Topcon Positioning Systems Initiates New Global Sustainability Initiatives
Topcon Positioning Systems has announced a series of new developments and initiatives as part of its ongoing sustainability efforts. First, the formation of a new global team dedicated to sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been announced. It will be led by Michael Gomes as vice president of Global Sustainability and CSR. Much of his career with Topcon has been dedicated to the advancement of more sustainable agricultural practices. He will now lead a global team dedicated to sustainability for all markets and product lines, which will connect into Topcon’s parent organization, Topcon Corp., in Japan to effectively support the corporation’s multiple divisions.
“Sustainability has long been a part of the fabric of Topcon and is something we take very seriously as we take actions to support our global initiatives,” said Gomes. “As we look ahead, we’ll endeavor to support, at every level, the advancement of the industries and communities we serve. The work we do is modeled on the sustainable development goals adopted at the United Nations Summit in 2015 and has been part of Topcon’s vision statement since 2016.”
Topcon Research & Validation Center
Topcon’s dedication to sustainability is further demonstrated by the inauguration of a new 60-acre Research & Validation Center at its global headquarters in Livermore, Calif. The company has worked closely with Alameda County in the approval and development of this expansive, ecologically diverse location that will support the increasing needs for research and validation of new technologies.
The site was strategically planned in collaboration with students and faculty from the BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The team employed a multi-disciplinary approach, providing a site analysis with soil evaluations and recommended crops, maps for planting, and additional site development recommendations.
This new facility joins global validation centers in Concordia, Italy, and Adelaide, Australia, all working on research and validation of innovative precision technologies. “Through these three centers, there is research and testing underway at Topcon, somewhere in the world, any time of day,” Gomes said.
TPS global headquarters moves to solar power
Another recent initiative is the conversion to solar power for the Livermore campus. Initial planning began in October 2022, and the project is underway. Once the project is completed, the campus, including multiple buildings, manufacturing facilities and electric car charging stations, will be powered by solar energy.
“This is a great opportunity for us to reduce our Scope 2 emissions and energy costs,” Gomes said.
For more information, visit topconpositioning.com/sustainability.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.