Ricoh family group ranked first in U.S copier Market
Press release from the issuing company
West Caldwell, NJ, April 2, 2003 -- In the annual Gartner Dataquest U.S. black and white copier market report for 2002*, the Ricoh Family Group (RFG)-consisting of Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner and Lanier brands-has been ranked number one in overall copier placements in the United States for both analog and digital copiers with a 23.1 percent market share. This percentage refers to dealer and direct sales and excludes copiers sold through the retail channel. This is the first time Ricoh has attained this overall ranking. The RFG also maintained its number one market share position in the digital copier category.
"Ricoh's plan has always been to be the number one copier company in the United States," said Kirk Yoshida, Chairman and CEO, Ricoh Corporation. "We are extremely pleased to have achieved this goal, as we continue our commitment to provide the hardware and software products our customers require."
The RFG has demonstrated its market leadership by offering a full range of digital imaging products suited for any workgroup environment. Ricoh experienced an impressive 67.7% growth in segment 1 of the U.S. monochrome copier market, due in part to increasing its offerings in that segment last year including the Aficio 1015 and Aficio 1018.
Also introduced in 2002, and new to Segment 5, in which Ricoh was ranked number one, was the Aficio 1075. The Aficio 1075 offers complete scanning and document management - plus a host of highly advanced finishing capabilities that ensure seamless, uninterrupted workflow and productivity at 75 pages per minute.
First in Printers
RFG also achieved another first in the printer market place. For 2002, Gartner ranked Ricoh first in the color printer category with speeds of 21 and above pages per minute. This achievement was due to the success of Ricoh's AP3800C color laser printer, which was introduced in September 2001.