ATLANTA--April 9, 2003-- Lanier Worldwide, Inc. today announced the grand opening of the Atlanta Technology Center, a 10,000-square-foot facility that will showcase fully operational, state-of-the-art document management solutions, a hardware staging and testing area, and an IT-focused software verification laboratory. Open for customer visits, the new Technology Center is located just five minutes away from Lanier headquarters in Atlanta. "We built the Technology Center to create an interactive venue for understanding exactly what our customers need us to deliver," said Vice President of Marketing Dominic Pontrelli. "Essentially, it will allow us to surpass all the expectations of a conventional 'product demo' session. At the Technology Center, customers can work with specific configurations of hardware and software running live in an IT environment that closely resembles their own. They can test our software, change job parameters, produce actual documents on our devices, and distribute files. And they can do it in real-time." Pontrelli continued, "Customers will also be able to give Lanier engineers direct feedback about current solutions and prototype offerings. They can tell us about the challenges they face, discuss technical requirements of specific IT architectures, and explain where they need our solutions to take them in the future. This will create a more interactive dialogue that will be invaluable in shaping product and technology development for Ricoh and Lanier." The Atlanta Technology Center features three main areas, the Vision Room, the Software Verification Lab, and the Hardware Verification Lab. The Vision Room occupies 2,300 square feet and features a wide variety of live configurations of Lanier hardware and software. There is an area dedicated to applications in healthcare, real estate, faith-based organizations and other target markets. A high-volume production area replicates CRD (central reprographics department) and host printing environments. An enterprise solutions area covers more advanced solutions such as DRM (device relationship management), electronic file distribution, and cost accounting and management software. Plus, an adjoining conference room supports videoconferencing capabilities so customers can speak directly with product engineers from Ricoh locations in New Jersey, New York and Japan. The Software Verification Lab is a 2,000-square-foot area that houses workstations for Lanier product and solution engineers who will set up and monitor all Vision Room solutions, test the capabilities of new software offerings, and assist systems engineers in the field with pre-sales activities. For example, they can ensure Lanier software packages integrate seamlessly with third-party applications already running in the customer environment. The Hardware Verification Lab is a 5,000-square-foot testing area where Lanier product engineers validate that Lanier systems can meet customer objectives. These may include running unique paper stocks, achieving certain image quality or productivity metrics, or operating under special environmental conditions. To this last point, the area includes an environmental simulation chamber that allows engineers to test hardware at a specific temperature and humidity. In addition, the Technology Center provides a separate laboratory for Lanier technology partners and engineers from other Ricoh Family Group organizations. This area gives teams a dedicated, connected workspace for special projects and competitive product analysis. "Ricoh's support for this initiative has been tremendous," said Pontrelli. "The Technology Center gives Lanier the opportunity to leverage Ricoh's engineering strength most effectively, showcasing the best of what the Ricoh Family Group has to offer." Customers interested in touring the Atlanta Technology Center should contact their local Lanier account representative, who will be able to coordinate scheduling.