Western Plains Machinery Co. is a locally owned construction equipment dealer who is dedicated to supplying superior products and service to our customers in the Montana and Wyoming area, and to providing an excellent and safe working environment for our employees to work and grow in their careers. Recently, Western Plains Machinery Co. acquired the Western Montana Territory. A full time salesman and a field service technician are currently serving the area with plans of expanding in the future.

Our motto: “We service what we sell” has been at our core since the founding of Western Plains Machinery in 1940. The company has persevered through the hard times, prospering through both the Great Depression and World War II, and has grown and thrived as a strong and reliable construction equipment distributor. We have built a reputation for outstanding customer service with a wide array of high-quality product lines. With over 60 years of experience in the highly competitive and volatile field of construction machinery, our loyal employees and customers position Western Plains for yet another 60 years of success. “Our customers know we’re here to stay,” states Mike Matz, company president. “We have a long, strong future ahead.” 

Western Plains Machinery was originally established as Western Construction Equipment Company in 1940 by Harold Doolen. In 1960, Doolen took on J.I. Case construction equipment, establishing a product line that remains at the core of WESTERN PLAINS to this day. The company name was changed to Western Equipment Company in 1968 and a core component of organizational success was added to the mix when Mike Matz took a part-time job at Western Equipment as a parts runner. After graduation from Eastern Montana College, Matz remained with the company and was promoted to controller in 1971. Matz continued to climb the corporate ladder as he obtained the branch manager position of Western Equipment’s Great Falls branch in 1978. By 1980 he had reached the top and was promoted to Vice President/General Manager of the company. In 1981 Matz bought a minority share in Western Equipment and by 1985 he and his wife Joan had acquired the rest of the company. The growing company expanded into new territories with the 1987 acquisition of Wilson Equipment, an established Case dealer in the Casper and Gillette, Wyoming area. With the expansion, the company’s name was changed to Western Plains Machinery, known today as an authorized Case dealer and distributor of quality construction equipment and service. Most recently the company extended its services into stand-alone rental outlets. The first store was established in Billings in 1998 and since then WP Rentals stores have opened in Belgrade, Montana and Cheyenne, Wyoming.

WESTERN PLAINS is the Case distributor for all of Montana and all but the four southwestern counties of Wyoming. In addition to the Case line, Western Plains is an authorized dealer for over 25 other lines of equipment which can all be viewed on the Manufacturer’s page of this site. From north to south, a distance of 720 miles separates our locations in Great Falls and Cheyenne, servicing customers of some 200,000 square miles with quality products and service.

The company philosophy is centered on maintaining the highest level of customer service, and Mike Matz believes that the use of great employees effectively responding to customer’s needs is the key to providing that level of dependable service. Years of experience have shown that while striving to provide quality service, you’ve got to have dependable, loyal and dedicated people. “Our people set us apart,” says Matz, who utilizes an array of experienced personnel to build relationships with customers. “As long as we make sure that the customer comes first, we’ll do just fine.”

As a growing and progressing company, we value the opinions of our customers. We would appreciate hearing from you and are interested in learning of new ways to service your needs.

Email WPM President, Mike Matz