The AEM Manufacturing Express tour kicked off August in Kansas, continuing to build on the tour’s success as the association’s largest-ever public engagement initiative makes its way into week six.
One-third of the way through the tour, AEM worked to tell the story of the equipment manufacturing industry at Custom Truck One Source in Kansas City, Missouri, last week Thursday, Great Plains Manufacturing in Salina, Kansas on Friday, CNH Industrial in Wichita, Kansas this past Monday, and Harper Industries in Harper, Kansas on Tuesday. The tour continued on to host events at Ditch Witch on Wednesday, and it will move on to Vacuworx Global, McElroy Manufacturing, TWG-Dover, and PACCAR Winch over the next week, drawing hundreds of manufacturing employees for events across the state.
The AEM Manufacturing Express will cover 20 states and make stops at more than 80 equipment manufacturing communities in the Midwest, South, Mid-Atlantic, and states around the Great Lakes during the next four months. Along the way, AEM will tell the story of equipment manufacturing and the people behind it, as well as convey the short-term and long-term challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
The first stop of the Kansas leg of the tour led us to Custom Truck One Source (CTOS), to celebrate its rich industrial history in Kansas City, Kansas. The company is a leader in specialty trucks and heavy equipment, providing equipment for nearly every industry, including utility, rail, telecom, infrastructure, and forestry services. CTOS began with a humble start as a family gas station employing just 15 employees; now, with over 30 years of experience in the industry and more than 1,000 employees at its Kansas City headquarters alone, the company is growing rapidly.
On a sunny Friday afternoon, the AEM Manufacturing Express was greeted at Great Plains Manufacturing’s Salina, Kansas, facility by over 300 employees. For nearly 50 years, Great Plains has committed to investing in rural Kansas communities -- strategically placing facilities in rural areas, creating family-sustaining jobs, and contributing to local economies across the state. “We take pride in being a part of our local community and have staked a reputation on investing in this heartland for more than 50 years,” said Great Plains Manufacturing President and CEO of David Disberger.
Continuing through the state of Kansas, the bus made its way to Case Equipment in Wichita, Kansas, braving the hundred-degree heat to celebrate the products the company produces and the employees who make it all possible. CNH Industrial has a longstanding history in the state of Kansas, manufacturing skid steer loaders at the Wichita facility since 1974. And, the company has invested in expanding that facility to its current 80-acre,550,000-square-foot footprint.
Harper Industries, manufacturer of ag equipment, turf care, solutions, and hydraulic systems, was the next stop, welcoming the AEM Manufacturing Express with open arms to its Harper, Kansas, facility to celebrate the men and women who are the backbone of this rural community. “Fifty years ago, this used to be an alfalfa field,” Tim Penner, president of Harper Industries, explains with a chuckle. “In high school, I had a job baling hay—and I hated it!” As Harper Industries continues to grow, so does the area surrounding it, and the company’s commitment to the surrounding community showcases its core values of authenticity, drive, humility, and trustworthiness.For more AEM news and updates, subscribe to the AEM Industry Advisor.
