Ricoh and the Print & Visual Communication Association (PVCA) has announced a Commercial Supply Partnership to support projects which will assist print businesses and help build further industry success.
The expanded partnership between the two organisations will drive support for the next round of Power of Print seminars, now known as P.o.P Business Success seminars, as well as the establishment of annual industry metrics which can be used to aid business decisions and press the industry’s case in government meetings.
“We have many valued supplier members, however Ricoh wanted to be part of something that was more than a logo placement,” PVCA CEO Kellie Northwood said.
“They wanted to invest in something that built solutions and support for print businesses. This approach was valued and one that we have worked through over the recent months to reach a series of projects and ideas we can bring to the industry for our members to benefit from.
“I thank Ricoh for their approach, their leadership and their investment in the ‘future-proof’ plan we have for printers across all sectors across Australia.”
Ricoh Australia general manager sales and marketing, Tina Economou, said Ricoh was looking for more than a sponsorship package.
“Ricoh has a firm commitment to ensuring our customers and the Australian industry is a strong one,” Economou said.
“We see our role to work with the industry association to build programs the industry can benefit from. We didn’t want to build a pure ‘sponsorship’ arrangement, we wanted a partnership arrangement to deliver powerful programs that will assist all of industry and provide a lasting benefit.”
The initiatives which will be supported by the Ricoh partnership include the delivery of the Power of Print webinar series, now P.o.P. This series was developed by The Real Media Collective in 2020 as the ‘Rebuild Together’ series to help support printers through Covid and achieved 29,000 engagements. A similar series ran in 2021 under the name of ‘Power of Print’. This ran for 10 weeks and achieved 64,000 engagements.
The Real Media Collective invested considerable resources to maintain this program and Northwood says Ricoh recognised the importance of these business tools.
Another key initiative is Ricoh’s support of the Annual Industry Metrics Report.
Northwood says during the past 10 years, the paper, print and related services industry has been unable to access industry wide research and, as a result, industry leaders, business owners and larger organisations have been relying on a collation of data sets that are not industry specific.
“The Annual Industry Metrics Report will provide industry and regional specific data to assist businesses assess market-share trends, sector growths, seasonal forecasting and investment decisions. It will also enable the industry association to provide accurate data to government on industry issues, including apprenticeships, industry employment , skills and training,” she said.
PVCA president Matt Aitken welcomed the partnership with Ricoh.
“I welcome this approach from Ricoh. The initiative shown from a supply member to want to stand with the industry as a partner is valued and cognisant of the important fact that our industry is facing challenges and working together as one is the best way to achieve a strong future for all,” Aitken said.
“I look forward to working with the Ricoh team and encourage our supply members to also look to opportunities on how we can better work together.”
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