TOKYO -- Ricoh will reduce its global workforce by about 2,000 people as it scales down the office machine business and focuses on assisting businesses with digital transition, the Japanese company said Thursday.
The cuts, to take place through March, will affect the office equipment division, including the sales and maintenance teams.
The job reductions represent about 3% of the groupwide workforce, which stood at 79,544 in March 2024. In Japan, Ricoh will offer early retirement to 1,000 people between Oct. 1 and Feb. 28, equivalent to 3% of the domestic personnel.
Ricoh expects to book a one-time cost of 16 billion yen ($112 million) from the voluntary severance for the current fiscal year through March 2025. But the staff reduction is projected to boost annual profit by 9 billion yen from the fiscal year ending March 2026.
In July, Ricoh and Toshiba Tec established a joint venture called Etria that develops and manufactures office printers. The roughly 8,400 people transferring to Etria are not expected to be subject to the staff cuts.
The market for office printers is shrinking as paperless offices and telecommuting take hold. Global shipments of copiers and multifunction printers totaled 3.59 million units in 2023, down 26% from the pre-pandemic year of 2018, the Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association reports.
For this fiscal year, Ricoh forecasts a 9% increase in consolidated net profit to 48 billion yen. Though Ricoh's earnings remain solid, the company is undertaking structural reforms as it expects the market for its core office equipment to continue shrinking.
The Japanese company will shift focus to digitization support for office operations, such as data management for invoices and bills of delivery. It will provide training in artificial intelligence, data analysis and other technology.
Workforce reductions and operational restructuring are a trend in Japan's office equipment industry. Konica Minolta is cutting 2,400 positions through the end of March. The company also is preparing to establish a joint venture with Fujifilm Business Innovation, formerly known as Fuji Xerox, that will oversee the joint procurement of office machine components.