Ricoh 2001 Annual Report Download - page 13

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P u r s u in g P r in t in g S o lu t io n s
Printing solutions combine our copier-
based MFPs and laser printers with solutions
software and consultation, complem ented by
full after-sales support and supplies. Such
solutions are increasingly necessary as com-
panies deploy m assive digital networks and
seek ways to m anage and use their office
equipment m ore efficiently. We can benefit,
too, by increasing our m arket share and
boosting customer satisfaction.
Our printing solutions business is already
contributing solidly to results in Japan and is
going from strength to strength overseas.
We offer solutions in several key areas. We
enable custom ers to improve overall produc-
tivity by helping them plan their equipment
networks based on specific printing require-
ments. We identify key ways to lower the total
cost of ownership, partly by providing inher-
ently reliable, highly efficient products but
also through network managem ent software.
In line with that approach, we help reduce
wastage by helping customers pare paper to
the m inim um . We would obviously benefit in
the short term if companies printed m ore
docum ents, but in the long term it is in
everyone’s interest to conserve paper for the
sake of efficiency and the environm ent.
One excellent solutions success was in
January 2001, when U.S. sales subsidiary
Ricoh Corporation became the sole supplier
for the next 10 years of digital copiers, related
supplies, and maintenance for the United
States Postal Service. The Postal Service
expects to save around $7.4 million annually
under the estimated $200 million contract,
thanks to expanded productivity though
state-of-the-art technology and services.
Ricoh Corporation maintains a program that
ensures that all facets of the contract— from
planning and installation to customer care —
remain both on schedule and on budget.
We have strengthened our ability to pro-
vide m ultinationals with printing systems by
forming the Global Major Accounts Program.
Through this initiative, we concluded a deal
to supply U.K.-based Invensys plc, a leader in
the global automation and controls industry,
with up to 2,000 m ultifunctional copiers in
55 countries through m id-2003. We also
have dom estic contracts with Crédit Agricole,
one of France’s largest banks. We won deals to
install 1,500 Aficio laser printers at branches
in Charente-Maritime-Deux-Sèvres, 1,100
units at branches in Charente-Périgord, and
1,500 units at branches in Norm andy. We have
sim ilarly large supply and service agreements
with such prom inent multinationals as the
Michelin Group, the Royal Dutch/Shell
Group, and Lear Corporation.
Our strong worldwide support network is
a great attraction for such large customers.
The network includes Gestetner Holdings
PLC, which operates in m ore than 60 coun-
tries and specializes in serving small and
medium -sized companies. In January 2001,
we wholly acquired Lanier Worldwide, head-
quartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Lanier has
1,600 sales and services locations offering
docum ent m anagement solutions for cus-
tomers in more than 100 countries, and has
innovated an array of solutions designed to
improve productivity. Its prim e strength is
serving large corporations, which include
many Fortune 500 players.
In pursuing printing solutions, we help
our customers reach their objectives.
TH E RIC O H DO C U M E N T HIG H W A Y