Around the world, Ricoh maintains a network of production facilities that reflect the Company's aim to "make the right products in the right place" and to "be useful" to local customers.

Ricoh's global manufacturing network encompasses Japan, Europe, North America, and Asia. In each area, the Company emphasizes top quality - most facilities are certified under the ISO 9000 series - and proactive efforts to protect the environment. We also rely heavily on a growing number of local partners that provide parts and components.

Japan

While continuing to broaden our global manufacturing scope, we have maintained an extensive domestic production network. This approach works because we can transfer the expertise of our Japanese facilities to operations overseas.

One example of this transfer is Total Factory Automation, which is designed to optimize quality and cost competitiveness through an optimal balance of equipment, operating software, and people. Equipment refers to such hardware as automated machinery, robots, and conveyor lines. Operating software controls large volumes of diverse production information.

Our comprehensive approach to manufacturing in Japan helped us become a leader in winning quality assurance certification under the ISO 9000 series at all our production facilities around the globe.

Staff meeting at REI

North America

Our manufacturing activities in North America date to 1973, when we established the first Japanese OA plant in the United States, Ricoh Electronics, Inc. (REI), in Irvine, California.

Since then, REI has added a dry toner and thermal paper plant in Santa Ana; a plain-paper copier and optical drum and printed circuit board facility in Tustin; and a dry toner, cartridge, and thermal paper and label plant in Georgia. These achievements made Ricoh the first Japanese manufacturer to make OA equipment and consumables for those products in the United States. REI has gained full-scale capabilities in other areas, such as R&D, and is today regarded as a leader in the promotion of environmentally responsible manufacturing.

Europe

Our European manufacturing operations are managed by Ricoh UK Products Ltd. (RPL) and Ricoh Industrie France S.A. (RIF).

Established in 1983, RPL also operates the European Parts Research Centre to support local vendors in such areas as technology transfer and quality control. In recognition for its development of environmentally friendly technologies for copier production, in 1993 RPL was the inaugural recipient of the Queen's Award for Environmental Achievement. One year later, RPL was top in the Recovery of Waste Category of the European Better Environment Awards for Industry.

RIF was founded in 1987, and produces plain-paper copiers, thermal and plain-paper facsimile machines, and thermal paper. RIF's thermal paper plant serves the European market and is one of the largest such facilities in the region, boasting an annual facsimile thermal paper and point-of-sale label production capacity of 1,200 metric tons.

Ricoh Asia Industry (Shenzhen) Ltd., is Ricoh's first full-scale production facility in China.

Asia

Our Asian manufacturing network outside Japan concentrates on office equipment and optical equipment. All Ricoh's operations in this region are active procurers of local parts and components.

Focusing on office equipment are Ricoh Asia Industry (Shenzhen) Ltd. and Shanghai Ricoh Facsimile Co., Ltd., in the People's Republic of China; Sindo Ricoh Co., Ltd., in South Korea; and Ricoh India Ltd. in India. Ricoh Asia Industry makes plain-paper copiers to serve worldwide demand. Sindo Ricoh makes plain-paper copiers, facsimile machines, developer, and toner. Ricoh India makes copiers.

Shanghai Ricoh Facsimile develops, produces, and sells facsimile equipment in China. This joint venture is closely involved in the Dragon Head Project, a top-priority Chinese government effort that aims to create a national telecommunications infrastructure. We eventually aim to become the nation's largest facsimile machine manufacturer.

Another regional subsidiary is Taiwan Ricoh Co., Ltd., which makes digital and 35mm compact and digital cameras for the world market. This company has received a Total Quality Control award and an inaugural Excellent Working Conditions Company award from the government of the Republic of China.