Ricoh has reported its consolidated financial results for the third quarter and nine months period, ended 31 December 2021.
Sales in the last nine months have increased by 7.0% (to ¥1,276.1 billion ($11.1 billion/ €9.7 billion)) compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year. Ricoh said that although business was impacted by external factors like the resurgence of COVID-19 worldwide, shortage of container ships and product supply constraints owing to a shortage of components, sales increased.
In its office printing business, sales increased as a result of non-hardware sales growth in all regions despite a delay in recovery of sales of edge devices owing to shortage of product supply. In the office services business, sales activities were affected by a shortage of MFPs (multifunctional printers) and IT products, which are the starting point for services, but sales of packaged products were strong, resulting total sales increased compared to the previous corresponding period.
In addition, Ricoh said that its business activities have recovered, such as commercial printing business and industrial printing business. Sales increased in all business segments, including Digital Services, Digital Products, Graphic Communications, and Industrial Solutions, all of which are new business segments adopted in the current consolidated fiscal year due to the introduction of its business unit structure.
Digital Services (which includes the company’s MFPs) sales were ¥1,037.0 billion ($9.02 billion/ €7.9 billion) and increased by 6.8% year-on-year. Ricoh said: “In office printing business, sales recovery of edge devices, such as MFPs (multifunctional printers) and laser printers, were slowed due to a shortage of materials, but sales of non-hardware recovered as a result of a return to offices due to the widespread use of vaccines.”
