Topcon Precision Agriculture (TPA) has opened its TPA North American headquarters in Olathe, Kansas.

The facility, located at 16950 W. 118th Terrace, will handle sales, support and training for TPA, a business unit of Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) of Livermore, California.

The new TPA North American headquarters was the site this week of the first-ever North American agriculture dealer meeting. Nineteen dealers from 13 states and five Canadian provinces, representatives from key industry partners, plus media representatives from the nations top agriculture magazines attended the meeting.

The week's events included a ride-and-drive demonstration of Topcon's new products at the Kansas Motor Speedway.

"The Olathe facility, located in the heart of the country, is a perfect location for the service and support facilities for TPA," says Rod Haarberg, the company's national agriculture sales manager.

While there is no way to know exactly how many TPA employees will be located at the facility, there is every reason to believe that the predicted growth of automated steering applications in agriculture will create an opportunity for exponential growth in the future, Haarberg says.

Haarberg also announced that Carol Snyder will be in charge of technical training and support operations.

The TPA headquarters will share the building with The TPS Group that was formerly the North American headquarters for Sokkia Corporation. The TPS Group was formed in June, combining Topcon and Sokkia survey units into a single company.

"The central location is in close proximity to many dealers and customers," Haarberg says. "Opening the TPA North American office in Kansas is an exciting development for Topcon."