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KMW Ltd. projects about 450 jobs in Sterling expansion, presents informational update to city commission
Summary
Wayne Buchberger, CEO of KMW Ltd., presented a Q1 update April 20 to the Sterling City Commission outlining a first-phase expansion that the company says could grow to about 450 jobs; the presentation was informational and the commission took no action.
Wayne Buchberger, Managing Director and chief executive of KMW Ltd., told the Sterling City Commission on April 20 that the company’s planned Sterling expansion could create roughly 450 jobs once fully built out. Buchberger presented a video of the parent company’s plant in the Czech Republic and described the Sterling facility as the first phase of a multi-stage growth plan.
Buchberger said KMW currently employs about 150 people across locations in Sterling, Lyons and Great Bend, Kansas, and that the company expects to begin construction in 2026 although a firm groundbreaking date was not yet set. He answered questions from commissioners and members of the public about the construction timeline, workforce development partnerships with area schools, recruitment and housing for new employees, apprenticeship programs, employee wages, the company’s work-release program with the Kansas Department of Corrections and how participants are screened, tax-abatement incentives, signage, and site design and landscaping.
Ian Hutcheson, Sterling’s city manager, and members of the commission thanked Buchberger for the update. The presentation was provided for informational purposes only; no formal action, vote, or incentive approval occurred during the meeting.
Buchberger framed Sterling as the company’s home and said that informed the site choice. The company offered no detailed schedule for the start of construction beyond saying it expects construction to begin in 2026 and that the project is planned in phases. City officials and the public pressed on operational details—wages, training partnerships and housing needs—that Buchberger said the company is still developing.
Next steps: KMW and city staff are expected to provide additional, more detailed plans and timelines in future meetings if the company finalizes site, financing or incentive requests. For now, the commission received the Q1 update as information only.
