West Fargo-based Bobcat Company announces plans to build manufacturing plant in Mexico

(Fargo, ND) -- One of the biggest employers in North Dakota is announcing plans to open a new manufacturing plant in Mexico. 

"Labor constraints, not just in North Dakota but in all of the U.S. right now are really hampering our ability to looking at adding more production in the U.S. So we are looking at where can we get where we can still shorten our supply lines, keep products as closest as we can to our customers but have more availability of labor and that is why we started to look at Monterrey and it just made sense," said Bobcat Company President Mike Ballwebber.

He says the new $300 million 700 thousand square foot manufacturing plant should open in Monterrey in early 2026. 

Ballwebber says the operation will allow bobcat to increase their North American compact loader production by 20 percent. 

The company currently employs 3,700 people in North Dakota. 

Ballwebber says the new facility will allow the company's plant in Gwinner to focus production on the R-Series compact loader.