Ricoh SA will move offices on May 26, 2017 from Bedfordview to 28 Milky Way, Linbro Business Park, Linbro.
The move consolidates the Pretoria and Johannesburg operations under a single roof while retaining all employees, including the warehouse, to reduce costs and improve service delivery, place employees, equipment and solutions closer to a majority of customers, and support the new way of working that is mobile and flexible supported by Ricoh’s own interconnectivity solutions for the digital era.
“The move allows us to consolidate the back office operations of both offices,” says Jacques van Wyk, COO of Ricoh SA. “We also have many customers in the finance, IT, and systems integrators sectors of the market, and our new office will put our employees geographically closer to them so we can meet their requirements quicker. And our new office will incorporate more flexible work policies and facilities so our people can work smarter and more effectively.”
The new way of working mirrors the solutions Ricoh offers customers through its services-led focus. Ricoh recognises that technology, economics, and the environment shape the way we work and live and successful organisations adapt to the ever-changing nature of work. Emerging trends dictate optimised business processes, technology optimised to fit into and meet the needs of digitalisation, incorporating four generations into the workforce, and streamlining internal and customer-facing operations.
“Younger generations want to collaborate and co-operate in mobile environments. All generations want to take responsibility for their productivity in more flexible scenarios where they’re empowered by the right tools to productively support customers. HR departments want to attract and retain the best talent. Business leaders want competitive advantage honed by rapid responsiveness to market conditions. We’re combining those new ways of working into our new office.
We’ll have hot desks for flexible-hour employees who deliver core hours and managed by output, service, and productivity. We’ll also cater for local conditions with extensive car-pooling and lift club assistance, being close to Gautrain and its shuttle service, and providing extensive shaded parking,” says Lauren Timmer-Somer, head of marketing and technology services at Ricoh SA.
Employees will gain a degree of roles-based flexibility over their work time to help them suit their individual requirements and help achieve important work-life balance. It also ensures Ricoh maintains service standards and crucial inter-employee communications during core work hours.
As a result, hot desks provide physical work stations for those flexi workers when they need them. It releases space for value-added business features such as the demonstration facility that is double the size of the current one.
Ricoh SA will use the demonstration facility to showcase the latest technologies and solutions that help organisations meet their modern needs.
Among these latest developments are the Watson-powered artificial intelligence (AI) electronic whiteboard that is a cognitive-enabled intelligence incorporating voice technologies to take commands and notes, perform actions, and even translate meetings into multiple languages.
This and other solutions hone in on reducing costs, making operations smarter, employees more productive, and fuelling more competitive businesses. The demonstration facility is open to all interested parties.