On January 18, 2017, Great Plains Manufacturing celebrated the grand opening of a new Ukrainian facility, located in Roslavychi village near Kiev.
The facility is positioned on five acres of land, with a total floor space of 14,000 square feet. The building comprises office space for Great Plains Ukraine employees, a parts warehouse containing more than 3,500 items, and a seed laboratory for testing metering systems and seed calibration. A large exhibition hall, conference rooms, machinery storage area, and an on-site demonstration field also make the facility perfect for training or seminars for dealers or other agribusiness guests.
“The fertile lands in Ukraine are the envy of many farmers throughout the world,” said export director Tom Bryan, who is stationed at the company’s global headquarters in Salina, Kansas. “The Ukrainian farmer has proven that the new farming technologies provided through the innovative products designed and built by Great Plains Mfg. are capable of producing higher yields. These are the reasons why we consider Ukraine an important market today and for the future. This beautiful new facility proves our commitment to supporting our business in Ukraine and the rest of Europe.”
Like the company’s innovative equipment, considerable thought went into the facility’s design. The facility utility systems operate on near complete autonomy, including autonomous heating, water management, fire control and reserve power systems. The office design is based on an open, “eco” style, reflecting Great Plains’ close relationship with the soil, plant life and agriculture with its earthy tones and décor.
The grand opening ceremony was enjoyed by business partners, distributors, farmers, representatives of agricultural holdings, and local and regional authorities and media.
Programming at the event included an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, speeches from honored guests and Great Plains management, entertainment, a banquet and a facility tour. The audience was addressed by Great Plains representatives Roy Applequist, founder of Great Plains Manufacturing; Linda Salem, president of Great Plains; Tom Bryan, export director; and Andriy Vorobyov, Great Plains Ukraine director. Among the VIPs were Ukrainian parliament (Rada), Oleg Dmytrenko; general director of Ukrainian Agribusiness Club, Taras Vysotskyi; and head of Roslavychi village council, Vira Chubenko.
The celebration was a culmination of a long-term effort and dreams of Great Plains employees from both the Ukraine and USA. Great Plains imported its first equipment into Ukraine in 2004, and positive response led the company to hire its first Ukrainian employee, Andriy Vorobyov, in 2006. In 2008, Great Plains Ukraine, was established and additional Ukrainian staff was hired to provide service in the areas of sales, parts, service, accounting, logistics and marketing. Land for the facility was purchased in 2014, and planning commenced immediately. The opening of the new facility in 2017 not only reflects Great Plains’ importance in the marketplace, but also emphasizes Great Plains’ value and commitment to its Ukrainian distributors and farmer customers.
