Ricoh history

The Company started its camera business in 1937.

The sensitized paper division of Rikagaku Kogyo split off to be established as Riken Kankoshi Co., Ltd. (–1938) Learn more

In 1950 Riken introduced another camera, the Ricohflex III.

In 1953, Ricoh became Japan's first manufacturer to introduce a belt-conveyor production system.

Ricoh was awarded the Okochi Memorial Production Prize for the successful establishment of a mass production system (1957)

Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda at the opening reception with Ricoh president Kiyoshi Ichimura in May 17, 1962

Advertisement announcing the change of corporate name (1963)

In 1965 Ricoh entered the budding field of office computers with the debut of the Ricoh Typer Standard, a data-processing system.

Ricopy BS-1 installed on the Fuji Antarctic researchship (1966)

In 1970, Japan Expo ’70, the first world’s fair in Asia, was held in Osaka over 183 days starting from March 15.

In November 1971, Ricoh introduced a total quality control (TQC) campaign, aiming to build a recession-proof robust corporate structure.

When it began operations in 1973, it was the first Japanese company to manufacture office equipment and consumables in the United States.

1974: Company produces its first fax machine.

Company-led rally held at Atsugi Plant to increase production of the new RICOPY DT1200 in October, 1975

In 1976 Ricoh introduced the Ricoh Printer 40, an impact (daisy-wheel) printer, followed by the Ricoh WP-1, a word processor.

Ricoh of America opened a research and development facility in Santa Clara, California, in 1977.

In 1978 Ricoh established Rapicom, formed to develop and market stand-alone, high-speed digital facsimile products, as well as satellite facsimile equipment.

In 1979, however, the company assigned United States research and development functions to a new entity, Ricoh Systems, Inc.

1981: Ricoh-brand copiers are marketed for the first time in the United States.

Ricoh's four-year-old Rapicom subsidiary landed a major account for Telepress, Ricoh's satellite facsimile product, when it agreed in 1982 to supply the product to Gannett Company, publisher of USA Today.

The RICOPY FT4000 series won a gold award at the international trade fair in Bulgaria in September, 1983

By 1984 the company had achieved a seven percent share of the United States market.

In 1985, the two firms created AT & T Ricoh Company, a joint venture to produce and market modified versions of AT & T's compact telephone systems.

The center opened on April 23, 1986 within the Kohoku New Town district in Yokohama.

In May 1987 Ricoh opened a semiconductor-design center in San Jose, California.

In 1988 the company released a lightweight, compact eight-millimeter camcorder in the United States and Japan.

Then IOC President Juan Samaranch and Ricoh President Hamada signed the agreement (at Takanawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo, on September 19, 1989)

The standard technology adopted for color copiers around 1990 required repeated imaging processing for four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) loaded on a single drum to reproduce one color copy.

In 1991, the RICOPY DT1200 was enshrined in the nation’s Copier Hall of Fame to acknowledge the significant role the product played in the history of wet-type copier development.

Ricoh signs a contract of the Worldwide Sponsorship in facsimile machine category for 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

Making its debut in 1993 was the Preter 500/550, a full-color multifunctional digital copier.

Our first recyclable design copier was released in 1994.

Ricoh continued its drive to boost international sales by acquiring Savin Corporation for about US$42 million and taking over Gestetner Holdings for about US$286 million, with both purchases occurring in 1995.

Longtime President Hiroshi Hamada was named chairman and CEO in 1996, while Masamitsu Sakurai was promoted to president and COO. That year, Ricoh helped develop the CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) platform, which enabled users to read, write, and rewrite computer data on compact discs.

In 1997 Ricoh established a new R & D and venture capital financing subsidiary in San Jose, California, called Ricoh Silicon Valley, Inc.

Masamitsu Sakurai, Ricoh’s president (right), accepting the Japan Quality Award (1999)

In mid-2000 Ricoh launched a proactive management restructuring to adopt a United States-style separation of executive and operating functions, with the heads of the company's divisions and subsidiaries gaining much more authority and responsibility than before.

The Ichimura Nature School is an NPO for youth development founded in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kiyoshi Ichimura, the founder of Ricoh and the Ricoh San-ai Group. It was established in Matsuda-machi, a town in the Ashigarakami District of Kanagawa Prefecture in October 2001.

In 2003, our efforts earned us the World Environment Center Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development, making us the first enterprise from Asia to receive such an honor.”

*Color production printers marketed at a standard unit price of 30 million yen or less (as of May 7, 2008)

IPSiO PJ WX4130N/WX4130, ultra-short-throw projector, with the world’s most compact*1 and light weight*1 body among contemporary comparable models *1 Comparison made for a mirror reflection ultra-short-throw projector (as of November 7, 2011; surveyed by Ricoh)

*As a mass-produced, consumer product capable of capturing the scene around, above and below the device in a fully spherical image (as of October 2013, based on Ricoh Imaging Company Ltd. research).

“RIFAX 600S” was honored by The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan as one of the “One Step on Electro-Technology” products in 2016 Learn more