Ricoh and Toshiba will combine production of printers, copiers, and other office machines, creating the world’s largest operator in the sector.
The deal is expected to be officially announced today, and will see the two companies’ manufacturing brought under one umbrella, for which Ricoh will be the majority holder.
As paperless offices, and the work-from-home movement continues, the office machine market is tipped to shrink by several percent each year.
According to the Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association, global shipments of copiers and printers in 2022 was just over 4 million units, a 16 per cent drop from 2017.
Ricoh holds a 15.2 per cent share in the printer market, with Toshiba holding 7.2 per cent.
Total shipments between the two were 750,000 units, making this newly-formed company the biggest player in the dwindling market.
Canon, currently the second-biggest company in the sector will remain so, but with a far larger gap behind first and second.
