KIDE has recently announced that they will be adopting the name of their parent company Topcon Healthcare Solutions (THS) EMEA, a subsidiary of Topcon Corporation. Kide is a Finland-based company that was acquired by Topcon in April 2018. They specialize in delivering web-based clinical data management and telemedicine software services for eye care. As well as offering these services, the company will also take on the management and distribution of Topcon Healthcare Solution’s software in Europe, Middle-East, and Africa (EMEA).
“We are very excited to have KIDE Systems as an official part of the Topcon family,” expresses Mr. Akifumi Baba, President of Topcon Healthcare Solutions. “By combining modern software solutions with strong hardware, we can provide advanced solutions to all eye care professionals and strengthen our position within eye care industry.”
Tokyo-based THS EMEA is a cutting-edge ophthalmic device manufacturer with a customer base that spans the globe. They have brought many leading innovations to the market, including the world’s first commercial back-of-the-eye Spectral Domain and Swept Source (SS) optical coherence topography systems. In recent years, Topcon has moved towards growing their line of software products for the eye care industry.
“The brand change is a natural step towards becoming a true member of the Topcon family and our employees are very excited to become Topconians,” stated Mr. Anssi Ylimaula, CEO of KIDE Systems and new Managing Director of THS EMEA. “The brand change to the known and recognized Topcon brand will also open up new doors for us within the global eye care market and allow us to provide our customers with even better solutions and services,” Mr.Ylimaula continues.
Topcon was first founded in 1932 as the surveying instruments division of K. Hattori & Co. They were originally responsible for manufacturing optical devices for the Japanese army, such as surveying equipment, binoculars and cameras. As the company grew, they started the ophthalmic and medical instruments business in 1947 and went public on the Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchange in 1949. They adopted the name Topcon for the company’s cameras and expanded into the European and North American markets soon after.
Topcon diversified into other business domains through a combination of mergers and acquisitions and alliances, including medical instruments, electrical measuring equipment, global positioning systems, and precision machine control for use in areas like agriculture and infrastructure. Currently Topcon operates their global conglomerate under three portfolios – positioning business, smart infrastructure and the eye care business – and is represented in 27 countries.
