The Japan Times WORLD EYE REPORTS GERMANY'S RHINE-MAIN REGION
©THE JAPAN TIMES	Thursday, October 25, 2001

Success walks an extra mile for clients Today's globalized market demands that businesses do more than just manufacture. The line that separated quality companies from their competitors has changed. Merely producing a quality product no longer guarantees prime positioning. A customer looking to buy a copy machine can now go to six dealers and compare prices. So, they are looking beyond prices -- to service. In this competitive atmosphere, Ricoh Europe has made a name for itself as the company to turn to.

The reason lies in the company's approach -- both to the market and the customer. Ricoh's sales strategy is self-described as being an "advisor" to its clients. Aside from supplying the machine, Ricoh offers the possibility of working with clients to provide total office solutions tailored to their singular needs. The company is prepared to walk an additional mile for the customer, and this has propelled Ricoh into Europe's premier position in the office copier sector -- reaping 27 percent of the total market. Having been a presence in the Rhine-Main area since 1978, Ricoh offers a complete range of products for the German market. Key to this is the paired offering of products and solutions. In these days of customer choice, Ricoh has taken the service path to success.

Nobuaki Majima considers service a competitive edge.

As a leader within the industry, Ricoh continues to identify areas for potential growth. Enter Nobuaki Majima. As the president of Ricoh Deutschland, Majima recognizes not only what the market demands but also its ever-evolving state. The German office machines market has changed, becoming focused less on copiers and more on network connectivity, color imaging and printing solutions.

Appropriately, Majima has shifted Ricoh Deutschland's strategic aims and services in the same direction. In fact, changes in industry standards can often be gauged by Ricoh's introduction of new products. Within the digital office printing solutions area, Ricoh pioneered the introduction of the first digital copier onto the European market.

Currently in pole position within Europe, Ricoh looks to place itself similarly within the German market under Majima's leadership. A four-pronged approach defines itself by the following: a customer and market driven culture, a product providing added value to the customer, and employee satisfaction -- all cushioned by a strong financial base for growth. Majima's has expressed his own personal mission as taking Ricoh Deutschland into the forefront through reinforcing its commitment and adaptation to the customer and the market.

As business moves into the 21st century, the demands on the companies that provide the technology for communication change. Any inability to identify this usually results in a company's demise. In today's mercurial market, a constant dedication to seeking new technologies coupled with the development of new methods for office networking has spelled Ricoh's success.