Today, Hemisphere GPS and Stara S.A. Industria de Implementos Agricolas announced their expanded OEM partnership as part of Stara’s new SpeedDrive X system. Stara, one of the world's largest agricultural equipment manufacturers, launched SpeedDrive X today at the AgriShow Rabeirão Pretoin São Paulo State, Brazil. SpeedDrive X will be factory installed as standard equipment on various models of Stara tractors, sprayers, and spreaders.

The new SpeedDrive X combines a customized Hemisphere GPS eDriveX automated steering system and A320 GNSS smart antenna and Stara Topper 4500 terminal providing total user management for precision agriculture. SpeedDrive X monitors, controls, and displays guidance and automatically steers the vehicle to improve applications such as sub-soil plowing, spraying and spreading, planting, and harvesting. The integration of the eDriveX steering system with a third-party terminal is a significant milestone for Hemisphere GPS.

"The technology collaboration between Stara and Hemisphere GPS is critical to the advanced design of our precision farming solutions in South America," says Cristiano Paim Buss, Director of Technology for Stara. "We tested SpeedDrive X on over 22,000 hectares ensuring a very robust and sophisticated system for the most demanding farmers.”

Stara will offer SpeedDrive X as fully-integrated standard equipment on various models of Stara machinery in May, 2012 and also as an aftermarket product through their distribution network of over 95 exclusive dealers.

Hemisphere GPS’ customized eDriveX, A320 and associated components automatically steer farm machinery to centimeter-level accuracy. The eDriveX automated steering system features straight, contour, and circle pivot guidance modes and reverse steering. Stara’s SpeedDrive X version will also soon support eTurns™ and controlled traffic farming. eTurns enables farmers to automatically execute a turn at the end of a row, increasing efficiency and reducing driver fatigue. Controlled traffic farming significantly reduces compaction and increases yields. Hemisphere GPS’ A320 GNSS smart antenna provides reliable positioning solutions with centimeter-level accuracy. Powered by Hemisphere GPS’ Eclipse™ GNSS (GPS and GLONASS) receiver technology, A320 combines the receiver, antenna, and radio modem, all in one rugged package.

"We congratulate Stara on the launch of SpeedDrive X and we are pleased that our precision agriculture technology will be part of Stara's success in the marketplace," says Kip Pendleton, Sr. Vice President and General Manager of Agriculture for Hemisphere GPS. "The OEM-compatible interface designs we have developed enable Hemisphere GPS to scale technology revenues. Through our joint development efforts with Stara we will continue to fuel growth for both companies in the expanding Brazilian agriculture market and throughout South America.”