Ricoh's Business Shift Accelerates as CIOs Tackle Future Workplace Challenges

LONDON, January 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Ricoh is Collaborating With CIOs to More Effectively Manage Knowledge and Convert it Into 'Information Capital' - a Businesses Most Vital Asset

Ricoh Europe today (http://www.ricoh-europe.com/ ) announced that it is accelerating its shift to a service orientated business model. The change will enable it to further help CIOs address the challenges of the future workplace driven by; changing demographics, sustainability, globalisation and technology. In addition to a global investment of $300 million over three years in Managed Document Services, (http://www.ricoh.com/mds/index.html ) Ricoh Europe's strategy includes; increasing its sales teams, strengthening its service delivery process and continuing to expand its technology portfolio. It is also capitalising upon its acquisitions of IKON(2) and Carl Lamm(3) to enhance its services portfolio.

Turning information into a valuable business asset with Managed Document Services New technologies are empowering knowledge workers to collaborate, share and work remotely. However the Baby Boom generation (1946-1964) will leave the workforce by 2025 and they will be taking valuable knowledge with them. This can result in a loss of information capital for businesses that do not have efficient processes in place to govern it. Ricoh's shift to a service orientated approach is enabling it to increase the way it is collaborating with the CIOs and further helping them to gain more control over their document governance. The result is that CIOs will be able to more effectively manage valuable knowledge and convert it into 'information capital', their businesses most vital asset.

Ricoh Managed Document Services (http://www.ricoh.com/mds/index.html ) is an extension and evolution of Managed Print Services. It addresses the three fundamental functions relating to the document management ecosystem; input, throughput, and output. Ricoh is partnering with its customers to reduce costs of up to 30%, significant when total spend on document governance in Europe currently exceeds an estimated EUR14 billion per year(1). Ricoh will also collaborate with the CIO to increase access to critical information, and increase productivity. It does this by considering the people, processes, and technologies prior to implementation and understanding the best way to optimise each element.

Its tools and processes are based on global best practices and provide a single and coherent view of what's happening inside a business, in relation to cost, security and sustainability. Ricoh will also support the delivery and ongoing governance of the solution to make continuous improvements and to ensure it is optimised into the future.

Enhancing its service orientated approach

Ricoh Europe has successfully integrated the expertise gained from its acquisition of IKON(2). The acquisition underpins Ricoh's strategy to transform into a services-led organisation, by combining with IKON's strong sales and service network and strengthening its business infrastructure in the US, Canada and Europe. It also enhanced Ricoh's in-house leasing service and IT service capability. Ricoh Europe has also acquired and integrated Carl Lamm(3) and maximised its capabilities in the IT services sector by extending them to customers in Sweden and the wider Nordic and EMEA regions.

"Ricoh aims to be a key partner to CIOs - a source of guidance and support. Our business has changed to ensure we are ready to collaborate with businesses to meet the needs of the future workplace. By giving CIOs more control over their managed document services environment, Ricoh is empowering them to take a strategic approach to information management," says Simon Sasaki, Chairman and CEO, Ricoh Europe. "Managed Document Services is at the heart of our European strategy and journey to become a more service oriented organisation."

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(1) The Ricoh Document Governance Index, conducted by Coleman Parkes Research (October 2009)

(2) IKON acquired October 2008. The world's largest independent provider of document management systems and services

(3) Carl Lamm acquired April 2009. An exclusive distributor of a range of Ricoh branded products in Sweden and nationwide supplier of IT solutions

About Ricoh

Ricoh Company, Ltd ("Ricoh Company") is a global technology leader, specialising in the office and production printing markets. Ricoh works with organisations around the world to modernise work environments and optimise document efficiency.

With over 108,500 employees worldwide, it operates in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, China and Japan. Ricoh Europe Holdings Plc is a public limited company and the EMEA headquarters of Ricoh Company with operations located in London, United Kingdom and Amstelveen, the Netherlands. In the fiscal year ended 31 March 2010, revenues from Ricoh's EMEA operations totalled over YEN 458.5 billion ($4.5 bn) Ricoh Company's worldwide sales totalled over YEN 2,016 billion ($21bn) during the year ended 31 March 2010.

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