Ricoh 1998 Annual Report Download - page 19

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17
Featured with the IPSiO Color 2000 is Arisa
Mizuki, a highly popular actress and pop singer in
Japan. Ricoh chose Arisa as the promotional person-
ality for its dynamic new IPSiO line of color and
monochrome laser and inkjet printers. The IPSiO
Color 2000 color laser printer has become an instant
success for its compactness, speed, and affordability.
Ricoh took a final step in its strategy to become the
global leader in output equipment when it unveiled
its all-new line of laser and inkjet printers to an en-
thusiastic reception in Tokyo in May 1998.
I
NFORMATION
S
YSTEMS
This business area encompasses printers and scanners in Japan and over-
seas. Specific domestic offerings are personal computers, software and ser-
vices, and Japanese-language word processors.
In Japan, our printer sales focused on mid- and high-volume models.
These sold steadily because of their processing speed and multiprotocol
compatibility in networked environments. Demand was particularly good for
the PC LASER NX-110, which outputs 13 pages per minute. Other strong
performers in the PC LASER series were the NX-510, which delivers 20
pages per minute for workgroups in multiplatform offices, and the NX-1000,
a 38-page-per-minute workhorse that handles up to A3-size paper.
Personal computer sales were up significantly in line with generally
high demand in Japan. While constituting a small percentage of sales, PCs
are important because they form part of our systems integration business.
Ricoh is well positioned to offer systems integration services because of its
depth of peripherals and software based on proprietary digital and net-
working technologies. One example is the very popular Ricoh Solution
Group Office. We based this on Lotus Notes groupware. It integrates
processing so users can easily share, store, retrieve, and transmit docu-
ments. Our optical character recognition software and Japanese TrueType
fonts for Windows also contributed significantly to sales in fiscal 1998.
Ricoh plans to create an even larger range of innovative hardware and
software in the next few years in keeping with its position as a systems in-
tegrator and its commitment to Image Communication.
L
OOKING
A
HEAD
We have already taken significant steps to broaden our product line. Early
in fiscal 1999, we introduced several networkable printers in Japan under
the new brand name of IPSiO. New machines included the IPSiO NX700
and NX600 laser printers, which despite their compact appearance can
output up to 20 and 16 pages per minute, respectively, and handle up to
A3-size paper. We introduced the IPSiO NX70, an A4 model for small
and home offices, and the IPSiO Color 2000, our first color laser printer.
Just as important, we commercialized the IPSiO JET 300 color inkjet ma-
chine and several other printers.
These new printer products complement our copier and fax machine
operations and place us well to become No. 1 in the global market for
output equipment.