The move comes as both companies move aggressively into the document management services and IT sector. John Hall, managing director of Lanier, will leave the business following the integration due to be completed early June.
Lanier was a subsidiary of Ricoh’s Asian operation, acquired in 2001, that operated in the local market as an autonomous agent. Its integration into Ricoh Australia’s operation here is promoted as a logical move as the two have developed greater engagement with the IT sector.
The Lanier production printing business will help create a greater installed footprint in the sector for the Ricoh brand. The appointment of a new head for the division, a role left vacant following Kathy Wilson’s departure last year, has not been decided. Les Richardson, managing director, Ricoh Australia, says there is plenty of talent to choose from in the senior management of both companies. BOth companies are active in the commercial printing market and the inplant sector. The Ricoh Pro C5100S engine is a leading contender in production printing while the high-speed Infoprint range engages with the essential and direct mailing sector.
- "The integration of the two companies has been very well received by customers and staff," Les Richardson, Managing Director, Ricoh Australia
“We are taking two strong, profitable organisations and building a new, even stronger business in Australia,” said Les Richardson, Managing Director, Ricoh Australia. “The integration also lets us align even more closely with Ricoh’s global programs around delivering managed document and IT Services to customers. We will unite our range of managed services and product offerings under the same brand, enabling us to provide even greater value to customers right across the business technology landscape.”
The move was always on the cards as both companies boosted their IT muscle in recent years, with Ricoh Australia acquiring IMC while Lanier took on Inspire IT. Lanier has 300 employees to Ricoh Australia’s 800. The Lanier brand will disappear apart from in distribution channels in regional markets throughout the country where there is also a Ricoh presence.
According to Richardson, the integration is expected to be fairly smooth. The two companies sell the same products, especially in the production printing business, while Ricoh Australia already provides warehousing and logistics support to Lanier.