Introduction
At Ricoh, co-creation across our global operations is not just encouraged — it is essential.
Ricoh 3D recently partnered with Ricoh International Strategy & Business Development team to design and manufacture bespoke 3D printed trophies, celebrating our valued indirect channel partners from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at the Ricoh International Partner Conference event.
This collaboration highlighted the strength of using our in-house additive manufacturing capabilities, simultaneously demonstrating how our service and manufacturing expertise creates real value for both internal and external stakeholders.
Background
The Ricoh International Business Partner Conference is an annual three-day event hosted each April, bringing together around 200 participants from across the EMEA region.
The conference recognises the significant achievements of Ricoh’s indirect channel partners within the Preferred Partner Network (PPN) programme and celebrates their contribution to Ricoh’s ongoing business transformation.
As Ricoh continues to strengthen its Digital Services and Print & Imaging Solutions portfolio, it is critical that we not only celebrate our partners’ successes but also showcase our technological innovation.
In this spirit, the Ricoh International team sought to enhance the recognition ceremony by designing a unique and modern award that reflected Ricoh’s creativity and transformation journey…
Application
Traditionally, awards and trophies used for the event had limited innovation, missing an opportunity to align with Ricoh’s advanced technology and manufacturing capabilities.
The challenge was to design and produce a trophy that:
- Reflected Ricoh’s spirit of innovation.
- Embraced additive manufacturing techniques.
- Could be customised to celebrate each category and/or partner.
- Balanced aesthetic appeal with manufacturability and legibility.
Solution
The solution was a collaborative effort between Ricoh’s EMEA Strategy & Business Development team, led by Anna Sterrenberg-Zhukhlina, and Ricoh 3D.
Design Process
Led by Eve Redden, Technical Engineering Apprentice, the design process was comprehensive and highly iterative:
- Inspiration and Conceptualisation: Initial research was conducted in partnership with Ricoh UK Products Ltd. Digital Communications Coordinator, Courtney Redding, involving reviewing modern trophy designs to gather inspiration, ensuring the final concept could showcase AM capabilities effectively.
- CAD Development: Multiple CAD models were created, incorporating complex lattice structures to highlight the possibilities of additive manufacturing.
- Software and Refinement: Using leading nTop software, advanced lattice structures were integrated into the design. Iterative feedback loops with the wider Ricoh team helped refine the shape, scale, text clarity, and use of lattice.
- Manufacturing and Finishing: Once printed, trophies were meticulously post-processed and finished through painting and application of transfer details. A custom nameplate for each winner was fitted to complete the design.
Key design challenges included maintaining text legibility while incorporating detailed latticework. Solutions involved simplifying design elements, reducing lattice density on critical visual areas, and focusing on essential features to avoid clutter.
Results
The outcome was a “stunning”, modern trophy that not only captured Ricoh’s innovation but also celebrated the spirit of co-creation that defines our network, and the importance of ‘working closely’ with Groups, OpCos, partners and customers.
Testimony
Said Anna Sterrenberg-Zhukhlina, Strategy & Channel Development Manager, Ricoh International:
“The annual conference embraces Ricoh’s business transformation journey; it’s a very creative and inspiring event with our valued business partners, filled with value-added activities to celebrate our continuous partnerships.
“The trophies… The result is stunning. The collaboration with Ricoh 3D has been awesome — open, creative, and truly reflective of the Winning Spirit we want to transmit to our partners.
“It’s important that we utilise the Ricoh Family Group’s in-house capabilities and ‘warm up’ the 3D line of business before launching it to our partner channel. This also supports our ongoing Ricoh 3D value proposition process we have within Ricoh International BV.”
She added: “Huge thanks to Head of Additive Manufacturing and Applications, Mark Dickin, to Eve, and to the wider Ricoh 3D team.”
Eve Redden, Technical Engineering Apprentice, Ricoh 3D:
“It was a fantastic opportunity to work on a real-life partner project. The design process really challenged me to find the right balance between creativity and functionality, and it was very rewarding to see the final trophies completed.”
Richard Minifie, Senior Engineer, Ricoh 3D:
“Immersing our apprentices in project work like this provides them with unparalleled professional development. Eve demonstrated outstanding passion and skill – since 3D printing was already a hobby of hers, quickly translating her knowledge of AM into a commercially viable design.
“Projects like this help support Ricoh’s mission-vision of Fulfilment through Work, by empowering creativity.”
Further Reflections
This collaboration has laid the foundation for future co-creation opportunities between Ricoh 3D and Ricoh Groups/OpCos and partners globally.
Looking ahead in FY25, Ricoh plans to continue evolving the Ricoh International Business Partner Conference, exploring even more opportunities to showcase innovation.
When asked about the importance of Ricoh Groups/OpCos and partners working with one another on products and services, Anna commented:
“The answer is in the question itself: there is no other way. This collaboration has shown how innovative and inspiring we can be when working together.
“We need to stay aligned from both commercial and production aspects, to ensure we all work in one direction of growth and value proposition extension to our indirect channel. This will support the adoption and acceleration, in this instance, of 3D printing across the Ricoh Family.”