Through six decades of innovation, our purpose endures

December 13, 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of Ricoh’s business in the U.S., and it’s truly a remarkable moment in time. The challenges facing our customers over the last few years have fueled our commitment and renewed our focus, and we’re doing so many exciting things today that we couldn’t have even imagined back in 1962 — let alone when the Ricoh Group was established in 1936. But since our founding and every decade thereafter, Ricoh has been a world leader in solutions for the workplace.

That’s because our commitment to our customers has never wavered, and our spirit of innovation has never waned. While sustainability and customer centricity have become buzzwords, they have always been part of our DNA. We are leading with enterprise data solutions that were born from our heritage in copiers and multifunction printers and our legacy of dedicated service. We’ve been connecting people to information since the very beginning — innovating every step of the way.

I’ve been part of this incredible journey for more than 20 years. Prior to my appointment as President and CEO for Ricoh North America in 2021, I worked with our leadership team to develop digital strategies and solutions for our best-in-class partners as Corporate Vice President for Ricoh Global Services. I spent two years on assignment at our global headquarters in Japan. And in various other executive roles, I maintained an extensive international travel agenda to support our many customers and team members worldwide.

I’ve had the unique opportunity to see the Ricoh Way at work from a truly global perspective, and it’s been nothing less than extraordinary. Across divisions and around the world, it’s our values that drive the value we create for our customers. That’s the power of purpose.

Ricoh is a purpose-driven organization. Our founder, Kiyoshi Ichimura, established the Ricoh Group’s founding principles, The Spirit of Three Loves, in 1946 — “Love your neighbor,” “Love your country,” “Love your work” — and they have been guiding our organization ever since. These principles help us to see the bigger picture, challenge the status quo, and encourage us to constantly improve and contribute to the wellbeing of all stakeholders, including our families, customers, and society at large.

We may be a digital services company, but we’re always thinking about people — how to empower them to work smarter, be more creative, and get greater satisfaction from their work and everyday life. That goes for our team members as well as our 1.4 million customers worldwide.

We’re also always thinking about the planet. We’re global leaders in product solutions, environmental policy, and corporate social responsibility, and are committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and carbon neutrality. Our world-class sustainability initiatives have been recognized by our partners (Energy Star® Partner of the Year for seven consecutive years), customers (Verizon® Supplier Sustainability Award), and the industry (Dow Jones Sustainability World Index), and we’ve been honored with a Gold Class rating by S&P Global.

Lastly, it’s not just what we do but how we do it. In every role, in every country, I’ve seen countless examples of how our Ricoh Way values, culture, and growth mindset contribute not only to our clients’ success, but to the prosperity of society. Our work has yielded decades of highly refined technological innovations that have advanced progress in healthcare, financial, retail, and other industries all over the world.

Knowledge may be power, but information frees purpose. Whether that’s helping a doctor navigate a complicated surgery with a 3D heart model, or a CEO stave off a security breach that could cost millions, we measure our success by the degree of our impact. And we know technology is just the tool. It’s the people who are the creators, the disruptors, the innovators.

Even the cleanest, most reliable data is meaningless without the ingenuity, creative thinking, and problem-solving that only humans can do. We use technology to automate the details so customers and employees can focus on the larger initiatives, work creatively, and find fulfillment through work with a true sense of purpose.

Our founder believed that the greatest asset of a company, a country, or the Earth itself, is the imagination of its people. He believed that by learning and improving from facts, thinking creatively, and collaborating with each other, people can improve the way our communities live and work together and create a more peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. I believe he was right.

Cheers to 60 years and a future of unlimited possibility!

Carsten