Ricoh Management Information System for commercial printing industry acquired by eProductivity Software
Deal accelerates digital transformation in commercial printing industry by focusing management resources on print workflow solutions
Ricoh today announced the sale of Avanti Computer Systems Ltd. (Avanti), a Ricoh subsidiary offering Avanti Management Information System (MIS) for the printing industry in North America, to eProductivity Software, a leading global provider of production software technology for the packaging and print industries, headquartered in Pennsylvania, United States, resolving and concluding Share Transfer Agreement. The impact of the business transfer on the company's results of operations is expected to be minimal.
1. Subject business
Avanti print MIS solution centralizes and visualizes related information in printing and sales processes of commercial and in-house printing workflows. The solution enables customers to increase productivity and improve profit through management decision support. Linking with Ricoh’s digital printers and print workflow solutions, Avanti has been implemented for commercial and in-house printing customers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
2. Background and objective
Given the growing demand for digital printing, a key business growth pillar of RICOH Graphic Communications Business Unit is to accelerate its customers’ transition from offset to digital (O2D). This agreement further cements Ricoh’s position as a global leader in color cut sheet printers and high-speed inkjet printers and enables both Ricoh and Print ePS, the print operating unit of eProductivity Software, to deliver more specialized services to customers in the printing industry. Upon careful consideration, Ricoh decided to move forward with the sale of MIS to Print ePS, to focus its management resources on Ricoh’s signature print workflow solutions that are strongly compatible with digital print systems and accelerate business growth. Avanti customers will benefit from an expanded product portfolio by Print ePS, who brings rich industry expertise and product competitiveness.
“This deal strengthens our long-standing, existing partnership and provides a win-win for our customers,” said Koji Miyao, President of RICOH Graphic Communications Business Unit. “Expanding Avanti's technology linkage with market leading solutions through greater access to the Print ePS portfolio enables deeper integration into customer workflows, while Ricoh’s increased focus on developing best-in-class production print solutions will further accelerate our customers’ transition from offset-to-digital.”
“The acquisition of Avanti enhances our ability to meet the growing demand for connected, automated, and highly scalable print MIS platforms tailored to midmarket commercial printers,” said Dan Vertachnik, Print ePS CEO. “We look forward to our continued partnership with Ricoh and to supporting Avanti’s customers with the same high level of service and professionalism they have come to expect.”