Ricoh 2000 Annual Report Download - page 14

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Quality and the environment have long been part of
the Ricoh mindset in develop-
ing equipment and systems that
make office work easier and
customers happier. In fact, we
have long been at the forefront
in making these two areas
make true business sense.
Our prominence in quality
dates to 1975, when we became
the first office equipment man-
ufacturer to capture the Deming
Prize. This award was named
after the man who introduced
the concept of quality to Japan.
It encapsulated the general thinking of the times—inter-
cept and eliminate defects on the factory floor. Times have
changed, and now the Japan Quality Award (JQA) is the
quest among Japanese companies and organizations. Its
criteria parallel those of the Malcolm Baldridge National
Quality Award in the United States.
The JQA measures a host of factors that together cre-
ate quality. It is bestowed on companies and organiza-
tions that best incorporate quality management into all
business processes. It recognizes that true customer satis-
faction covers all aspects of the customer experience—
both hardware and the “softer” areas of user-friendliness
and attentive after-sales service. Two areas in particular
merited special commendation. The first is Ricoh’s com-
prehensive design
and production
system, which has
supported efforts to
maximize customer satisfaction,
halve development lead times,
and slash total costs. The second
factor is that Ricoh has completed
a global production system that
delivers uniform quality. Winning
this award was obviously very
pleasing. But the greatest reward
was that entering the competition
encouraged us to marshal compa-
nywide resources —from design
and production to sales and exter-
nal and internal support—to
drive even further ahead in cus-
tomer satisfaction.
Over the years, Ricoh has tackled environmental
protection in three stages—implementing responses to
environmental regulations, reducing environmental
impact, and environmental management. Our environ-
mental protection pledges go far beyond compliance. For
instance, we do not just cut or treat waste or pollution. We
avoid generating it in the first place. Such dedication has
led to many environmental awards worldwide.
We are now seeing our efforts bear real fruit at the
bottom line, which can only motivate us to pursue more
efficient and profitable environmental initiatives. Our
environmental accounting system aids decision-making
by clarifying the costs and returns of environmental dedi-
cation to our most immediate stakeholders—customers
and investors—as well as to the
general public. In other words, we
ensure that good corporate citizen-
ship makes good business sense.
Meeting New Challenges with Innovative Solutions
Making Quality and the
Environment Count
The 1999 Japan Quality Award recognizes our
commitment to customer satisfaction because it truly
measures quality from the customer’s perspective.
Our European supplier meetings are
designed to build win-win relationships
with our business partners.