The OEM announced last week that it has made two new acquisitions, LAC Corporation and MakeLeaps, Inc.
LAC Corporation, explains Ricoh, is a company with unique inkjet technology that supports printing on three-dimensional surfaces e.g. on the sides of cars, trucks, aircraft and even tyres and glass bottles.
The acquisition of LAC is aimed at strengthening Ricoh’s industrial printing business, which is one of its three growth strategies, according to the OEM. The transfer of the shares is scheduled to complete on 31 October 2018.
Founded in 1983, LAC has unique technology that can discharge high-viscosity ink from a maximum of 100mm enabling printing directly onto three dimensional objects. Using its technology, LAC develops, manufactures, sells, and supports industrial printing systems for cars, liquefied petroleum gas cylinders, and much more.
In February this year, Ricoh announced its growth strategy “RICOH Ignite,” which set out its intention to enhance its customer base by expanding its printing technology portfolio. For over 40 years, Ricoh says, the OEM has been developing inkjet technology, and today it is being used not just for printing in the office, but in commercial and industrial printing applications in a variety of different areas including lifestyle. Furthermore, it has been strengthening its “display printing” capabilities for paper and beyond paper, and “applied printing,” which combines processes and materials to create new customer value.
The investment in LAC is part of Ricoh’s Growth Strategy Plan, and one of a series of strategic investments being made by Ricoh, explains the OEM. 
By combining LAC’s proprietary inkjet technology and Ricoh’s technologies such as imaging systems and manufacturing, Ricoh says it will create new value for its customers. In addition, Ricoh is planning to expand LAC’s offerings into new overseas markets, using Ricoh’s global network.
As for MakeLeaps, Inc, a provider of cloud-based billing management software, Ricoh is expected to complete its acquisition of the company on 30 November 2017. This acquisition is aimed at strengthening Ricoh’s digital business, which was also set out in “RICOH Ignite”, its Growth Strategy Plan announced in February 2018.
Workforce decline is one of the biggest social issues effecting Japan, where population decline, combined with the increase in the number of elderly people, is making Japan a super-aged society. This is especially challenging for small and medium-sized businesses, where the shortage of manpower has become a great obstacle to business continuity, and so now many companies are working on workstyle reforms to improve worker productivity.
MakeLeaps offers cloud-based billing management software that makes workflow more efficient by digitising tasks associated with the creation and dispatch of a variety of forms for the Japanese market such as estimates, purchase orders, invoices, etc., as well as receipt management documentation. MakeLeaps, as a cloud service, is the only Japanese software that supports foreign currency and has a bilingual interface.
As such, it is not only used by Japanese companies but is also used by companies that are engaged in business overseas. Moreover, explains Ricoh, it has the ability to connect with external systems such as sales support tools, settlement agency services, and systems that confirm bank transfers and more.
MakeLeaps supports productivity improvement and business growth for a wide range of users from small businesses to large enterprises.
In Ricoh’s Growth Strategy Plan, “RICOH Ignite” it announced a goal to create new customer value by digitising workplace tasks and linking offices to the frontlines. While workplaces can be anywhere, Ricoh aims to digitise tasks and transform workflows in offices and frontlines, to bring these diverse workplaces closer together. By collecting information using edge devices, and analysing the accumulated data using innovative technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence) and Deep Learning, Ricoh says it will support its customers’ productivity improvements and sales growth better than ever before.
The acquisition of MakeLeaps is one of a series of strategic investments as set out in Ricoh’s Growth Strategy Plan. Ricoh aims to digitise and improve its customer’s workflows by combining MakeLeaps’ software with Ricoh’s multi-function printers, as well as other venders’ systems such as customer management systems, accounting systems, sales management systems, etc.
Furthermore, by linking the digitised workflows, Ricoh says the OEM will become a platform for intercompany transactions, especially amongst small and medium-sized businesses.
