On June 19, Tohru Kasai, president of Ricoh Japan, presented the company’s 2025 strategy briefing, outlining progress made since FY2024 and setting out the action policy for FY2025 for the five key strategies Ricoh Japan is implementing. These include the “expansion of digital services to solve industry-specific and operational challenges” and the “expansion of value offerings to address local and social issues.” Ricoh Japan aims to “align its business with SDGs/ESG,” focusing on delivering value to customers through its products and services. In FY2025, Ricoh Japan will accelerate proposals for DX solutions paired with the anticipated PC replacement demand among small and medium-sized businesses, strengthen multi-layered security proposals, and expand DX in medical settings. The company is also investing in developing AI talent, supporting customers throughout the entire lifecycle of AI adoption with a broad lineup of AI solutions.
In FY2024, by providing various products and DX solutions, Ricoh Japan generated a cumulative annual total of 65.4 million hours in “time creation effects,” a key sustainability indicator. For the “CO2 reduction through products and services” indicator, Ricoh Japan reduced CO2 emissions by 36,117 tons through renewable energy supply and energy-efficient products. Meanwhile, Ricoh Japan and its partners reduced its own CO2 emissions by 20,342 tons in FY2024, achieving a 35.7% reduction compared to FY2015, through improvements to facilities and vehicles.
Ricoh Japan’s Five Key DX Strategies
- Expansion of digital service business to solve industry-specific and operational issues
- Expansion of value offerings to solve local and social challenges
- Reconstruction of a highly efficient market coverage system
- Expansion of investment in digital talent to transform into a challenge-creating organization
- Acceleration of internal DX and improvement of management quality
Ricoh Japan is advancing these five major strategies in FY2024 and will maintain this basic policy into FY2025, further strengthening its digital capabilities to solve customer, local, and social challenges. Below is an overview of the progress and future direction for each strategy.
- Expansion of Digital Service Business to Solve Industry-Specific and Operational Issues
In FY2024, demand from large companies for Windows 11 migration drove expansion of IT services. Needs for PC lifecycle management (PCLCM) and Device as a Service (DaaS) have grown among large clients, resulting in a 15% year-on-year increase in IT service revenue. Applications developed under the “DX Ecosystem” with enhanced interconnectivity performed strongly. Synergies with PFU led to favorable reception of the multifunction printer SD model equipped with high-performance scanners, which supports data utilization. This multifunction printer can scan various irregular documents such as receipts and cards via ADF, facilitating DX in forms processing and promoting AI use as an essential edge device.
Additionally, the deployment of “RICOH Smart Huddle,” which captures office relocation and construction needs amid the return-to-office trend, accelerated.
In FY2025, Ricoh Japan will intensify DX proposals targeting SMEs using migration as an entry point. Proposals will combine PC replacement with applications under the “DX Ecosystem,” promoting DX for industry-specific and core operations, alongside multifunction devices to support digitization. For security, Ricoh Japan will strengthen multi-layered defense proposals for SMEs.
Workplace Experience (WE) services that have performed well overseas, such as “RICOH Smart Huddle,” will be further expanded domestically. Also, “RICOH Value Presentation 2025,” which has been held virtually since the COVID-19 pandemic, will return to an in-person format for the first time in six years, starting in Tokyo on July 1–2 and expanding to 57 venues nationwide.
Ricoh Japan and Ricoh jointly provide “Process DX Support Services” to visualize, optimize, and digitize customers’ business processes, connecting them to AI utilization. In AI adoption, Ricoh Japan helps clarify customer challenges and supports everything from introduction to establishment with Ricoh’s proprietary LLM, the newly announced diagram-reading-enhanced LMM (as of June 10), on-premise LLMs, chatbots, Dify, and more.
In August, Ricoh Japan plans to launch a beta version of its AI agent, which combines the “RICOH Digital Buddy” with sales support. This AI agent automatically generates proposals based on customer information (public data, negotiation history, etc.).
- Expansion of Value Offerings to Solve Local and Social Challenges
In GX (Green Transformation), FY2024 saw progress not only in power retailing and renewable energy supply but also in cultivating decarbonization-focused customers. Customers using the “Decarbonization STEP” program grew from about 6,000 in November 2024 to approximately 9,500 by the end of May 2025—a long-term initiative aiming to build relationships with nearly 10,000 customers over the next 10 to 20 years.
In the local government sector, Ricoh Japan built networks for 51 local governments in FY2024. Through collaboration with Cybozu’s “Municipality DX Box” initiative, 92 local governments adopted Kintone. In FY2025, with “Kintone Plus” obtaining ISMAP certification, the company plans to expand further horizontally.
In healthcare, Ricoh Japan rolled out online eligibility verification and elderly care monitoring systems in FY2024, mainly targeting the nursing care sector. In FY2025, it will extend DX offerings to medical settings as well.
- Reconstruction of a Highly Efficient Market Coverage System
In FY2024, the use of digital channels progressed, improving efficiency. In FY2025, Ricoh Japan will strengthen its digital deployment strategy for both outbound and inbound operations.
Also in FY2024, collaboration agreements with regional banks and credit unions expanded to every prefecture. In FY2025, Ricoh Japan plans to fully scale up a three-pronged business development approach, including partnerships with local governments.
- Expansion of Investment in Digital Talent to Transform into a Challenge-Creating Organization
In FY2024, Ricoh Japan nurtured 8,126 employees with digital talent certification at “Pro Level 3” or higher. Additionally, it developed a total of 762 specialists, including Microsoft Solution evangelists, Kintone pecialists, back-office specialists, security specialists, and newly certified AI evangelists. A total of 153 employees were certified as AI evangelists, bringing the number of AI personnel (including provisional certifications) to around 300.
In FY2025, Ricoh Japan aims to develop 9,700 pro-level digital talents. It will also create a new “Smart Huddle Specialist” role within the WE domain, nurturing professionals who can co-ordinate spaces and work styles by combining workplace services with digital solutions.
- Acceleration of Internal DX and Improvement of Management Quality
In FY2024, Ricoh Japan transitioned 93% of all contracts, including purchase orders, to electronic systems. In FY2025, it will migrate the remaining 7% of contracts, such as IT service applications, to digital systems. Furthermore, Ricoh Japan will expand its in-house use of DX and AI, integrating them more deeply into business processes for practical application.
