Topcon Corp. last week promoted Ray O’Connor to senior managing executive officer. He has also been named president of the newly formed Positioning Company division of Topcon Corp.
In 2010 O’Connor became the first non-Japanese executive officer of the 80-year-old company.
O’Connor, based in Livermore, Calif., is also chairman of the board of Topcon Europe Positioning, as well as chairman of both Sokkia America Corp. and Sokkia Europe BV, and serves as direct adviser to Topcon president Norio Uchida. He will continue to fill these present positions, as well as other positions within the corporation.
“For the past 10 years, Ray has been a creative and driving force in growing the Topcon positioning business not only in the United States but globally,” Uchida said. “His adherence to sound business management practices, adoption of and putting into place ‘lean manufacturing’ operations through TPS, and his total understanding of the key markets in which we compete has proved invaluable to Topcon.
“Ray is a total business professional who uses extraordinary sound business management skills combined with strategically aggressive initiatives to deliver, time and again, positive results even when confronted with market shortcomings. Under his leadership, our positioning business in the Americas, Australia and Europe has dramatically exceeded our expectations.”
In addition to leading Topcon’s efforts in its core markets of construction, surveying and civil engineering, GIS and mobile mapping, O’Connor has also provided the guidance for Topcon’s growth into the global precision agricultural industry and its OEM expansion.
“I am grateful for the opportunities and confidence that the Topcon management and executive committee, and especially Mr. Uchida, have shown to me during the years,” O’Connor said. “I admire the progressive philosophy of the Topcon organization and it is an honor to serve among the highest levels of leaders, a responsibility that I take with greatest appreciation.”
Topcon Positioning Systems 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.
