European Market for Managed Print Services to Reach $4.0 Billion by 2014 as Businesses Turn Focus to Productivity and Efficiency

By Ricoh Europe, PRNE
Monday, November 8, 2010

LONDON, November 9, 2010 - Successful businesses need to be relentless in their quest for increased
efficiency and productivity to keep their competitive edge. While cost
cutting measures have been commonplace in recent years due to challenging
economic times, an ageing workforce will continue to drive the need for
increased productivity for businesses across Europe[1]. Ricoh Europe
(www.ricoh-europe.com/?campaignid=BGO), a specialist in office
solutions, managed document services and production printing, today released
a survey, conducted by IDC that explores Managed Print Services (MPS)
(mdsresearch.ricoh-europe.com/eu/), an area projected to grow by $1.6
billion
over the next six years, as a strategy for reducing cost while at the
same time increasing productivity.[2]

The MPS penetration rate among European enterprises of 500
employees or more is currently 20 percent[3], with a healthy growth rate
projected over upcoming years. The increasing level of adoption aligns with
survey respondents identifying organisational efficiency and employee
productivity as top concerns for their businesses in 2011, two areas
addressed by MPS.

However, many organisations aren't gaining the full benefits
of their MPS investment. The study reveals that behind successful
implementation is a combination of process, people and technology; essential
elements to ensure enhanced productivity is realised and that employees are
getting the right information at the right time. With this in mind, Ricoh has
developed a Managed Document Services offering (MDS), which goes beyond the
traditional MPS elements. It starts by evaluating business and employee work
processes and leads into a full support programme where Ricoh implements the
technology and continues to govern the resulting tailored solution.

"Document workflow initiatives are increasingly being
identified as one of the last untapped areas of the IT infrastructure to
deliver significant productivity enhancements," said, Leigh Worthing, IDC's
lead analyst for European Managed Print Services. "As such it is important
for both customers and service providers to understand the pitfalls and
opportunities involved. The research we have conducted sheds light on the
factors to consider when implementing and managing MPS in order to realise
its full benefit."

"There is no denying that the workforce is constantly changing and that
regular review of work processes plays a crucial part in maximising business
efficiency," said Jim Potter, Executive Vice President, Operations Ricoh
Europe PLC. "To ensure that businesses are ready for the future workforce we
are providing a solution that goes beyond technology, taking both people and
process into consideration. This will drive productivity increase as well as
real business value."

For more information on MDS, please visit www.ricoh-europe.com

To download the full whitepaper visit
www.ricoh-europe.com/mdsresearch

About Ricoh Europe

Ricoh Company, Ltd ("Ricoh Company") is a global technology leader,
specialising in the office and production printing markets. Ricoh works with
organisations around the world to modernise work environments and optimise
document efficiency.

With over 108,500 employees worldwide, it operates in Europe, the
Americas, Asia Pacific, China and Japan. Ricoh Europe Holdings Plc is a
public limited company and the EMEA headquarters of Ricoh Company with
operations located in London, United Kingdom and Amstelveen, the Netherlands.
In the fiscal year ended 31 March 2010, revenues from Ricoh's EMEA operations
totalled over YEN 458.5 billion ($4.5 bn) Ricoh Company's worldwide sales
totalled over YEN 2,016 billion ($21bn) during the year ended 31 March 2010.

[1] U.S. Census Bureau, "Depopulation and Ageing in Europe and Japan: The
Hazardous Transition to a Labor Shortage Economy",
www.globalaging.org/health/world/depopulationeuropejapan.html
(accessed September 14, 2010).

[2] IDC Worldwide Print and Document Outsourcing Services, 2009-2014
Forecast and Analysis.

[3] IDC's 2009 Global Managed Print Services survey (European extract)

Home page: www.ricoh-europe.com

Register for the Ricoh media centre at www.ricoh-europe.com/press

For further information, please contact: Ricoh Europe PLC, Janice Gibson, Tel.: +44(0)20-7465-1153, E-mail: press at ricoh-europe.com

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