Taking up the Make in India initiative, IT peripherals firm Ricoh India is considering setting up a full-fledged manufacturing facility here.

At present, the local subsidiary of the Japanese major has limited manufacturing facilities in Gandhinagar to make printer inks. It may look at bigger capacities across its three categories of imaging, IT services and communications.

Manoj Kumar, Managing Director, Ricoh India, said: “We are monitoring the situation in the country. Since corporates are being told to make in India, we are evaluating manufacturing, which will be also depend on infrastructure improving in the country.”

In fact, when it was in a joint venture with the RPG Group between 1993 and 1998, it had been manufacturing photocopy machines at its facilities in Gandhinagar.

Unlike other imaging companies, Ricoh is willing to sell online, and recently tied up with Flipkart to sell its laser printers.

“As long as we do not have to give any discounts and can dictate the price, we do not have a problem selling on e-commerce sites. The types of products we sell are price sensitive and the margins are wafer thin.

“E-commerce sites can give discounts but it has to be from their own pocket since we do not believe in running at a loss,” added Kumar.

However, e-commerce is expected to contribute a negligible portion of its turnover of ₹1,673 crore.

In the case of categories like cameras, Ricoh is staying away from the consumer segment. “Mobile phones have led to consumer cameras shrinking fast as a category. We are in the professional segment with cameras which help in surveillance in the real estate sector. Today we help sites like housing.com to take pictures at 360 degree angles,” he added.

Categories such as imaging and IT services contribute the majority of Ricoh India’s turnover.

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Published on November 23, 2015