Ricoh entered into a joint venture with IBM in early 2007, forming InfoPrint Solutions with Ricoh acquiring a 51% stake and IBM holding the remaining 49%.

It subsequently acquired the remainder of that stake until InfoPrint became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ricoh in June last year.

Stephen Palmer, production print director of Ricoh UK said the completion of the InfoPrint integration means customers can "reap the full benefit of the two companies’ combined expertise and product portfolio".

He added: "InfoPrint UK customers now enjoy full access to Ricoh UK and Ricoh UK customers gain further reach into high-volume production printing.

"Uniting the two teams under the umbrella of the Ricoh Group in the UK will guarantee our flexibility and responsiveness to the frontline needs of the production printing sector, resulting in an increased competitive edge for customers."

According to Palmer, Ricoh plans to wield the continuous print technology employed within its InfoPrint machines, traditionally used for transactional and transpromo applications, for new markets such as one-demand book production.

Ricoh also confirmed that it is also updating its sales structure, which signals a move from a regional to a sector-specific approach.

The manufacturer said this will help guarantee that both Ricoh and InfoPrint's products are represented by teams with "expertise and experience relevant to the needs" of each customer.

Palmer said that there had been come headcount reduction within the group's back-office functions but had no plan to alter its sales, technical and service setup.

He added: "We are now in a fantastic position to offer customers an outstanding range of products supported by great service so we can continue to help them add value to their businesses.

"Based on this, I’m confident Ricoh UK can now consolidate its position as the UK’s leader in the digital production print sector."



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