Coolest Things Made in Missouri 2026: Kawasaki EVO series engines

Scott James

Owners: Shareholders of Kawasaki
Employees: 1,031
Founded: 1989
Web: KawasakiMaryville.com
2025 Revenue: $500 million
Product Pricing: Undisclosed
Why is this the coolest product made in Missouri? Our most sophisticated engine to date, the FX EVO brings together all the hallmarks of our tried-and-true engineering process to deliver performance that tackles tough conditions.

Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. USA makes its EVO Series engines at the company’s Maryville plant in northwest Missouri. Considered Kawasaki’s most sophisticated engine to date, the company says professional users demanded more: more efficient, productive, easier-to-maintain engines, ones that integrate advanced electronic fuel injection, a redesigned cylinder head with three valves, improved air filtration and a new combustion chamber.

SBJ: Our understanding was that this engine was responding to some specific market needs as far as what commercial landscapers need to do. Can you tell me what’s the inspiration for this one?
Scott James, director of operations: Our customers are always our driver. We’re always looking for how to better meet their needs in their market, and really our customers were looking for something more powerful, and more efficient, so they could perform their jobs, their landscaping work more efficiently, and also be more profitable in their businesses.

SBJ: I hear that EVO Series engines solve some specific problems just because of their ease of maintenance. Can you talk about that?
James: We made some definite improvements on being able to clean grass debris out from under the fan housing of the engine that might get sucked in, for easier maintenance. Also, a bigger oil fill area, so for the landscaper it’s easier when they change their oil to fill it back up. The engine mounting points were a big improvement for the (original equipment manufacturers), so we added additional possibilities, so that they have more options for being able to mount in the same footprint.

SBJ: What’s been happening in terms of customer feedback Kawasaki gets about this series of engines? What are people saying?
James: We’ve had really great feedback from our end users, that they really like the engine. It has allowed them to power through when they’re mowing especially heavy or wet grass situations, where they don’t have to adjust the throttle or anything that the (electronic fuel injection) system on it automatically adjusts, and they can maintain their speed and keep mowing.

SBJ: With this product and Kawasaki motor manufacturing generally, what would you say is the impact on the economy of Maryville, northwest Missouri and the state of Missouri?
James: We are the largest employer in Maryville. We also have a facility in Boonville, which is the largest employer in Boonville as well. The economic impact on both of those communities is huge. Not just through our employment, but also through our donations to the local schools, community foundation, scholarships. We also work a lot with the state to help educate our employees and help them grow. Also, our supplier network has a huge impact on the economy, not just locally, but throughout the United States as we have a lot of domestic manufacturers.

SBJ: You mentioned these two plants. Why is it important that those be in Missouri?
James: Well, Kawasaki originally started the Maryville facility in 1989 and found the work ethic to be very strong, and with that base it’s very critical to have these engines made in the U.S. because that’s the primary market for our customers. So that’s a critical point. And we expanded, kind of still staying in the Midwest and in Missouri is centralized in the U.S. for freight and shipment. So it’s just a great place to have that manufacturing base.