Tetsuya Takano
Ricoh SP 200 series of six laser printers released in Indian market as part of expansion plans through the IT Dealer/Reseller channel.
Moneylife reports that Ricoh India’s new laser printers are equipped with the OEM’s Genuine Refill Program, which the company states allows customers to benefit from “consistent printer performance and low cost of ownership”; with the devices designed for the SME/SMB segment in India.
The six printer models – SP 200, SP 200N, SP 200SU, SP 202SN, SP 203SF and SP 203SFN, have been introduced by Ricoh India as it drives “mega expansion plans” through the IT Dealer/Reseller channel, and are claimed to have a competitive price and low cost of operation compared to other models in their category, with Ricoh stating that the cost could be 30 percent lower in comparison.
Print speeds of the SP 200 series can reach 22 pages per minute, with a duty cycle of 20,000 pages per month, while the A4 MFP available from this range features 36-Bit colour scanning and ID copy.
“Our market research last year revealed that customers were using non-standard consumables to achieve lower cost of ownership,” said Tetsuya Takano, Managing Director and CEO of Ricoh India Limited. “This was adversely impacting the printer performance. With the introduction of Ricoh’s Genuine Refill Programs through SP 100 series launched last year, Indian customers were benefited with consistent printer performance and low cost of ownership. The launch of SP 200 series in addition to SP 100 is demonstrative of Ricoh’s policy of ‘harmonize with the environment’ through products that reduced environmental impact and yet add value to the customer.”
Commenting on the company’s expansion plans, Manoj Kumar, Senior Vice President and CFO of Ricoh India Limited, said: “In addition to our existing 1600 channel partners, we now plan to expand our channel presence to over 200 top cities by appointing over 3,000 Printer Partners and System Integrators this fiscal year. Further Ricoh also plans to launch Ricoh brand stores in major metros and eStore for internet savvy consumers.”
Meanwhile, Kiran Pai, COO, Laser Business Unit at Ricoh India Limited, said that the company’s new range of entry-level products and Genuine Refill Program will allow its channel partners to “rapidly expand their business opportunities and increase their customer base”, noting that 80 percent of India’s total laser printer market is represented by the entry level segment. He added that Ricoh’s fleet of 11 printer models in the SP 100 and SP 200 series, along with its Genuine Refill Program, will “redefine the printing solution offers to the users and fuel Ricoh’s major expansion plans”.