Ricoh to Focus on Helping Printers to Transform and Thrive at drupa 2012

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY—Feb. 27, 2012—Ricoh’s presence at drupa 2012 will be its biggest yet. Visitors to its stand in Hall 08a (B46-1 and B46-3) will see its extensive portfolio of software and hardware, suitable for print service providers who are growing their business beyond print, or expanding into marketing and communications services. CRDs can also see how Ricoh can help them to increase the commercial contribution of their operations.

Visitors to the Ricoh stand will be able to see the Ricoh TotalFlow portfolio, Ricoh Pro C901 Graphic Arts Edition, Pro C751 digital color cut sheet presses, and the InfoPrint 5000 VP full color continuous feed platform. Ricoh is also showcasing the new Ricoh Carbon Balanced Printing Programme; the next generation of the Ricoh Business Driver Programme; and a new color wide- format printer.

Ricoh’s focus throughout the event will be on transformation, and showing how Ricoh will partner with print service providers towards a transformed future. Visitors can experience Ricoh application zones that are designed to give practical demonstrations on moving into new markets, how to access the latest industry knowledge and expertise and how to implement new digital workflows. The zones are: Marketing, Packaging, Publishing, Transactional and Enterprise. Each zone will feature Ricoh customers who will share their experience of transformation through offering new digital print applications and services.

Visitors’ time on the Ricoh booth promises to be distinctive and unique. Ricoh is creating a personalized experience for guests who pre-register at www.ricoh-europe.com/drupa2012. They will be recognized through QR code technology and can enjoy a bespoke and interactive journey around the stand – configured precisely to their needs, whether it is to understand Ricoh’s web to print solutions or to gain insight into how Ricoh can support their business development needs.

Peter Williams, Executive Vice President Ricoh Europe PLC and Head of the Production Printing Business Group in Europe, explains: “There is no doubt that printing companies need to make changes to adapt to today’s new market realities. And there are many new trends towards targeted marketing campaigns, print on demand and just-in-time delivery - all opportunities for businesses to take full advantage of now and in the future.”

New products and services at drupa 2012
The next generation Ricoh Business Driver Programme expands the exclusive support offered to members. The online portal will include new market intelligence reports, e-learning courses and services to support business transformation and print application development. It also allows members to connect with a community of leading consultants, Ricoh business specialists and other users through blogs and online networking tools.

The Ricoh stand will also showcase the newest addition to its color wide-format inkjet range. The Ricoh Aficio CW 2200SP is designed to address the growing CAD market. The innovative printer features Ricoh’s Liquid Gel ink and is ideally suited to a variety of industries, including manufacturing, architecture, engineering, construction, regional planning, building and product design. It will also meet the needs of corporate print rooms and quick print operations. Liquid Gel ink provides high productivity and superb line accuracy.

The Ricoh Carbon Balanced Printing Programme will be featured in the Ricoh Environmental zone. It is a European initiative, with the vision to roll out globally in the future. This programme is specifically designed to help print service providers reduce the environmental impact of printing when using Ricoh production printing systems, while providing a carbon neutral service to their clients. It follows a three step process: analyze, optimize and neutralize.

The first step involves an in-depth analysis of printing activity. The second step involves optimization of the print environment. A carbon calculator available through Ricoh’s Business Driver Programme determines the carbon generated per print job. Optimal environmentally responsible ways to print are then identified and implemented. The final step involves neutralizing the remaining and unavoidable carbon emissions.

The InfoPrint 5000 VP full-color continuous form platform is the newest offering in the InfoPrint 5000 product family. Its high speeds of up to 722 feet/220 meters per minute are ideal for companies with extremely high volumes and tight print windows. The full color InfoPrint 5000 VP complements the other InfoPrint 5000 platforms and provides the same high return on investment, with a range of speeds, excellent print quality, a compact and simple design, high reliability and ease of operation.

Graham Moore, Director Business Development in Ricoh Europe, confirms: “Print service providers do not need to face the challenges of expanding into some of these new business areas alone - such as cross-media campaigns featuring personalized direct mail and PURLs, transpromo and precision marketing applications. Drupa 2012 is a unique opportunity to meet with Ricoh, and explore how our proven solutions, services and business development support can be combined effectively to help businesses transform and grow in print and beyond.”

About Ricoh
Ricoh Co. is a Fortune Global 500 company specializing in technology and services that transform high volume, document intensive business processes into more efficient ones. This is achieved through Ricoh’s expertise in Managed Document Services, Production Printing, Office Solutions and IT Services. By working with Ricoh, businesses can streamline the way they work, become more efficient and profitable, and share knowledge more effectively within their organizations. With a global workforce of 109,014, Ricoh operates in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, China and Japan.

Source: Ricoh.