as Electricians
- 7,450 people employed as Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
- 6,999 people employed in Light Truck and Utility Vehicle Manufacturing
- 5,640 people employed in All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing
- 5,196 people employed as Machinists
- 4,899 people employed in Other Electronic Component Manufacturing
- 4,427 people employed in Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing
- 3,929 employed as Mechanical Engineers
- 2,920 employed as Electrical Engineers
- 2,786 employed as Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators and Operators
- 2,663 people employed as Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators and Tenders
- 2,662 people employed in Storage Battery Manufacturing
- 2,482, people employed as Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- 2,356 employed as Sheet Metal Workers
- 1,570 people employed in Conveyor and Conveying Equipment Manufacturing
- 1,510 people employed in Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading)
- 1,328 people employed in Construction Machinery Manufacturing
- 1,224 people employed in Other Industrial Machinery Manufacturing
- 1,081 people employed in Rubber and Plastics Hoses and Belting Manufacturing
- 900 people employed in Engine Equipment Manufacturing
- 847 people employed in Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing
- 846 employed in Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
- 658 employed in Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing
And, Our Manufacturing Jobs Are Growing, Growth in the Last 5 Years:
- 147% growth in Plastics Packaging Film and Sheet (including Laminated) Manufacturing
- 119% growth in Hardware Manufacturing
- 103% growth in Industrial Gas Manufacturing
- 99% growth in Elevator and Moving Stairway Manufacturing
- 83% growth in Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
- 74% growth in Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing
- 70% growth in Motor Vehicle Seating and Interior Trim Manufacturing
- 68% growth in Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing
- 63% growth in Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
- 42% growth in Mechanical Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing
- 34% growth in All Other Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
- 20% growth in Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing
- 20% growth in people employed as Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- 12% growth in people employed as Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- 15% growth in people employed as Industrial Machinery Mechanics
- 8% growth in people employed as Mechanical Engineers
- 8% growth in people employed as Electrical Engineers
- 3% growth in people employed as Electricians
Central Location, Infrastructure
Being located in the center of the country allows our manufacturers to move products cost effectively via numerous pieces of infrastructure in our region:
Intermodal Transportation Infrastructure
We have access to numerous interstates and all 5 Class I railroads.
Our Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) Advantages
Kansas City ranks first in the country in FTZ space, with five manufacturing zones (123.4 acres), nine general purpose FTZ sites, over 8 million square feet of active FTZ space, and 13,000+ acres of inactive FTZ space available for storage or processing merchandise.
Electric Power
Evergy services more than 1.6 million customers in 92 northwestern Missouri and Kansas counties. We have over 13,000 megawatts of efficient generation assets in operation.
Evergy’s diverse energy mix results in affordable, reliable electricity generation. Like many utility companies around the country, we depend on coal as a price-stable way to generate the electricity needed to supply our customers 24 hours a day. We supplement with power generated from other sources, including natural gas, fuel oil, wind, solar, nuclear, biogas and hydro. The result: a balanced portfolio that is responsive to fuel prices, environmental concerns, regulatory initiatives and other factors.
Renewable energy is part of our current mix and will continue to be considered in our future capacity additions We continually explore ways to broaden our sustainable strategy and comply with renewable energy mandates.
Our rates for manufacturers benefit from that industry’s typical multi-shift operations which reduces the cost per kWh. In addition, auto industry suppliers benefit from cost-saving tariffs that will provide a reduced rate for a five-year period.
Educational Pipeline
In 2020, there were 70,071 graduates from the Colleges/Universities in our region:
