Another billion dollar manufacturing project is making its way into Kansas
A nearly $2 billion dollar investment is making its way to eastern Kansas in the form of a semiconductor manufacturing plant that will create 1,200 jobs, Gov. Laura Kelly and the company that’s planning the project announced Monday.
EMP Shield is a manufacturing company that “is an industry leader in protecting electronic devices from destructive magnetic pulses,” said a joint statement.
The manufacturer plans to invest $1.9 billion in a computer chip manufacturing plant in Burlington. The plant will produce over 1,000 jobs that will pay about $66,000 a year.
The facility will be built on 300 acres of land in the Silicon Prairie Industrial Park in Coffey County, the release said.
This marks yet another behemoth manufacturing development in the state after the announcement of Integra Technologies being given more than $300 million by the state of Kansas to build a new semiconductor factory near Wichita.
“The fact that we have not one but two projects like this shows that we have the enormous potential here in Kansas,” Kelly said. “If we continue our laser focus on supporting our businesses like EMP shield, we can unlock that potential and open the door to a new phase of growth for Kansas.”
EMP Shield will use state financial support and apply for federal CHIPS Act funding act to “see its plan into fruition,” the statement said.
Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors, or CHIPS, was an act signed into law in August that would bring computer chip production back to the U.S., especially in rural areas.
“Coffey County appears to really hit the sweet spot for everything requested for CHIPS act funding,” said EMP Shield founder and lead engineer Tim Carty. “Everything is falling into place, and the state’s strong support hopefully gets us one step closer.”
EMP shield will be joined by six out-of-state suppliers that will see the creation of an additional 1,000 jobs in Coffey County, according to the release.
The EMP Shield plant will produce thousands of computer chips per week.
This story was originally published February 20, 2023 at 5:03 PM.