Linda Salem and other officials of Great Plains Manufacturing didn’t ride into a recent news conference in Salina on white chargers. But they could have, given the nature of their announcement.

Earlier that morning, Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, broke the difficult news to its employees that the Salina plant would close. The conventional lighting products made in Kansas would move to plants in Poland and India.

In most cases, the Signify announcement would have translated into the loss of 159 jobs and a 750,000-square-foot building standing empty in south Salina as economic development representatives scrambled to find a tenant.

Instead, Great Plains will move into the building with operations underway by the end of 2021. The company initially plans to add 130 manufacturing jobs with enough space for future expansion.

“This facility, through renovations, the equipment needed to turn it into a suitable production facility for us, requires a $43 million investment,” said Salem, company president and CEO. “There will be an additional $10 million spent in startup costs, including training, for a total spend of about $53 million.”

Great Plains, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kubota North America Corporation, initially plans to produce the Kubota compact track loader, which is now manufactured in Japan.

In comments to the I-R following the Salina press conference, Salem said the purchase of the Signify building should have no effect on other Great Plains plants, other than to strengthen an already healthy company.

Ellsworth is a part of that story. Several years ago, Great Plains took a long-vacant manufacturing plant on the edge of town and turned it into a major regional employer. The company’s footprint also extends into Lucas, Tipton and four other north-central Kansas communities. Together, the plants have 1,450 employees.

Great Plains is proof that a commitment to rural Kansas can translate into success, a philosophy originally embraced by Roy Applequist when he established the company in 1976.

“We cannot grow unless our community is healthy, provides a great place for people to not only work but also build their lives outside of work, raise their families, pursue their hobbies and their recreational pursuits,” Salem said at the news conference.

In this case, her remarks were aimed at Salina, but she could just as well have been talking about Ellsworth or any of the communities that are fortunate enough to have a Great Plains plant in their manufacturing portfolio.

Note to Readers — Great Plains manufactures agricultural implements for tillage, seeding and planting. It also is a leading producer of dirt working, turf maintenance, material handling and landscaping equipment.