Ricoh's global manufacturing network encompasses Japan, Europe, North America, and Asia. We also rely heavily on a growing number of local partners that provide parts and components. While continuing to broaden our global manufacturing scope, we have maintained an extensive domestic production network. This approach works because we can transfer the expertise of our Japanese facilities to operations overseas. One example of this transfer is Total Factory Automation, which is designed to optimize quality and cost competitiveness through an optimal balance of equipment, operating software, and people.
Equipment refers to such hardware as automated machinery, robots, and conveyor lines.
Operating software controls large volumes of diverse production information. The Gotemba Plant in Shizuoka is Ricoh's largest copier manufacturing facility. Our comprehensive approach to manufacturing in Japan helped us become a leader in winning quality assurance certification under the ISO 9000 series at all our production facilities around the globe. These achievements made Ricoh the first Japanese manufacturer to make OA equipment and consumables for those products in the United States. Established in 1983, RPL also operates the European Parts Research Centre to support local vendors in such areas as technology transfer and quality control.