Topcon and SDF sign letter of intent for partnership agreement in agriculture market

TURIN, Italy – November 17, 2016 – Topcon Agriculture and SDF plan to enter into a non-exclusive long-term partnership agreement. This latest arrangement of Topcon with a major OEM is designed to strengthen both positions in the global markets for agriculture machines and precision farming.

SDF is a leading manufacturer of tractors, diesel engines, harvesting machines, and other agricultural equipment. It distributes its products with the brand names DEUTZ-FAHR, SAME, Lamborghini Trattori, Hürlimann, Grégoire, Lamborghini Green Pro and Shu-He.

“Topcon Agriculture’s products and services are aimed on enhancing efficiency, productivity and workflows to virtually every phase of farming operations, which pairs well with SDF — a respected supplier to customers worldwide with a wide-range of tractors and other agricultural machines,” said Fabio Isaia, CEO of Topcon Agriculture.

“The anticipated agreement will facilitate active and continuous cooperation between our two organizations, and also in the planning and development of IoT (Internet of Things) solutions for the agriculture market. Topcon and SDF have long enjoyed an existing collaborative association, and this agreement extends and solidifies that relationship,” said Isaia.

“Precision Farming is a key factor in order to improve both the productivity and the well-being of the end-users. The strengthening of SDF’s current collaboration with Topcon reinforces our position in providing to the final customer the most advanced farming technology integrated into our products. This new relationship is consistent with our strategy focused on the enlargement of the product range and opens new opportunity for Farming 4.0 era,” said Lodovico Bussolati, CEO of SDF.

Topcon Agriculture has a core emphasis on creating IoT connected field and farm management solutions by integrating high-precision technology, software and data.

Isaia said, “The partnership represents another example of the Topcon commitment to bring the Internet of Things and augmented agriculture to every farm — further expanding the integration of Topcon’s highly precise sensors and data with SDF’s reliable machines.”

For more information, visit topconpositioning.com.

About Topcon Agriculture Group
Topcon Agriculture Group is a division of the Topcon Positioning Group, headquartered in Livermore, California, USA (topconpositioning.com). The global Topcon Agriculture Group (topconagriculture.com) headquarters is located in Turin, Italy, with its North American regional headquarters in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Topcon Agriculture Group provides advanced IoT connected field and farm management solutions for aftermarket and OEM customers in the agriculture industry, integrating high-precision hardware, software and data to bring efficiency and enhance productivity to every phase of the farming operations. Its brands include Topcon, Wachendorff Elektronik, Digi-Star, RDS Technology, and NORAC.Topcon Corporation (topcon.com), founded in 1932, is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (7732). 

About SDF
SDF, with Italian headquarters in Treviglio (Bergamo), is one of the leading manufacturers of tractors, combine harvesters and harvesting machinery. SDF distributes its products with the brand names DEUTZ-FAHR, SAME, Lamborghini Trattori, Hürlimann, Grégoire, Lamborghini Green Pro and Shu-He. The tractors range from 23 to 340 hp, while the harvesting machinery ranges from 32 to 395 hp. Throughout the world SDF has 8 production sites, 13 commercial branches, 2 joint ventures, 141 importers and over 3,000 dealers, with over 4,100 employees worldwide. In 2015 the company recorded revenue of €1,390 million and an EBITDA of 9%. For more information, visit www.sdfgroup.com.