Ricoh Named Global Leader in High-Speed Inkjet

Ricoh announced that a new IDC MarketScape report names the company a worldwide leader in high-speed inkjet, citing Ricoh’s broad strengths, including technological innovation, attentiveness to customer feedback, and a large install base. The report, “IDC MarketScape: Worldwide High-Speed Inkjet Press 2019-2020 Vendor Assessment”¹ in particular noted Ricoh’s “business development programs with high visibility and strong reputation” as powerful complements to a robust technology portfolio.
 
Ricoh’s commitment to its customers’ success helped earn its global leader position. Analysts cited Ricoh’s continual technological advancements and heavy investments in ensuring customer feedback is a part of its R&D process as a major positive. Most recently, this approach has driven game-changing successes such as the award-winning RICOH Pro VC70000, which introduced Ricoh-patented drying technology and Extended Gamut Inks. These innovations work together to increase ink limits for higher image quality, drive down turnaround times to help meet SLAs and increase throughput, and empower printing on uncoated, offset-coated, inkjet-treated, and inkjet-coated stocks without pre-treatment or priming, offering greater creative flexibility and lower paper costs. Continuing to invest more than $1 billion dollars annually in R&D, these innovations in response to real-world pain points and customer goals are the norm at Ricoh.
 
“Expanding beyond its transactional and direct mail roots, Ricoh’s introduction of the RICOH Pro VC70000 dovetails perfectly with its expanding software and services to empower the company to more actively target the commercial print and graphics space,” said Amy Machado, research manager for IDC's imaging, printing, and document solutions, IDC. “Beyond its own growth in more diverse segments, Ricoh is looking to help its customers expand their offerings, as well. The company’s advanced business development program aims to help its customers not only go after existing pages — both analog and toner — but also to create new applications, too.”
 
Ricoh builds long-term alliances, with a consultative, tailored approach to implementation that does not end with a sale. Its representatives pursue a high-touch strategy, so as business needs evolve, Ricoh’s ways of addressing them evolve, too. The IDC MarketScape cited Ricoh’s plans to continue growing its business services to help its customers continue to grow revenues and page volumes long after implementation as another key contributing factor to Ricoh’s strong market position. These efforts achieved industry recognition when Ricoh was named “Company to Watch Out For” by industry thought leaders and customers in attendance at the sixth annual Inkjet Summit in 2018. 
 
Ricoh’s customers benefit from the deep expertise of its dedicated production service team of technicians, engineers, and managers. Dedicated duty managers help to ensure the escalation path is never interrupted, so customers get the support they need, when they need it. Far beyond simple break-fix support, Ricoh’s team supports customers with consulting and training services, as well as SaaS offerings. Consultation and training ranges from the technical — color management, for instance — to the back office — sales plan development, operational excellence, and so on — so customers can improve their business on multiple fronts.
 
“Understanding the market, our customers, and how the two interact forms the foundation of everything we do at Ricoh,” said Mike Herold, director, global marketing, commercial printing business, Ricoh. “That expertise — and a willingness to share it, discuss it, and apply it to customers’ unique situations — establishes trust. The results we help our customers achieve grow that trust, especially as we continue to work together to drive ongoing success long after the sale. We are in the business of turning sales into partnerships and partnerships into alliances, which help drive mutual long-term benefit. We help our customers succeed, and they help us see how we can better support that success, both now and into the future.”