Ricoh has established an IT-focused R&D facility in Bangalore in southern India, Ricoh Innovations Private Limited (RIPL).

RIPL will begin by creating IT solutions adapted to India's needs, incorporating leading-edge core IT technologies cultivated at RII and Ricoh. Eventually, RIPL will also search for business opportunities in similar market environments.

India, with a population of 1.2 billion, continues to enjoy strong economic growth, placing the country as fourth in GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity after Japan. One of the country’s most significant features is that the average age of the population is approx. 25. The working population will thus continue to increase.

"We believe that products and services which enjoy success in the Indian market can in turn succeed in newly emerging markets in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, which have a combined population totaling 2.5 billion people," said Hiroshi Kobayashi, Ricoh Corporate Executive Vice President and Chairman of RII. "Beyond that, solutions competitive in emerging markets have the possibility of spawning new innovations in advanced nations (reverse innovation)."