Ricoh invests in South Africa and strengthens client services
Ricoh has increased investment in its operations in South Africa. The move is a part of Ricoh’s strategy to expand its presence in key emerging markets and South Africa is an important focus for the group in EMEA. The investments will further enhance Ricoh’s direct customer interactions and enable it to stay at the forefront of their document management needs. There are three new initiatives; the launch of Ricoh Capital South Africa; an optimised supply chain process and infrastructure enhancements. Combined they also ensure Ricoh has a more streamlined approach to account management and that its clients receive a single, consistent Ricoh experience, no matter where they operate. The initiatives will also drive new employment opportunities in the region.
Ricoh Capital South Africa will provide clients with the option to take on leases or service contracts and enjoy all the benefits of Ricoh solutions without capital outlay. They will also have the convenience of managing their entire document solution including service and software into one regular payment. Ricoh Capital has designed its offerings to support the specific needs of Ricoh customers and focuses on its core business areas of office solutions, production printing and managed document services. Ricoh Capital customers will also benefit from increased agility within their business and the ability to make purchasing decisions quickly. They will have greater flexibility to upgrade their solutions during the lease period. It also enables them to keep credit channels open for other business needs.
The review and optimisation of the supply chain process resulted in Ricoh diverting stock management and distribution to Ricoh Europe’s operations in the Netherlands. As a result Ricoh SA gained savings of R100 million which will be reinvested into the business and provide infrastructure enhancements, social responsibility and skills development.
Infrastructure enhancements are part of an EMEA-wide, project designed to streamline Ricoh’s business processes. They ensure more stable processes and robust systems, to drive business growth and enhance customer service, and enable Ricoh to enhance its sales, services and billing processes. They also support Ricoh’s focus to provide a world-class, end to end customer experience.
Richard Pinker, MD of Ricoh SA, says: “Our region is an important focus for Ricoh in EMEA and our team is energised to further increase our client services and contribute to the overall Ricoh growth strategy. Our business focuses upon optimising document processes and improving the interaction between people and information. Our technology heritage and experience means that we can help organisations to be ready to meet the future challenges presented by the impacts of new technologies and the increase in information. We look forward to continue working with organisations in South Africa to further understand how we can help them to reduce costs, streamline document processes and even enhance security, while making realtime informed decisions.”
About Ricoh
Ricoh is a global technology company specialising in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems and IT services. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group, operates in more than 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ending March 2012, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,903 billion yen (approx. 23 billion USD).
The majority of the company's revenue comes from products, solutions and services that improve the interaction between people and information. Ricoh also produces award-winning digital cameras and specialised industrial products. It is known for the quality of its technology, the exceptional standard of its customer service and sustainability initiatives.
Under its corporate tagline, imagine. change. Ricoh helps companies transform the way they work and harness the collective imagination of their employees.
For further information, please visit http://www.ricoh.co.za/about-ricoh/index.aspx
For further information, please contact:
Ricoh South Africa
Dierdre Fernandes
Tel.: +27 (0)11 723 5076
E-mail: dierdre.fernandes@ricoh.co.za
Media
Michelle Oelschig
Tel: +27 (0)83 636 1766
E-mail: michelle@scarletletter.co.za
Home page: www.ricoh.co.za
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