Ribbon Cutting Marks Arctic Cat Expansion in St. Cloud, Minnesota

St. Cloud (MN) city planners and key elected officials celebrated September 19 alongside Arctic Cat executives during a ribbon cutting marking the expansion of Arctic Cat’s engine manufacturing facility. This marks the initial phase of a proposed US$5.6 million expansion to the existing plant and creation of a US$1.3 million testing center to be built on a recently acquired 40-acre property adjacent to the main St. Cloud facility.

Arctic Cat Vice President Tracy Crocker, who wields the ribbon cutting scissors as key local officials and plant personnel watch, noted “St. Cloud is a good fit with Arctic Cat.”

Arctic Cat Vice President Tracy Crocker cuts the ribbon marking completion of a 17,000-square-foot mezzanine addition at Arctic Cat’s St. Cloud, MN manufacturing plant. (Photo by Jerry Bassett)

The ribbon cutting preceded an open house and tours of the expanded plant, which will house more than 100 design and manufacturing engineers as well as the existing three engine production lines. Currently Arctic Cat manufactures its 600cc snowmobile engine as well as both V-Twin and single cylinder ATV motors on site.

The current 17,000-square-foot mezzanine addition to the St. Cloud manufacturing plant reportedly represents a US$400,000 investment and is a prelude to the development of the planned manufacturing and testing facility scheduled for next spring. Arctic Cat plans to add a 67,000-square-foot addition to the existing manufacturing facility as future plans call for the site to house research and development engineering primarily for wheeled products. Snowmobile R&D along with product manufacturing will remain in Thief River Falls, Minn. Arctic Cat recently invested more than US$20 million in a state of the art paint system that is housed at Thief River.