Ricoh UK Products Ltd (RPL) was established in 1983 as the first European production subsidiary of Ricoh Company, Japan.
Production began in 1985 with the opening of a Selenium Drum plant and a Toner production facility. Copier production followed in May 1986 and our product portfolio has continued to grow with the introduction of Production Printer Manufacturing, Machines Recycling, Supplies Recycling , In-house Moulded Parts, Machine Sanitisation, Hardware and Software Solutions, and Media Qualification. More recently RPL has started delivering consultancy services to Ricoh and non-Ricoh clients.
RPL is recognised as a showpiece factory within the UK business community and has hosted many visits from existing and potential Ricoh customers. Meanwhile RPL’s commitment to promoting EFQM Business Excellence principles has been recognised by the BQF with the UK Excellence Award in 2005 and 2009. RPL was also recognised as Finalists through the EFQM Excellence Awards in 2007 and is one of only a handful of organisations to receive the BQF Gold Medal award for sustained excellence (2009).
Ricoh Wellingborough (RPLW) was established in 1996. RPLW now manage the logistics of Ricoh in the UK providing a central warehouse facility as well as spare parts supply.
We are proud of our factory and our employees, and welcome visitors and potential customers to our award winning factory.
letstalk@ricoh-rpl.com
RPL was the first Ricoh site to produce Production Print machines within the European market and is working hand in hand with the sales companies to develop product knowledge which is shared across the Ricoh Group.
Access to RPL’s Production Print knowledge allows for the immediate evaluation of customer requests and the rapid prototyping of product enhancement solutions. Meanwhile our PP products are shipped direct to the customer in accordance to their exact set up requirements and in some cases, with any necessary product enhancements already applied.
We also have a wealth of MFP knowledge and through our Configuration To Order (CTO) processes we have a clear understanding of the customer’s product requirements. Here again, we are able to identify product enhancement opportunities either through specific customer requests or our own product solution proposals. This is what we mean by enhancing Ricoh’s competitive position in the European marketplace.
Meanwhile we operate a World Class toner production facility which is consistently setting new performance benchmarks within the Ricoh Group. Blue Chip organisations based in Europe are very keen to learn about RPL’s secret for success and consultancy services are provided to Ricoh and non-Ricoh customers covering Lean and Employee Engagement.
The synergies we create by harnessing the resources employed in our award winning factory operations ensure that our growing solutions business benefits from the latest technology, the highest quality and full legal compliance.
Furthermore the lead times we can provide can in some cases be measured in days not weeks and this can often be vital to our sales partners. With all these capabilities at hand and with such a wide range of solutions services, RPL is more than just a factory.
letstalk@ricoh-rpl.com
RPL’s Media Qualification Test Centre was established in 2008 and since the launch of the Pro C900 machine more than 400 media tests have been completed. These tests are used to identify the optimum machine settings for a wide range of media types.
The benefits of the qualification process are twofold. To start with, we can reassure customers that their favoured media is compatible with Production Print machines. The real added value however comes from the use of our qualified media list to inspire the customer to think of new business opportunities through the creative use of alternative media types.
RPL has the capability to test the full range of media including packaging, synthetic and magnetic media types.
• Qualification program includes new media types and specific customer requests
• Full media range tested including; coated, textured, packaging, synthetic, magnetic etc.
• New media applications to create customer business opportunities
• Optimise machine performance for media types
• Continuous technical support through media library updates
Connectivity Solutions
At RPL we have the ‘in house’ skills and knowledge to provide you with the complete Business Solution taking your customisation requirement from design all the way through to delivery. Whether your requirement is hardware, electrical, software or a combination of disciplines RPL are your complete connectivity solution provider.
Our experience in design together with Ricoh device knowledge enables solutions to be developed to suit specific customers needs.
• Rapid prototyping of solutions requests through in-house design to delivery capability
• All solutions meet CE mark and Environmental legislation
• Comprehensive product testing including; climatic, vibration, and packaging integrity
• Low volume or high volume production runs catered for
• Buy with confidence from a Ricoh trusted supplier
letstalk@ricoh-rpl.com
We appreciate that installation time is critically important to our customers and time spent on site during product installation can be disruptive.
With this in mind, RPL has developed an Automatic Installation Method (AIM) software tool, designed to radically reduce installation cost and time. The software tool is particularly useful for major tenders where machine installation volumes and customer expectations are high. The software tool will be available in 2013 allowing all of our customers to benefit from the cost and time savings at minimum outlay.
• Radical reduction in machine pre-configuration time and cost
• Covers all configuration settings including; security, access controls and options
• Streamlines the installation process reducing the impact on the customer significantly
• Automatic Installation Method (AIM) software available from 2013
letstalk@ricoh-rpl.com
Machines returned from the field carry sensitive customer information which needs to be removed completely before assets can be reused or recycled. This information comes in electronic and physical forms and in both cases, effective tools are required to ensure their safe removal. This is where RPL can help with our sanitisation tool package?
RPL’s sanitisation process has been developed to meet the most stringent UK Government requirements with electronic data completely removed from all memory storage components within the machine including HDD and all controller devices. This level of data cleansing is only made possible thanks to RPL’s access to Ricoh’s proprietary technical knowledge. Third party service providers simply can’t match this level of sanitisation and what’s more RPL’s service is fully supported by a sanitisation records database (for traceability) and instruction manual support.
• Removal of physical and electronic customer information
• Package tool includes; HDD erase software, EDFT controller tool, traceability software and process guide
• Over 7000 machines already sanitised within the UK market
• Sanitisation service applies to all MFP and PP machines including package tool
• Sanitisation process complies with UK Government standards
In pursuit of Ricoh's 2050 sustainability vision, RPL has continually built upon its knowledge of recycling to provide a range of recycled parts, supplies and products in support of Printer, MFP and PP business groups.
These products and services support Ricoh’s financial growth and deliver sustainable solutions within Europe. Today these activities form part of both the Total Green Office Solutions (TGOS) and Total Green Production Print (TGPP) initiatives.
• CS & CF Production Printer machine reconditioning
• MFP machines remanufactured to ‘as new’ standards
• Recycled supplies including AIO units, fusing units and Production Print toner bottles
• In-house R&D resource dedicated to turning your waste problems into opportunities
• Full Comet Circle recycling coverage from machines to component recycling
letstalk@ricoh-rpl.com
Over 25 years of Lean Know-how at your fingertips
The Ricoh Production System (RiPS) has been at the heart of RPL’s 25 year Lean Journey, a journey that has brought RPL national and international acclaim as a must see best practice tour destination.
Based on our Lean know-how, we have developed our unique RiPS Academy modular learning programme which equips your employees with the skills needed to apply and sustain Lean principles in the workplace.
We now offer the RiPS Academy both internally and externally as a commercial product.
We can provide this Lean solution for YOU.
• 25 years of Lean Know-how at your fingertips
• Bespoke Lean learning programmes to meet your requirements
• Lean application focus to deliver tangible business benefit
• Sustained long term benefits through the development of your employees
• Accreditation and Recognition through the RiPS Academy module approach
letstalk@ricoh-rpl.com
