$95M HQ Plan Unveiled by EV Component Maker

Cnano Technology USA is establishing its North American HQ at New Century Commerce Center in New Century, Kan. Image courtesy of VanTrust Real Estate

Cnano Technology USA, an international manufacturer of electric vehicle components, is investing $94.7 million in a new 333,365-square-foot facility at New Century Commerce Center in the Kansas City area that will become the China-based company’s North American headquarters.

Cnano will own and occupy the manufacturing facility to create liquid conductive paste, a component used for a variety of electronic applications, including batteries for electric vehicles, cell phones and power tools. Shawn Montgomery, president of Cnano Technology USA, said in a prepared statement the plant will manufacture conductive and structural additive products for the lithium-ion battery, rubber and polymer, and composite markets.

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The facility, which is expected to create more than 100 jobs with a payroll of about $7.1 million, will be located in a Class A spec building on nearly 20 acres in the multimodal industrial center in New Century, Kan. Situated in the southwest area of the Kansas City region, the center offers direct access to air, rail and interstate highways, including I-35.

The 850-acre center is being developed through a public-private partnership with Johnson County Government, the Johnson County Airport Commission and master developer VanTrust Real Estate. CBRE is marketing the property. Newmark Zimmer represented Cnano in its site search. The announcement was made by the Kansas City Area Development Council, an economic development nonprofit serving the 18-county, two-state Kansas City area.

The Cnano facility is one of two speculative buildings being developed by VanTrust Real Estate in the center’s first phase. When fully developed, the center will have more than 7 million square feet of industrial space. The first two buildings, totaling nearly 1.1 million square feet, were initially scheduled to be completed by the second quarter of this year. The second spec building will be a cross-dock facility with 752,400 square feet on 50 acres. However, Van Trust told the Johnson County Airport Commission earlier this year that it will take an additional six to 12 months to prepare the smaller building for Cnano, according to the Kansas City Business Journal.

VanTrust received a $19.7 million loan from Commerce Bank of Kansas City, Mo., in August 2022 that is set to mature on Aug. 25, 2025, according to CommercialEdge data. The property is subject to a 50-year unsubordinated net ground lease held by Johnson County expiring in June 2073, CommercialEdge reported.

Growing hub

The Kansas City region continues to see industrial growth, particularly in the area of electric vehicle development. In July 2022, Panasonic Energy announced plans to build a $4 billion EV battery manufacturing facility in De Soto, Kan. One of the largest economic developments in Kansas history, the project is expected to create as many as 4,000 new jobs and have ripple effects throughout the region and state by supporting about 16,500 construction jobs and an estimated 4,000 additional jobs for suppliers and local businesses.

A leading logistics hub and key location for manufacturing, distribution and e-commerce, the Kansas City region has delivered 70 million square feet of industrial development in the last 10 years and employs more than 190,000 people. From Kansas City, 85 percent of the U.S. population can be reached in two days or less.

In January, Urban Outfitters Inc., a global lifestyle and retail company, said it was investing $60 million in a new 604,000-square-foot fulfillment center for its clothing rental brand, Nuuly, at the Raymore Commerce Center in Raymore, Mo. Located off I-49, the property was also developed by VanTrust Real Estate.

In late June, Block Real Estate Services received municipal approvals to develop Tiffany Springs Logistics Park, a $365 million, 3.7 million-square-foot industrial project in Kansas City, Mo. The campus will be built in three phases with the first 1.9 million-square-foot segment starting as soon as 2024, with completion estimated by 2029.