WEST CALDWELL, N.J., – Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions, today announced that it will provide Benedict College with a Managed Document Services (MDS) solution. As part of the new relationship, Ricoh will manage more than 60 multifunction products (MFPs) placed throughout the Benedict College campus, as well as Benedict College's on-campus print center, where two full-time Ricoh employees along with one full-time and two part-time Benedict College interns will work to serve the document management needs of the Benedict College students, faculty and staff.

"We are pleased with our new relationship with Ricoh, as their on-site managed services team has assessed our document needs, our current processes and future expectations, and developed a document management solution that will serve the needs of Benedict College for years to come," said Dr. David H. Swinton, President and CEO of Benedict College. "We estimate that the potential savings could be more than a quarter of a million dollars during the life of the contract, of which approximately $50,000 will go directly into student support."

Ricoh's approach to MDS is to look at the technology, people and processes within an organization and optimize each element to help an organization meet its goals. By first understanding a customer's current environment, then designing and implementing a solution based on technology expertise and partnerships with software and solutions providers, Ricoh is able to create customized solutions to optimize workflow.

"Our MDS solution is a journey of transformation that we go through with our customers, continually evaluating the solution and results using our tracking and management tools," said Terrie Campbell, Vice President, Managed Document Services, Ricoh U.S. "We are excited to embark on this journey with Benedict College to help them drive down their costs, increase access to critical information and improve productivity across the organization, while reducing their environmental footprint."

In addition, Benedict College is a member of the Collegiate Alliance program established by IKON, a Ricoh company, which offers students of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) the unique opportunity to develop personally and professionally through meaningful educational and practical engagements, including internship programs, career events and a professional speakers bureau. This program helps provide students with the opportunity to receive exposure to state-of-the-art technology, proven business processes and reputable training methods. The Benedict College interns at the on-campus print center are part of this program.

"Ricoh has been very involved with Benedict through this Collegiate Alliance program, where its senior executives have conducted business-related student lectures, workshops and career fairs," said Dr Janeen Witty, Vice President Academic Affairs, Benedict College. "In addition to being a trusted business partner, Ricoh has become truly invested in the success of our students."

For more information about the Collegiate Alliance Program, please visit http://www.ikon.com/careers/CollegiateAlliance/.