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Print.IT Reseller
reseller recruitment
12
Ricoh has launched a reseller
recruitment programme to help
meet ambitious sales targets for its
desktop printers and MFPs.
The company aims to increase printer
sales through the channel by 60% this
year, following a 68% rise in unit sales in
2011-12.
Steven Hastings, Ricoh UK IT
Distribution Channel Director, told
PrintIT
Reseller
that Ricoh’s major focus for 2013
was to double the number of channel
partners from 600 to 1,200 and to attract
mid-size IT resellers targeting small and
medium-sized businesses.
Ricoh has three levels of channel
partner: Approved (fixed rebates);
Preferred (preferential pricing and access
to marketing collateral); and Solutions
(managed print services and access to the
copier range).
“We don’t say ‘If you spend this much
you will be a Gold partner and if this much
a Silver partner’. We try to be more flexible
and more bespoke,” Hastings said.
“Obviously a Solutions partner
implementing a balanced deployment of
printers and MFPs under an MPS contract
would have a higher level of qualification,
but the most important qualification a
reseller needs is a desire to expand its
business.”
He added: “One of the main messages
we want to get across is that if a reseller
is looking for growth with a vendor who
can offer value to them, then they need to
be talking to Ricoh. The value of the Ricoh
brand is very strong in the public sector
and corporate market so association with
us will give IT resellers great kudos.
“We are Number 1 in the copier market
– one in four photocopiers sold in the UK
is a Ricoh machine – and our aim is to be
Number 1 in the printer market as well.”
In addition to the benefits of
association with the Ricoh brand, Hastings
said resellers could look forward to:
• increased margins – “Our feedback
from existing partners is that they
enjoy greater margins when selling
Ricoh”;
• an expanded partner portal where
resellers can access product
information, marketing material and
support;
• a product range covering not only
printers, but also solutions like the
Ricoh Click MPS proposition, backed
up by 1,000 Ricoh technicians across
the UK;
• a choice of models to meet different
purchasing priorities – “We aim to
offer two types of product at every
level: one with a very competitive box
price and one with a very strong total
cost of ownership (TCO)”; and
Ricoh to double number
of channel partners
...the Ricoh
brand is very
strong in
the public
sector and
corporate
market...
• the opportunity to move into new
product areas, from projectors to
video-conferencing.
“Last year Ricoh launched its first
projector range, including the smallest
ultra-short throw projector in the market,
and over the next two years we will be
entering other new areas for us, including
video-conferencing systems, giving Ricoh
resellers a greater breadth of product than
competitor offerings,” Hastings said.
Ricoh is to start the next stage of its
reseller recruitment programme in the next
few weeks, so look out for further details
as they become available.
Ricoh’s printer range includes models to satisfy most requirements: A4 or A3, colour or mono, single function or
multi-function, wired or wireless, Ricoh’s range has all bases covered. With its GELJET devices, it also meets the
needs of those who prefer inkjet over toner.
Ricoh Europe has just enhanced its range of gel devices with the launch of its first mono-only model, the SG
K3100DN. Designed for offices and retail environments wanting a compact, economical printing option, it
consumes 90% less power than a comparable laser printer and has the option of a high capacity, 10,000-
page cartridge for lower running costs.
Chi Chung Man, Senior Product Manager, Ricoh Europe, said: “The SG K3100DN is ideal for cost-efficient,
environmentally responsible printing. This GELJET printer uses fast-drying viscous, pigment-based Liquid Gel
that delivers high-quality black-and-white prints at low cost on plain paper. And because Liquid Gel dries
instantly, it enables high-speed duplex printing.”
Other benefits of the 29 pages per minute printer include a short warm-up time of 35 seconds; a first page
out time of 5.5 seconds; USB and network connectivity; a small footprint; front access for easy operation; and
support for paper up to 256 g/m
2
.
In January, Ricoh launched the SG7100DN GELJET for businesses that require A3 colour printing. An
Economy Color mode keeps the cost of colour printing down by reducing the density of colour images while
keeping text quality the same for clarity.
All bases covered
“The most important qualification is
desire”: Steven Hastings, Ricoh UK IT
Distribution Channel Director