Ricoh 2015 Annual Report Download - page 14

13
A Conversation with Our CEO
Q: What progress was made on the
business front in  scal 2015?
We did not reach our original targets, as operations
were adversely impacted by such factors as a
delayed recovery, from a macroeconomic perspec-
tive, as well as an increase in investments for the
future and higher costs to reinforce emerging
market and services structures. Nevertheless, ef -
ciency steadily improved thanks to structural
reforms, and we also ramped up our efforts to
provide customers with new value.
In of ce imaging, we rolled out measures to
sharpen our competitive edge and ensure pro tabil-
ity. We strengthened our revenue base by revamp-
ing the product lineup, and we recaptured the No. 1
position in the world’s A3 laser MFP market in 2014.
In emerging markets, we established innovation
centers in such locations as Dubai, India and China
as points for enhanced added-value matched to
customer needs.
In production printing, we released new models,
expanded the sales and service structure, and
secured resources such as software, which facilitated
our ability to meet varied customer needs. In addi-
tion, we executed strategic investments to underpin
an improvement in the value we offer for in-house
printing and commercial printing segments.
In industrial products, Group resources were
reorganized and operations spun off into companies
to achieve ef cient management infrastructure
suited to business activities and to expedite man-
agement decisions. New products have been intro-
duced, with an emphasis on key categories—factory
automation, on-board automotive cameras and
security—to create new value in industrial applica-
tions and to promote ef ciency.
In new pursuits, we entered the additive manu-
facturing business in the autumn of 2014. We will
complement product sales and output services with
component design and manufacturing-oriented
consultation services, based on Ricoh’s accumulated
3D design technologies, and support innovation on
the factory  oors of our customers.
Q: Given the current status, is the Group
focused on any issue in particular?
Since the global  nancial crisis of 2008, world eco-
nomic and market conditions have remained in a
state of  ux, and clearing a de nite path into the
future has been no easy task for any company.
Even against this backdrop, the Ricoh Group is
determined to stick to its mission—to maintain
growth and contribute to the resolution of social
issues through business activities. But when the
economic environment is so muddled, determining
a clear path into the future is impossible with any
method used to date.
So I declared this to be the perfect time for us
to draw on the collective strengths of the Ricoh
Group and begin our transformation to “change
the course.” Such reforms are not changes at the
level of daily improvements but rather activities
that go beyond conventional approaches and ideas
and inspire innovations with the potential to signi -
cantly change our own perspectives, those of our
customers and even the world.
Since its earliest days, Ricoh has been responsi-
ble for numerous innovations and created new
value in its markets, fueling corporate growth. In
this way, our transformation to “change the
course” is in our corporate blood, an enduring
quality worthy of admiration.
Now again, the Ricoh Group is tackling our
transformation to “change the course” that is,
striving for new innovations.
For more details
• Of ce business domain
· · · · · · · p. 21–24
• Commercial printing
business domain
· · · · · · · p. 25–26
• Industrial business
domain
· · · · · · · p. 27–28
• New core area
· · · · · · · · · · p. 29