Ricoh 2015 Annual Report Download - page 32

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* Energy harvesting:
Converting energy from
sources in the environ-
ment, such as light, pres-
sure, vibration, heat and
radiowaves, into power
Innovation to realize a society
with a sustainable future
Tackling social issues head on, we will apply new technologies to deliver innovations
that blaze a path to the future.
Broader base of core technologies to
realize a society with a sustainable future
A host of contemporary social issues, such as
overpopulation, the depletion of energy and natural
resources, and the effects of climate change, are
impacting our world. In addition, people can now
engage in intellectual production activities through
IT networks, a trend that has heightened the need
to revisit workstyles from more perspectives than
ever before. Furthermore, the advent of the IoT
(Internet of Things) society is upon us, and compa-
nies are increasingly utilizing Big Data to dramati-
cally boost productivity.
Given the changes taking place in society, the
Ricoh Group has embraced the opportunity to be a
trailblazer in innovation, combining core technolo-
gies related to optics, chemicals, networks, soft-
ware and image processing with new ideas and
technologies—thereby helping to realize a society
with a sustainable future. ➤ WEB 1
New value transforms workstyles and
lifestyles
Since pioneering the of ce automation business in
the 1950s, the Ricoh Group has been a catalyst
in creating workstyles with an ever-higher value
quality. Our de nition of “of ce” encompasses the
way people work, the processes that characterize
their businesses, and the work environment—which
evolve along with changes in society—and we strive
to develop technologies that revolutionize customer
workstyles through various new products and
solutions that smooth communication anytime,
anywhere.
Also, by integrating unique optics and image
processing technologies, we turned the fully
spherical RICOH THETA—an unprecedented
achievement in camera development that captures
images all around the photographer in a single
shot—into a business, and ushered customers into
a new world of images documenting life. p. 33
Creating value in new domains
Ricoh is directing concerted efforts into the indus-
trial market, which has been tapped as a business
domain where Groupwide strengths in technology
accumulated over many years in manufacturing that
begins from the product idea stage can be fully
utilized. We are making progress in the priority
areas of factory automation (FA), automotive
applications, and security systems. We recently
launched consulting services, targeting manufac-
turing customers, for 3D printer installation, based
on prototyping and molding technologies and
accumulated know-how using 3D printers in our
own product design over the past 20 years. We
have also marked success in the  eld of energy
harvesting,* with development of technology
applicable to IoT-connected tools and the inherent
infrastructure of the IoT society. p. 27–29, 34
R&D fueling innovation
The Ricoh Group has R&D sites in Japan, the United
States, India and China. Each site explores market
needs and conducts research and technology devel-
opment attuned to regional characteristics while
deepening cooperative connections among global
sites. Our corporate map also includes technology
centers and printing innovation centers, and we
launch value-creating activities involving our cus-
tomers through a framework for gathering feed-
back on market needs ascertained directly through
customer support activities to enhance future
product development. p. 36
➤ WEB 1 Technology: www.ricoh.com/technology/
Technological Strengths