London, May 2008 - Ricoh, a global leader in digital office solutions, has announced that it will continue its title sponsorship of the Ricoh Women’s British Open 2008. The partnership, which began in 2007, has been a great success for Ricoh, and an ideal platform to communicate its passion to serve its customers as well as its deep commitment to the environment.
Kirk Yoshida, Deputy President of Ricoh Company, Ltd, says, “Our partnership with the Ricoh Women’s British Open has been a success because of the principles it represents. We hold the same values of professionalism, excellence, expertise and consideration for the environment. We both come from a rich heritage which has seen growth and many changes during our long histories. We look forward to being a part of the tournament again in 2008, and to continuing to develop our relationship.”
In addition to the title sponsorship, Ricoh is also the official supplier of printing solutions behind the scenes. Its range of digital multi-functional products is being used for a wide range of tasks in the build-up and planning of the event. During the tournament, the press centre is also fully equipped with Ricoh products, to support journalists with their printing, scanning, faxing and copying needs.
Protecting the earth’s natural resources and raising environmental awareness are major considerations at Ricoh, and this year too the company will continue to support and promote the Seeds for Africa Charity through the Ricoh Women’s British Open. For every birdie scored, Ricoh will plant one tree, five trees for an eagle, and 1,000 trees for an albatross. In 2007 the funds raised from an auction and from sales of promotional items, plus the total number of points, equated to 2,236 trees being planted in Africa.
For further information visit www.ricohwomensbritishopen.com
Ricoh Key Facts:
1. Innovations: Since its founding in 1936 Ricoh has continued to innovate in a broad range of areas:
- Japan's first mass-production system for cameras
- First plain-paper facsimile machine in 1983
- First digital copier in 1987
- First ISDN G4 digital facsimile machine in 1989
- World’s first double-sided digital duplicator in 2007
- First company in the industry with technology to use plant-based plastic for the bodies of copiers
2. The Ricoh Group maintains top (manufacturer) share in Europe for plain paper copier and is in the top two globally.
3. In 2002, Ricoh was ranked first in the world for corporate responsibility by Oekom Research AG of Germany.
4. In 2003 Ricoh received the prestigious WEC Gold Medal from the World Environment Center, the first company from the Asian region to be honoured.
5. Ricoh has been named as one of the "Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World” for four consecutive years. (URL: http://www.global100.org/)
6. In 1975, Ricoh became the first company in the office automation industry to win the Deming Prize, which is given to outstanding companies that establish strict quality control systems.
7. Ricoh R&D has successfully developed a toner containing about 40% of plant-based elements by using a newly developed polyester resin made from corn and other materials.
If there is one thread that runs through our long history at Ricoh, it is our Passion to serve which drives all our actions, whether it be conserving the environment or simplifying how people live and work.
