Deere & Company has formed strategic cooperation with Topcon Positioning Systems, which is a manufacturer of positioning products for global surveying, construction, civil engineering and mobile control markets. Thus John Deere can sell, support, and factory-install Topcon's 3D-MC² grade control solutions on John Deere dozers and motor graders.
"The alliance with Topcon will allow our equipment owners to utilize a factory-installed grade control system that maximizes productivity, uptime and lowers daily operating costs on the worksite," said Domenic Ruccolo, senior vice president of sales and marketing, John Deere Construction & Forestry. "John Deere's approach to integrated grade control provides the customer with great flexibility. Topcon products will allow customers to experience faster delivery of their grade control-equipped machine, receive a factory-inspected system and benefit from an expanded level of customer support."
John Deere still maintains its open architecture approach, giving customers a choice. In addition to Topcon, machines will continue to work with any brand of grade control, including Trimble and Leica.
"We are very pleased with this agreement which brings our leading grade control technology to John Deere Construction equipment on a broader scale," said Jamie Williamson, senior vice president and general manager of Topcon's Construction Business Unit. "We believe this alliance will provide John Deere and Topcon customers the utmost quality in grade control technology and productivity on the job. John Deere and Topcon will work together to add value to integrated grade control systems through advanced, highly-integrated features in the future."
Factory-installed options available for the Topcon system will include single or twin antenna versions, and six receiver options including multi-constellation GNSS support and communications protocols. The alliance will first lead to the installation and distribution of Topcon components in John Deere products for the United States and Canada beginning this fall. Efforts will then shift around the world in key markets such as Latin America, Russia, China and Southeast Asia.
Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) is a world leader in providing advanced products and services and is committed to the success of customers whose work is linked to the land – those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and build upon the land to meet the world's dramatically increasing need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure. Since 1837, John Deere has delivered innovative products of superior quality built on a tradition of integrity. For more information, visit John Deere at its worldwide website at www.JohnDeere.com.
Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc. (TPS) designs and manufactures precise positioning products and solutions for the global surveying, construction, agriculture, civil engineering, mapping and GIS, asset management and mobile control markets. For more information visit www.topconpositioning.com. TPS' parent company, Topcon Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange – 7732), was founded in 1932.