Spain has been one of the most significant beneficiaries of the recent sale and purchase agreement between the two Japanese companies. Following the acquisition by Ricoh of Fujitsu’s PFU Limited division, a company that specialises in document scanning, the group is now moving forward with the commissioning of a hyperautomation factory in Alcobendas (Madrid).

The acquisition of PFU is part of Ricoh's investment strategy, which is aimed at boosting its global growth by expanding its technological capabilities and digital services portfolio. The goal is to help its customers optimise their workflows and automate processes, regardless of the size of their business.

Digitalisation of processes
To achieve this goal, Ricoh has decided to set up the hyperautomation factory, a tool that will help strengthen its process digitalisation capabilities across Europe from Madrid. With 600 clients and a workforce of over 100 professionals, the centre expects to create a further 100 jobs by 2024. The new hub will at the same time help boost Spain's role in developing expert talent in the latest digitalisation and hyperautomation technologies.

Jacobo Varela, European Director of the new facility, finds it exciting “that a technology giant like Ricoh has chosen Madrid as the epicentre for all its innovative hyperautomation services in Europe, as happened previously with the digital skills centre in Asturias and the shared services centre in Sant Cugat. With this initiative, we are contributing to the digital transformation of EMEA as a whole, building human capital as an asset, and gaining expertise in the sector's leading technologies."

A boost to productivity
Ricoh Europe Chairman David Mills, explained that “Hyperautomation is a discipline that helps us to identify and automate as many processes as possible to improve our business outcomes in terms of cost, efficiency and sustainability, using natural language processing, artificial intelligence and robotics. Today, many businesses lose up to 20% of productivity through document processes and workflows."

Anna Vázquez, Digital Solutions and Services Director at Ricoh Spain and Portugal did in turn highlight the company's strategy, which aims to achieve sustainability through digitalisation, “We are currently at a digital turning point, and together with the industry as a whole, we are reflecting on the economic and social impact of a new generation of responsible technologies”.

Ricoh Spain and Portugal was established over three decades ago. Today, the company's headquarters are divided between Alcobendas (Madrid) and Sant Cugat del Vallés (Barcelona), and it also has 17 branch offices. The subsidiary employs around 2,000 people.

^{Photo: Ricoh}