Cessna Aircraft took a step closer to bringing its Citation Latitude to certification this year, rolling out the first production model at the company’s Wichita factory. The rollout, celebrated January 29, comes a little more than three years after Cessna announced the aircraft and seven months after Cessna started the assembly lines.

Cessna installed new automated robotics and ergonomically designed tooling stations on the Latitude’s production line. “Our product investments extend beyond the design and performance features of the aircraft with innovations in our manufacturing processes,” said president and CEO Scott Ernest.

Cessna first flew the prototype for the midsized jet in February 2014 and now has four aircraft in the flight-test program that have accrued 500 flights and 1,200 hours. A conforming model has been touring North America following its debut during the most recent NBAA Convention in Orlando, Fla. Scott Donnelly, chairman and CEO of Cessna parent Textron, told analysts that customer response has been positive, particularly with the stand-up cabin and 2,700-nm range.

Certification is expected in the first half with deliveries following in the second. The test program “is going very well…the aircraft is flying great,” Donnelly said.