In this series, ME Printer brings you exclusive, showfloor interviews with industry stalwarts representing some of the major exhibitors at Gulf Print & Pack 2025, Riyadh, the leading commercial print and packaging trade show in the Middle East. This was the inaugural edition of GPP to be held in Saudi Arabia.
In conversation with Marie-Luce Delaune, Marketing Manager, Ricoh Graphic Communications.
What new technologies or products have you launched at Gulf Print & Pack 2025?
Ricoh launched the new Monochrome Production device: Ricoh Pro 8400 series
How does your latest machinery/software/materials stand out from competitors?
Since every workflow is different, the Ricoh Pro 8400 series can be tailored to a variety of needs, including office, production, and data printing. Ricoh’s integrated GW controller handles regular office applications. The latest Fiery EB-36 print server can be incorporated for easy load balancing in graphic-intensive workflows. Equipped with Ricoh’s genuine IPDS print option, they deliver accurate, high value transactional documents efficiently.
Ricoh is committed to providing products and services that improve business efficiency and productivity while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Ricoh Pro 8410S/8420S presses are no exception. Helping you cut energy consumption, they boast class leading energy efficiency. Diverting waste from landfill, they also comprise 25% post-consumer recycled plastic and 33% electric furnace recycled steel. Plastic packaging is also reduced by 50%.
What are some profitable niche markets you believe printers and PSPs should explore in the coming years?
There are many areas that printers and commercial printers should consider to gain efficiencies (productivity and financial). This might not be related to niche markets or applications but more likely to address new needs from the market including moving analogue production methods into digital to enable personalisation, need for online presence and e-commerce capabilities, shorter run lengths and on demand ordering and delivery to free cash flow, IT solution and automated workflows to improve the effectiveness of working capital and/ or find new applications to grow business, and application wise for books and packaging (including labels) which show the biggest growth, while newspapers, transactional, and advertising print drop.
How do your products help businesses optimise efficiency and reduce costs?
Ricoh’s range of high-speed, high-capacity printers offers robust solutions for commercial printers and in-house departments alike. Whether you’re after a continuous feed printer for high volume invoice runs or a large format device for exhibition graphics, our energy efficient range provides superior image quality and clever features for specialised tasks.
Ricoh’s sheet-fed production devices can be tailored to production needs with the addition of matched in-line feed and finishing systems. Media flexibility can be enhanced with the addition of SRA3 and long sheet large capacity trays. Labour saving in-line finishing solutions include a multi folding unit, a stream punch with crease and perforation capabilities, a high capacity interposer, e-wire and perfect binding systems, high capacity stackers, and a choice of high-end booklet making systems. Ricoh’s continuous feed printers provide cost-effective, flexible, high volume printing solutions combined with the ability to tailor your output through personalisation features.
The Ricoh Pro Z75 is the world’s first aqueous pigment B2 automatic perfecting sheet-fed inkjet digital press. Combining the speed and power of offset with cutting-edge Ricoh innovation, the Pro Z75 meets you where you are today and takes you into the future. The inkjet press with speeds of up to 4,500 B2 sph can run multi-up jobs on the B2 sheet and maximise resources; achieve vibrant output on uncoated, coated, and inkjet-treated stocks; and streamlines workflows and reduces labour dependency.
Efficient and profitable end to end production begins with software solutions including Ricoh TotalFlow BatchBuilder that simplifies and automates many steps in short run digital production, and Ricoh ProcessDirector that captures, transforms, and manages production information and print processes with precise tracking. Elevating print production automation further, the Ricoh Auto Color Adjuster provides easy, fast, and accurate colour management capabilities, and ensures consistency from system to system and job to job. The successful combination of hardware and software can provide creative commercial printers with the freedom to innovate.
How does your company cater to the specific needs of printers and PSPs in this region?
Close presence to customers in the production segment is achieved through our business partners Samir Trading & Marketing – CJSC and El-Ajou Group Trading Company.
What steps are you taking to adapt to the growing demand for digitalisation and eco-friendly printing?
While offset printing currently dominates, digital printing market should experience compound annual growth rate of 8.0%. Ricoh’s Portfolio is leading in the sheetfed segment. Ricoh’s proprietary inkjet printheads and global sales and service network are key strengths in this domain; they contribute to the digitalisation and drive the transition from offset to digital printing. Ricoh’s commitment to the environment spans every aspect of how we manufacture our products. We also have redesigned our products to reduce their physical footprint and raw material requirements.
As a concrete example, Ricoh Pro 8400 series set new standards for sustainability. Diverting waste from landfill, they are manufactured using 25% post-consumer recycled plastic and 33% electric recycled steel. In addition, plastic packaging has been reduced by 50%.
What feedback did you get from visitors and potential customers at the exhibition?
Visitor feedback has been positive. We also managed to conduct many live demonstrations of showcased products.
Did the show meet your expectations in terms of audience reach and business opportunities?
Yes. Mainly due to high quality of the visitors who came to finalise deals.
How does the Saudi market differ from other regional markets, and what opportunities do you see here?
Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest growing countries in the Middle East region.
