Topcon
Encyclopedia
Topcon is a Japan
ese manufacturer of optical equipment for ophthalmology
and surveying
. Their headquarters are in Itabashi
, Tokyo
. They are affiliated with Toshiba
, which holds 40% of Topcon's stock.
Corporate Name: Tokyo Kogaku Kikai Kabushikikaisha (Tokyo Optical Co., Ltd.)
Head Office: 2, Ginza 4-chome, Kyobashi-ku, Tokyo
Factories: Toshima-ku and Takinogawa-ku, Tokyo
April 1933 -- Built head office and main factory at 180, Shimura-motohasunuma-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo (current address) and moved head office functions there.
August 1945 -- Temporarily closed factories after the end of World War II. Received authorization from Tokyo governor to convert the factory for production of civil products and reopened factory to manufacture binoculars and surveying instruments.
December 1946 -- Established Yamagata kikai kogyo kabushikikaisha. (currently Topcon Yamagata Co., Ltd.) in Yamagata-shi, Yamagata Prefecture.
December 1947 -- Started selling lens meters. Started Ophthalmic and Medical Instruments business.
May 1949 -- Listed its stock on Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges.
March 1960 -- Became an affiliate of Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co.,Ltd. (currently TOSHIBA CORPORATION).
May 1963 -- Started selling a single-lens reflex camera "TOPCON RE Super" adopting TTL.
October 1969 -- Established Tokyo Kogaku Seiki Kabushikikaisha (currently OPTONEXUS Co., Ltd.) in Tamura-gun, Fukushima Prefecture.
April 1970 -- Established Topcon Europe N.V.(currently Topcon Europe B.V.) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
September 1970 -- Established Topcon Instrument Corporation of America (currently Topcon Medical Systems, Inc.)
January 1975 -- Established Topcon Sokki Co., Ltd. (currently Topcon Sales corporation), a surveying instrument sales company.
December 1976 -- Established Topcon Medical Japan Co., Ltd., a medical instrument sales company.
April 1978 -- Started selling a electric distance meter DM-C1 adopting a near-infrared.
October 1978 -- Started selling a refractometer RM-100 incorporating near-infrared beam and a television system.
March 1979 -- Established Topcon Singapore Pte. Ltd. in Singapore.
April 1986 -- Established Topcon Optical (H.K.) Ltd. in Hong Kong. September 1986 Listed on First Sections of Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges.
April 1989 -- Changed its corporate name to TOPCON CORPORATION.
April 1991 -- Entry into electron beam business.
December 1991 -- Built an engineering center in corporate premises.
March 1994 -- Surveying Instrument Division obtained ISO 9001, certification. (Ophthalmic and Medical Instruments, Industrial Instruments and Optical Devices Divisions also obtained ISO 9001 certification subsequently)
September 1994 -- Established Topcon Laser Systems, Inc. (currently Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.) in California, U.S.A., acquired Advanced Grade Technology, advanced into machine control business.
October 1994 -- Delivered a nationwide GPS continuous observation system to Geographical Survey Institute, Ministry of Construction, Japanese Government. S
September 1997 -- Obtained ISO 14001 certification, an international standard for environment management systems.
July 2000 -- Acquired Javad Positioning Systems Inc. in the United States and started selling precision GPS receivers and related system products.
July 2001 -- Established Topcon America Corporation in New Jersey, U.S.A., as a holding company. Reorganized the subsidiaries in the United States dividing them into the ophthalmic and medical instrument business and the positioning business.
July 2002 -- Liquidated Topcon Singapore Pte. Ltd. and established Topcon South Asia Pte. Ltd. in Singapore.
February 2004 -- Established Topcon (Beijing) Opto-Electoronics Corporation in Beijing, China.
July 2005 -- Reorganized sales subsidiaries in Europe and newly established two firms in the European market - one overseeing eye care business and the other overseeing positioning business - with Topcon Europe B.V. as the holding company.
July 2005 -- Transferred from part of the Hoya Corporation Vision Care Company's ophthalmic instruments segment in Japan.
April 2006 -- Implemented two-for-one stock split.
August 2006 -- Acquired ANKA Systems, Inc., in the United States for full-fledged entry into the ophthalmic network business in the United States.
October 2006 -- Acquired KEE Technologies Pty Ltd., in Australia for entry into field of agriculture.
April 2007 -- In order to build a global group and quick business expansion, Topcon adopted three business structure, Positioning Business Unit, Eye Care Business Unit and Finetech Business Unit.
May 2007 -- Business rights for mobile control (navigation systems, ITS and others) transferred to U.S. subsidiary from Javad Navigation Systems, Inc.
February 2008 -- Conducted a takeover bid for shares of Sokkia Co., Ltd. and made it a subsidiary to enhance competitiveness of the positioning business in the global market.
June 2009 -- Acquired shares of Italian wireless communications manufacturer DESTURA s.r.l. to strengthen operations in mobile communications, machine controls, and agricultural IT market segments.
October 2009 -- Established Topcon 3D Inspection Laboratories, Inc., a 3D inspection technology development/design company, in Canada. Entry into the 3D measurement and high-end print board fields.
March 2010 -- Acquired InlandGEO Holding S.L., the largest dealer in Spain, to enhance sales channels for precision agricultural systems in the European, Middle-Eastern, and African markets.
July 2010 -- Expanded Chinese subsidiary and established Topcon (Beijing) Opto-Electronics Development Corporation as a manufacturing base in the emerging Chinese market.
July 2010 -- Reorganized sales subsidiary in Singapore, established Topcon Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd. as a holding company. Established new Positioning and Eye Care sales companies.
August 2010 -- Established Topcon Medical Laser Systems, Inc. by acquiring retina and glaucoma business of OptiMedica (U.S.A) and entered therapeutic laser market.
January 2011 Established Topcon Positioning Middle East and Africa FZE to expand Positioning Business in Middle Eastern and African market.
s, beginning with a 6×4.5 cm medium format model in 1937. A 127 film
camera followed the next year. The Primoflex I twin-lens reflex camera
came out in 1951. The Topcon 35A was unveiled in 1953. In 1960 the company produced a 6x9 press camera
on order from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
. It initially used a Mamiya
lens; civilian models became available with Topcon lenses.
With the 35 mm Topcon RE-Super
of 1963, the company pioneered full-aperture, through-the-lens metering. The company continued to innovate until leaving that line of business in 1981. The Charles Beseler Company
imported the camera line into the US, with the RE-Super being rebranded as the Super-D.
About 1965 the US Navy
tested cameras from several Japanese and German manufacturers (including the Nikon F
). The Topcon Super D was the winner of this competition and was used exclusively by the Navy until the very end of Topcon production in 1977.
office.
Topcon has an office in Technology Park Adelaide at Mawson Lakes, South Australia
, and representatives in Sydney.
Topcon Corporation acquired Advanced Grade Technology in 1995 and became known as Topcon Laser Systems.
In August of 2000, Topcon acquired JPS Inc., of San Jose, California, a leading provider of precision GPS and GPS/GLONASS products.
With the introduction of a series of positioning products, Topcon Laser Systems grew, and consolidated the survey instruments, GPS products and construction positioning products divisions in July 2001. Topcon Positioning Systems was formed to create the largest company in the world focused exclusively on positioning control needs of the civil engineering industry.
It became the first positioning systems company to offer "The Complete Solution" from Survey to Finished Grade - the reorganization provided products and systems designed for improving job site productivity and lowering costs.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese manufacturer of optical equipment for ophthalmology
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
and surveying
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
. Their headquarters are in Itabashi
Itabashi, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Itabashi City. Itabashi has sister-city relations with Burlington, Ontario in Canada; Shijingshan District in Beijing, People's Republic of China; and Bologna in Italy....
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. They are affiliated with Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
, which holds 40% of Topcon's stock.
History of Topcon
September 1932 -- TOPCON was established based on the surveying instruments division of K.Hattori & Co.,Ltd. (currently SEIKO HOLDINGS CORPORATION) in order to manufacture the optical instruments for Japanese Army, which are surveying instruments, binoculars and cameras.Corporate Name: Tokyo Kogaku Kikai Kabushikikaisha (Tokyo Optical Co., Ltd.)
Head Office: 2, Ginza 4-chome, Kyobashi-ku, Tokyo
Factories: Toshima-ku and Takinogawa-ku, Tokyo
April 1933 -- Built head office and main factory at 180, Shimura-motohasunuma-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo (current address) and moved head office functions there.
August 1945 -- Temporarily closed factories after the end of World War II. Received authorization from Tokyo governor to convert the factory for production of civil products and reopened factory to manufacture binoculars and surveying instruments.
December 1946 -- Established Yamagata kikai kogyo kabushikikaisha. (currently Topcon Yamagata Co., Ltd.) in Yamagata-shi, Yamagata Prefecture.
December 1947 -- Started selling lens meters. Started Ophthalmic and Medical Instruments business.
May 1949 -- Listed its stock on Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges.
March 1960 -- Became an affiliate of Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co.,Ltd. (currently TOSHIBA CORPORATION).
May 1963 -- Started selling a single-lens reflex camera "TOPCON RE Super" adopting TTL.
October 1969 -- Established Tokyo Kogaku Seiki Kabushikikaisha (currently OPTONEXUS Co., Ltd.) in Tamura-gun, Fukushima Prefecture.
April 1970 -- Established Topcon Europe N.V.(currently Topcon Europe B.V.) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
September 1970 -- Established Topcon Instrument Corporation of America (currently Topcon Medical Systems, Inc.)
January 1975 -- Established Topcon Sokki Co., Ltd. (currently Topcon Sales corporation), a surveying instrument sales company.
December 1976 -- Established Topcon Medical Japan Co., Ltd., a medical instrument sales company.
April 1978 -- Started selling a electric distance meter DM-C1 adopting a near-infrared.
October 1978 -- Started selling a refractometer RM-100 incorporating near-infrared beam and a television system.
March 1979 -- Established Topcon Singapore Pte. Ltd. in Singapore.
April 1986 -- Established Topcon Optical (H.K.) Ltd. in Hong Kong. September 1986 Listed on First Sections of Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges.
April 1989 -- Changed its corporate name to TOPCON CORPORATION.
April 1991 -- Entry into electron beam business.
December 1991 -- Built an engineering center in corporate premises.
March 1994 -- Surveying Instrument Division obtained ISO 9001, certification. (Ophthalmic and Medical Instruments, Industrial Instruments and Optical Devices Divisions also obtained ISO 9001 certification subsequently)
September 1994 -- Established Topcon Laser Systems, Inc. (currently Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.) in California, U.S.A., acquired Advanced Grade Technology, advanced into machine control business.
October 1994 -- Delivered a nationwide GPS continuous observation system to Geographical Survey Institute, Ministry of Construction, Japanese Government. S
September 1997 -- Obtained ISO 14001 certification, an international standard for environment management systems.
July 2000 -- Acquired Javad Positioning Systems Inc. in the United States and started selling precision GPS receivers and related system products.
July 2001 -- Established Topcon America Corporation in New Jersey, U.S.A., as a holding company. Reorganized the subsidiaries in the United States dividing them into the ophthalmic and medical instrument business and the positioning business.
July 2002 -- Liquidated Topcon Singapore Pte. Ltd. and established Topcon South Asia Pte. Ltd. in Singapore.
February 2004 -- Established Topcon (Beijing) Opto-Electoronics Corporation in Beijing, China.
July 2005 -- Reorganized sales subsidiaries in Europe and newly established two firms in the European market - one overseeing eye care business and the other overseeing positioning business - with Topcon Europe B.V. as the holding company.
July 2005 -- Transferred from part of the Hoya Corporation Vision Care Company's ophthalmic instruments segment in Japan.
April 2006 -- Implemented two-for-one stock split.
August 2006 -- Acquired ANKA Systems, Inc., in the United States for full-fledged entry into the ophthalmic network business in the United States.
October 2006 -- Acquired KEE Technologies Pty Ltd., in Australia for entry into field of agriculture.
April 2007 -- In order to build a global group and quick business expansion, Topcon adopted three business structure, Positioning Business Unit, Eye Care Business Unit and Finetech Business Unit.
May 2007 -- Business rights for mobile control (navigation systems, ITS and others) transferred to U.S. subsidiary from Javad Navigation Systems, Inc.
February 2008 -- Conducted a takeover bid for shares of Sokkia Co., Ltd. and made it a subsidiary to enhance competitiveness of the positioning business in the global market.
June 2009 -- Acquired shares of Italian wireless communications manufacturer DESTURA s.r.l. to strengthen operations in mobile communications, machine controls, and agricultural IT market segments.
October 2009 -- Established Topcon 3D Inspection Laboratories, Inc., a 3D inspection technology development/design company, in Canada. Entry into the 3D measurement and high-end print board fields.
March 2010 -- Acquired InlandGEO Holding S.L., the largest dealer in Spain, to enhance sales channels for precision agricultural systems in the European, Middle-Eastern, and African markets.
July 2010 -- Expanded Chinese subsidiary and established Topcon (Beijing) Opto-Electronics Development Corporation as a manufacturing base in the emerging Chinese market.
July 2010 -- Reorganized sales subsidiary in Singapore, established Topcon Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd. as a holding company. Established new Positioning and Eye Care sales companies.
August 2010 -- Established Topcon Medical Laser Systems, Inc. by acquiring retina and glaucoma business of OptiMedica (U.S.A) and entered therapeutic laser market.
January 2011 Established Topcon Positioning Middle East and Africa FZE to expand Positioning Business in Middle Eastern and African market.
Cameras
Tokyo Kogaku produced cameraCamera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
s, beginning with a 6×4.5 cm medium format model in 1937. A 127 film
127 film
127 is a film format for still photography. The image format is usually a square 4×4 cm, but rectangular 4×3 cm and 4×6 cm are also standard. Oddly, C. F. Foth & Co. used 36×24 mm for its first “Derby” model....
camera followed the next year. The Primoflex I twin-lens reflex camera
Twin-lens reflex camera
A twin-lens reflex camera is a type of camera with two objective lenses of the same focal length. One of the lenses is the photographic objective or "taking lens" , while the other is used for the viewfinder system, which is usually viewed from above at waist level...
came out in 1951. The Topcon 35A was unveiled in 1953. In 1960 the company produced a 6x9 press camera
Press camera
A press camera is a medium or large format camera suitable for use by press photographers.Press cameras were widely used from the 1900s through the early 1960s and commonly had the following features:* collapsibility into strong, compact boxes...
on order from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department serves as the police force for the entire Tokyo metropolis. Founded in 1874, it is headed by a superintendent general, who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission and approved by the prime minister.The Metropolitan Police, with a staff of more...
. It initially used a Mamiya
Mamiya
is a Japanese company that today manufactures high-end cameras and other related photographic and optical equipment. With headquarters in Tokyo, it has two manufacturing plants and a workforce of over 200 people...
lens; civilian models became available with Topcon lenses.
With the 35 mm Topcon RE-Super
Topcon RE-Super
Tokyo Kogaku KK launched their first 35mm SLR camera in 1957, about two years before the Nikon F and the Canonflex. This was the Topcon R that acquired the bayonet lens mount from the Exakta Varex camera from Ihagee in Dresden, successor to the Kine Exakta of 1936...
of 1963, the company pioneered full-aperture, through-the-lens metering. The company continued to innovate until leaving that line of business in 1981. The Charles Beseler Company
Charles Beseler Company
Charles Beseler Company is a Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania industrial company addressing four primary markets: public and corporate steel shelving and furniture, iron shelving and storage, shrink wrap packaging and silver halide photography...
imported the camera line into the US, with the RE-Super being rebranded as the Super-D.
About 1965 the US Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
tested cameras from several Japanese and German manufacturers (including the Nikon F
Nikon F
The Nikon F camera, introduced in 1959, was Nikon's first SLR camera. It was one of the most advanced cameras of its day. Although most of its concepts had already been introduced elsewhere, it was the first camera to combine them all in one camera. It was produced until October 1973 and was...
). The Topcon Super D was the winner of this competition and was used exclusively by the Navy until the very end of Topcon production in 1977.
Topcon In Australia
Topcon has since 2003 started significant operations from their BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
office.
Topcon has an office in Technology Park Adelaide at Mawson Lakes, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, and representatives in Sydney.
Topcon Positioning Systems
Topcon Positioning Systems Inc., provides the positioning technology for surveyors, civil engineers, construction contractors, equipment owners and operators.Topcon Corporation acquired Advanced Grade Technology in 1995 and became known as Topcon Laser Systems.
In August of 2000, Topcon acquired JPS Inc., of San Jose, California, a leading provider of precision GPS and GPS/GLONASS products.
With the introduction of a series of positioning products, Topcon Laser Systems grew, and consolidated the survey instruments, GPS products and construction positioning products divisions in July 2001. Topcon Positioning Systems was formed to create the largest company in the world focused exclusively on positioning control needs of the civil engineering industry.
It became the first positioning systems company to offer "The Complete Solution" from Survey to Finished Grade - the reorganization provided products and systems designed for improving job site productivity and lowering costs.