Topcon Corporation (TOKYO:7732)(ISIN:JP3630400004) announces that Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS), a wholly-owned subsidiary in the USA, has acquired InlandGEO, one of Topcon’s top performing distributors. InlandGEO is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, and has four additional offices in Spain, two in Portugal and one in the Canary Islands.

In addition to continuing to distribute Topcon and Sokkia positioning products to the construction and survey markets in Spain and Portugal, InlandGEO will become the headquarters for distribution and support for Topcon precision agriculture products in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Established in 1987, InlandGEO “has a deep knowledge of the positioning industry, starting with lasers, machine control and precision land leveling systems,” said Ray O’Connor, TPS president and CEO. “This acquisition reinforces InlandGEO as a premiere Topcon and Sokkia distributor in Spain and Portugal, and now provides the opportunity for rapid growth of Topcon’s position in precision agricultural markets all across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.”

From 1993 through 2005, InlandGEO was a top European distributor of Trimble positioning products. It acquired one of the world’s largest Sokkia dealers in 2002, and then acquired Topcon distribution for Spain and Portugal in 2005.

O’Connor also announced that Carlos Monreal, InlandGEO president and CEO, will remain president of the company, in addition to his current duties as vice president of global agriculture for Topcon Precision Agriculture (TPA), and he will be responsible for TPA’s European operations. TPA is a business unit of TPS and is led by Albert Zahalka, senior vice president and general manager for the division.

Tony Hirayama, former executive vice president of TPS and president and CEO of TPA, as well as holding several positions with Topcon Corporation in Tokyo, will assume the position of CEO of InlandGEO. Dave Mudrick, president of Topcon America Corporation, the holding company for TPS, will be chairman of the InlandGEO board of directors. Ewout Korpershoek, managing director of Topcon Europe Positioning, Ivan Di Federico, TPS senior vice president of global engineering, and O’Connor round out the board of directors.

Monreal praised the acquisition, saying, “The global scope of the new board of directors, with officers from Europe, the United States and Japan shows a strong commitment to InlandGEO and its expanded customer base. This acquisition is a very positive step for Topcon, InlandGEO, the company’s employees, customers and potential customers.”