Ricoh UK is now shipping more than 500 colour capable devices a month.
Figures from copier industry analyst Infosource show that Ricoh is dominating the emerging market for 'colour capable' office copiers across Europe, with the manufacturer amassing an 85% market share in 2003.
Infosource also reports that Ricoh held a 26.3% overall market share for black and white devices in 2003 to maintain the number one position over second and third placed rivals Canon and Sharp.
In addition, Ricoh held its established lead across the individual black and white output categories of 10-19cpm, 20-39cpm, 40-59cpm, 60-89cpm and 90+cpm, further increasing its market share in the high volume category to 35%.
Ricoh UK's head of marketing, Richard De Lay believes that the strength of the manufacturer's position lies in the depth of its range, which now offers network capable multifunctional devices ranging from 15 to 105cpm:
"One of the most significant developments for Ricoh has been the introduction of digital scanning and printing functionality across each of the output categories. Over the past twelve months enhancements have been made to each area and this provides our customers with a wider range of options from which to choose.
"The very success of the first generation of 'colour capable' devices is a case in point, with the market quickly realising the potential benefits of the new technology. As the new generation of colour capable devices comes to market and colour output speeds become closer to those of dedicated black and white machines, colour usage will flourish."
The figures also show that Ricoh has maintained its position as the brand with the second largest market share.
About Ricoh UK
Founded in 1936, Ricoh Company Ltd is one of the world's top ten IT companies and a leading global provider of office automation solutions. Ricoh UK is one of the leading pioneers of imaging technology, with a dedicated research and development programme that brought us the first DVD and RW drives and media, as well as innovations such as the first digital black and white copier.
Ricoh designs, develops, manufactures and markets hardware and software solutions, including industry-leading copier-printers, document management solutions and multifunctional devices. The company has also pioneered the development of colour capable multifunctional devices to bring affordable colour to the mass business market.
Environmental protection is a key company priority and Ricoh UK is proud to be accredited with ISO14001 for its environmental management systems.
Information on Ricoh and its products and services is available at http://www.ricoh.co.uk/