By Petr Kramerius, Regional Manager at Infosource
Following their decision to integrate their businesses last year, Ricoh and Toshiba have finalized the establishment of a joint venture to be known as ETRIA and headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. The name ETRIA stands for “Eternal, Try, Innovation, Alliance,” indicating the company’s dedication to driving technological innovation.
ETRIA will supply and manufacture devices for Ricoh and Toshiba and will aim to meet the demand for multifunction printers (MFPs), which include security, energy efficiency, and the circular economy. By coordinating core product parts, purchasing channels and production sites of Ricoh and Toshiba, ETRIA will create a stable supply chain to deliver high-value and competitive devices to both companies.
According to a statement from ETRIA: “MFPs and printers are not just for printing and copying paper; they also handle the input and output of converting analog and digital data related to business operations. These devices are essential for providing solutions to solve various business issues for customers and enhance their operations.
“Leveraging the manufacturing technologies and expertise that Ricoh and Toshiba Tec have cultivated over the years, ETRIA strives to offer more competitive and high-value-added MFPs and printers and jointly plan and develop new devices to support customers’ digital transformation.”
Through ETRIA, Ricoh and Toshiba Tec will work closely together to ensure the optimal use of technologies and assets from both companies to deliver customer success. ETRIA kicks off operations this month and aims to bring innovative, competitive print products to market. Initially, it will manage the manufacturing of both companies’ current product lines. By 2026, it plans to roll out new, cutting-edge MFPs.
This is not a merger or an acquisition. Ricoh holds an 85% ownership stake in this venture, making it a subsidiary of Ricoh. Toshiba Tec and Ricoh will continue to operate as independent competitors, each with its own brand, products, solutions, and services. They will only collaborate on backend hardware components through ETRIA, which is a separate company. ETRIA represents the combined power of two industry leading manufacturers, manufacturing best-in-class edge devices. New Ricoh MFP edge devices will be combined with Ricoh’s robust controller technology, user experience, cloud platforms, and range of software solutions. The same will apply to new Toshiba Tec MFPs. There are also no current plans to change the sales distribution channels.
This approach allows both Toshiba and Ricoh to maintain their unique features and benefits on the front end. The long-term goal of the partnership is to solidify Ricoh and Toshiba Tec’s positions in the print industry by driving innovation, improving product offerings, and achieving manufacturing efficiencies. It reflects a strategic commitment to the future of the print industry and the role of MFPs within it.
