Hanover, Germany – November 9, 2009 – (TSX: HEM) Today from Agritechnica 2009 in Hanover, Germany, Hemisphere GPS and CLAAS Agrosystems launched Outback Sts in Europe. CLAAS Agrosystems is providing its customers a customized version of the Hemisphere GPS Outback Sts™ guidance system named COPILOT TS. COPILOT TS features 16 languages specifically for the European market, including Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Lithuanian.
“As Hemisphere GPS’ distribution partner in Europe, CLAAS Agrosystems is pleased to have the opportunity to introduce Outback Sts to our customers,” said Dr. Michael Quinckhardt, CEO of CLAAS Agrosystems. “We will utilize our strong distribution network to bring this superior product to market. The results will be beneficial to the European farmer, and to both companies. We look forward to continuing a strong long-term relationship with Hemisphere GPS.”
Outback Sts (S touch screen) is the latest addition to the line of situational awareness and data management tools from the Outback Guidance® product line. The Outback Sts 7 inch, high-resolution color touch screen and electronically integrated Outback Steering Guide™ uses GPS data and specific job details to provide real time job data and precision guidance. It features a variety of easy-to-use guidance patterns and the ability to set and adjust guidance lines. Outback Sts also boasts a wide array of job management options, including setting perimeters, dropping mark flags, creating job templates, and recording job-specific notes such as the type of crop, the wind direction, and temperature. All this information can be stored on the system internal memory or the data can be conveniently transferred via the USB port. All of these features are powered by Crescent®; Hemisphere GPS’ advanced patented GPS receiver technology.
“We are proud of our partnership with a global agricultural machinery leader like CLAAS,” said Kip Pendleton, Vice President and General Manager of Agriculture for Hemisphere GPS. “CLAAS has earned a reputation for only offering the highest quality product into farms across Western and Eastern Europe and around the world. Customers all over the world rely on a wide range of CLAAS products and solutions to help them operate and grow their business. We are excited to leverage our combined expertise with CLAAS to provide those solutions to the rapidly growing precision needs of customers they serve.”
About CLAAS Agrosystems and CLAAS:
Claas Agrosystems GmbH & Co. KG is a daughter company of CLAAS. CLAAS is a family-owned, German company and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of agricultural technology with more than 9,000 employees and total sales of over three billion Euros. Numerous subsidiaries, including 14 production plants around the globe, ensure worldwide customer proximity. CLAAS combine harvesters are the European market leader and CLAAS choppers are number one worldwide. The product range also includes tractors, balers, green harvest machinery, telescopic loaders, and state-of-the-art agricultural information technology.
About Hemisphere GPS
Hemisphere GPS designs and manufactures innovative, cost-effective GPS products for positioning, guidance, and machine control applications in agriculture, marine and other markets. The Company holds numerous patents and other intellectual property and owns leading brand names, including Outback Guidance® and BEELINE®, two of the leading brands in precision GPS for ground agriculture. The Company is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with major product development, sales, and marketing facilities in Arizona, Kansas, and Australia. Hemisphere GPS is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) trading under the symbol “HEM” and is one of the TSX Cleantech designated companies. For more information about Hemisphere GPS, please go to www.hemispheregps.com.