RICOH FLYING HIGH

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Updated : February 18, 2015 0:0  ,Dubai
By Editor
ahmedWith a refreshed range of innovative and cost-saving printing solutions, Ricoh’s regional strategy is on overdrive, as Ahmed Mohamed Kamal, Regional Sales Head- MENA, Ricoh International explains

How important is the Middle East market for Ricoh?

The Middle East market is a very important market for Ricoh Middle East given the great positive growth that is expected from this region. To best serve our customers in the MENA region, we are continually expanding our expertise, in order to meet and exceed their needs and expectations and to be seen as the print vendor of choice for our resellers and partners across the region. Within the last 12 months, in EMEA alone, Ricoh has already established 48 distribution partners across 15 countries, and over 7,500 resellers are registered in the Ricoh Reseller portal.

This growth represents a renewed commitment to delivering the highest level of service to customers in the region, by providing more opportunities to partner with new clients in order to streamline their business-critical document processes, while reducing their costs and enabling them to become more sustainable through reduced waste.

Briefly discuss some key highlights of Ricoh’s recent product launches

In the entry level printer and MFP segment, Ricoh has a broad product portfolio that includes a comprehensive range of products including A4 single function, A3 multi-function and production printing. Just recently, Ricoh, the IDC-named global leader in office equipment, has announced the regional availability of a new series of monochrome printers and multifunction products (MFPs). The SP-213 series, available at leading electronic retailers across the region, feature All-In-One print cartridge technology and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) – a security standard that helps users easily secure a wireless network.

Which of these printers are in greater demand in the Middle East?

The RICOH SP-213 series has seen strong demand worldwide and is expected to have a similar impact in terms of demand in the Middle East, as it combines high productivity with ease of use in a compact package. Compact enough to fit on a desktop, the single function series RICOH SP 213Nw is the ideal A4 black and white printer for home and small offices. A fast print speed, colour scanning and high speed G3 faxing enhance office performance.

Printing has largely become a solution; discuss some of the solutions Ricoh is able to offer around the traditional printer business?

Today’s corporate users are seeking solutions beyond the traditional print services to help them stay a step ahead of the competition. Our goal is to enable customers to drive new revenues, increase effectiveness, and seek efficiencies to lower costs, no matter what direction they want to take their business or department. We have a wealth of offerings that can bring value-added benefits to any portfolio — beyond traditional hardware.

With cutting printing costs now a major consideration for organizations, discuss Ricoh’s technologies in helping companies save on ink, energy and overall costs

Ricoh SME print range is perfect when it comes to cutting costs, as it requires little IT set-up and delivers time and cost saving features such as Toner Save Mode. This feature is an effective way to keep printing costs down by printing with less toner than usual this is convenient when printouts are needed for internal viewing only.

What are some of the challenges in the ME printer business and how do you face them?

We are significantly ramping up our presence and suite of offerings in the Middle East, and we are driving this with a competitive range of game-changing printers for home and office use. Innovations and advancements such as Wi-Fi, mobility, and sustainability constitute a major part of business consciousness today and Ricoh joins this conversation in a meaningful way to address each and every market need.

Discuss your channel partnerships in the region and how Ricoh works to empower these partners

With the aim of being recognized as one of the top printer vendors in MENA, Ricoh IT Distribution Channel have made a long term commitment to build a strong, channel dependant business in the region through providing our channel partners with the tools and resources to sell and support our products, and we will continue to work tirelessly to gain the trust and support of our valued channel partners.