The first Kubota SVL75-3 compact track loader rolling off a production line in Salina last week represents considerably more than the addition of another machine to Great Plains Manufacturing's production schedule.

Over a period of about six years, Salina has evolved from a community selected to manufacture one Kubota construction machine into a growing center for the company's North American construction equipment operations.

More than $300 million in investments have now been announced in Salina, according to Great Plains Manufacturing. The south Salina operation includes manufacturing, engineering and research and development, a major paint system, warehouse space and more than 1 million square feet dedicated to outdoor equipment testing and validation.

The facility has added more than 300 jobs since opening in 2022, and Great Plains says employment there is expected to exceed 650 by 2030.

The significance of the expansion becomes clearer when looking at how quickly the operation has developed.

It Started With One Machine

Kubota announced in 2020 that it had selected Salina to begin manufacturing compact track loaders that had previously been produced in Japan.

The original plan called for an approximately $53 million investment, with Great Plains Manufacturing establishing production of Kubota's SVL65 compact track loader in Salina.

At the time, Kubota projected approximately 120 employees and annual production capacity of about 3,000 machines.

There was a strategic reason for putting the operation here.

North America is the world's largest market for compact construction machinery. Kubota said producing machines closer to the customers buying them could shorten lead times, reduce exposure to currency fluctuations and allow the company to respond more quickly to North American demand.

Mass production began in 2022.

But the Salina operation did not stop with the original plan.

The Investment Grew Quickly

When the construction equipment facility officially opened in October 2022, the project had already grown substantially.

Kansas officials described the development at the time as a $178 million investment involving the renovation of an existing 750,000-square-foot facility in south Salina.

The facility had previously been occupied by a lightbulb manufacturer.

That meant Salina was not simply constructing a new industrial building. A massive existing manufacturing property was being repurposed for an entirely different industry.

Approximately 150 jobs had already been created by the time of the 2022 grand opening.

Great Plains subsequently continued expanding the operation.

Today, the south Salina complex includes the 750,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, a sophisticated automotive-grade paint operation, a roughly 200,000-square-foot shipping warehouse and extensive testing and engineering capabilities.

Great Plains now says more than $300 million in investments have been announced around the operation.

Now Salina Is Building a Second Kubota Loader

The next major step came Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Great Plains and Kubota celebrated the beginning of Salina production of the Kubota SVL75-3 compact track loader.

It joins the SVL65-2 already being manufactured in Salina.

Rather than establishing an entirely separate production line, Kubota says the two machines will be assembled using a mixed-model manufacturing approach, allowing both models to move through the same production line.

The SVL75-3 is used for jobs including earthmoving, grading, site preparation and material handling. Customers include contractors, construction companies, commercial landscapers, agricultural operations and property owners.

Kubota describes the SVL75-3 as the No. 1-selling compact track loader in the United States, citing 2025 retail sales data compiled by EDA.

That makes the production shift notable for Salina.

The city isn't receiving an experimental product with an uncertain market. It is becoming another production location for one of Kubota's established high-volume construction machines.

Production will continue in Japan as well, while Salina adds North American capacity. Kubota says products manufactured in the United States contain some globally sourced components and parts.

Salina Is Also Becoming a Place Where Kubota Equipment Is Developed and Tested

Manufacturing is only part of the story.

Kubota established its Construction Equipment Research and Development North America operation in Salina in 2021.

Its purpose is to put engineering, testing and validation closer to the North American customers who ultimately use the equipment.

That presence is now getting significantly larger.

In April, Kubota broke ground in Salina on a new $30 million construction equipment test center.

The planned facility will encompass approximately 57,000 square feet and allow engineers to conduct controlled performance, durability and reliability testing intended to replicate conditions machines encounter on actual jobsites.

The existing Salina operation already includes a 20,000-square-foot engineering office capable of accommodating more than 70 engineers, more than 18,000 square feet of indoor testing facilities and more than 1 million square feet of external testing and validation space.

That distinction matters.

Salina's role is increasingly not limited to assembling machines after they have been designed elsewhere.

Engineering, testing, validation and manufacturing are being placed in the same community.

Why Salina Matters to Kubota

The relationship between Kubota and Salina did not begin with construction equipment.

Great Plains Manufacturing was founded in Salina in 1976 and developed into a major agricultural equipment manufacturer.

Kubota acquired Great Plains in 2016.

Four years later, Kubota selected its Salina-based subsidiary to begin producing construction equipment previously manufactured in Japan. Kubota specifically cited Great Plains' capabilities in developing and producing tractor implements and construction machinery attachments as one of the benefits of the relationship.

Great Plains is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

The company reports more than 2,300 employees across its operations and more than 1.6 million square feet of manufacturing space. Its corporate headquarters remain in Salina.

What began as a Kansas agricultural equipment company has therefore become part of a much larger international manufacturing network.

And Salina has remained at the center of that relationship.

The Employment Picture

The expansion has also created a growing concentration of manufacturing jobs on Salina's south side.

Great Plains reports that the construction equipment facility has added more than 300 jobs since its October 2022 opening.

The company now expects the workforce at that facility to grow to more than 650 employees by 2030 as additional resources are added to support products including the SVL75-3.

Those projections have changed as the project itself has evolved. At the 2022 grand opening, state officials discussed the potential for the broader development to eventually surpass 900 new jobs. The company's current statement specifically projects more than 650 employees at the construction equipment facility by 2030.

The actual long-term employment level will depend on future production, investment and market conditions.

What is already measurable, however, is the transformation from the original 2020 proposal.

The initial announcement envisioned roughly 120 workers manufacturing one compact track loader.

Six years later, more than 300 jobs have been added at the facility, a second loader is entering production, research and development operations are based in Salina, a new $30 million test center is under construction and announced investment has surpassed $300 million.

From Agricultural Equipment to a Broader Manufacturing Center

Salina has long been associated with agricultural manufacturing, and Great Plains remains a major part of that industry.

The construction equipment expansion adds another dimension.

Machines leaving the south Salina facility can ultimately be used on construction sites, landscaping projects, agricultural operations and other jobs across North America.

At the same time, machines being developed for that market can be engineered and tested in Salina before future products reach customers.

That combination — manufacturing, engineering, research, testing, warehousing and distribution — makes the development more significant than the production of any single model.

The arrival of the SVL75-3 is therefore another milestone in a larger transition that has been underway since Kubota first announced the Salina construction equipment operation in 2020.

Salina started by building one Kubota compact track loader.

It is increasingly becoming one of the places where Kubota's North American construction equipment business is built around.