5
Ricoh's Approach to Product Life Cycle Management
and Technology Development
Kiyoshi Sakai
Ricoh Company, Limited, Tokyo, Japan
Abstract
Ricoh aims sustainable environmental management that simultaneously realizes environmental impact
reduction and profit creation. Toward such realization, we grasp impact quantity in each production process
and establish development tasks by assessment of eco-balance and integrated environmental impact (IEI)
throughout the whole product life cycle. As the target value, we draw a figure where the environmental impact
is fitted into the allowable limit of the earth in 2050; and as its milestone, we have decided to have IEI reduced
20% by 2010. Thanks to the technical development, by 2005, we have increased sales revenue while
decreasing IEI by 22%.
Keywords:
Sustainable environmental management; Product lifecycle management; Environmental technology
1 INTRODUCTION
Abnormal climate experienced in various parts of the earth
recently is said largely caused by the fact that “the
environmental impact created by human society exceeds the
earth’s capacity”. It is concerned that such situation would be
worsened by population increase or economic growth in the
developing countries toward the future. In order to overcome
such crisis and to transfer this irreplaceable earth to the next
generation, it is necessary that not only central and local
governments exert leadership but also business entities take
initiative in reducing environmental impact. Such activity will
only be meaningful by continuous implementation. Business
entity’s continuous activity can only be realized by its growth
and development. For such purposes, new economic value
needs to be created through environmental impact reduction
activity.
Ricoh draws as the aimed figure the earth where
environmental impact is controlled within the range of natural
recovery capacity, promotes environmental impact reduction
in the aim of its realization and at the same time pursuits
economic value. Ricoh is gaining fruits. Concerning Ricoh’s
efforts, first, its idea of sustainable environmental
management covering entire product lifecycle [1] will be
explained.
Next, example of environmental technology
development [1] will be shown.
2
2.1
SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Overall
In order to continuously strive for environmental impact
reduction, standing on a long term viewpoint, it is necessary
to promote “sustainable environmental management” that
creates economic value through environmental conservation
activity and to have such business entity survive and develop.
Ricoh Group’s efforts for the environment have developed
from 3 viewpoints.
Namely, they are “environmental
correspondence”,
“environmental
conservation”
and
14th CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering
“sustainable environmental management”. In “environmental
correspondence” of the initial stage of the efforts, it was
passive activity to correspond to the external pressure such
as regulation or customer demand. By having the viewpoint
of “environmental conservation” added to it, efforts have been
made with a sense of mission as an earth citizen; and
measures for reducing environmental impact in business
activity or product have voluntarily been taken. Nowadays,
the viewpoint of “sustainable environmental management” is
added; and we are actively reducing environmental impact of
the business activity and at the same time pursuing creation
of economic value as a business entity, in the aim of
continuous environmental conservation.
1. Energy Conservation
and Prevention
of Global Warming
2. Resource
Conservation
and Recycling
Products Related
Business Sites Related
3. Pollution Prevention
Foundation for
Sustainable Environmental Management
・Environmental Management System (EMS)
・Environmental Management Information System
・Eco-Balance、etc.
Figure 1: Ricoh Environmental Management Structure.
Overall picture of the sustainable environmental management
promoted by Ricoh is shown in the Figure 1.
Promotion area of sustainable environmental management
has the following 3 supports:
1. Energy conservation/Prevention of global warming
2. Resource conservation/Recycling
3. Pollution prevention
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2.3
• Business site related efforts
Further, as the basic tools for promotion of activity to cover all
areas, we have EMS (ISO 14000 family), Environmental
Management Information System to support it, Eco-Balance
for grasping/analyzing environmental impact of the whole
business activity, environmental education/enlightenment and
environmental social contribution.
2.2
Product lifecycle management
When establishing medium/long term environmental action
plan involving the whole business, environmental impact
reduction should be effectively implemented, putting priority to
the process with larger impact. And it should unifiably
grasped as eco-balance to know how much environmental
impact exists in what process through the whole product
lifecycle not only in Ricoh, but also in the business activities
at the supplier of materials/parts, use at the customer of the
product or the final collection/recycle. For the assessment,
EPS (Environmental Priority Strategies for Product Design)
[2] of Swedish Environment Research Institute is used. EPS
is a method, whereby damage quantity caused by CO2
emission or chemical substance use and given to human
health, ecological system, resource exhaustion and
biodiversity is converted to the unified ELU (Environmental
Load Unit). By EPS, effect of integrated environmental
impact is grasped, instead of each single effect of CO2
reduction or resource conservation.
Figure 2 shows the result of totalization by EPS of the
environmental impacts given by each step of the product
lifecycle, based on the eco-balance analysis of the whole
business activity of Ricoh Group. The steps are divided to
those originated from Ricoh and those originated from front
and rear: namely, supplier and customer. Through such
works, we grasp which steps of the product lifecycle give
larger environmental impact, specify the subjects of
environmental technology development and establish the
tasks to be tackled with. Main products of Ricoh Group are
copier and printer, which are used in the countries worldwide.
According to the Figure 2, it is found that the impacts of
inputted resources including chemical substances contained
in products: namely, the upstream portion and the impacts by
customers’ paper use and electrical power use are large.
Materials/Parts Input
Suppliers
Chemical Substance
8.52
Production in Japan
8.38
25.13
3R,
Smaller/Lighter
Reduction of chemical
substance in products
Production in overseas 7.39
No Production Site 0.85 Improvement in production sites
in Japan
Transportation 0.43
Ricoh
Sales 0.76
Service/maintenance 0.32
Service Parts 0.47
Effective use of paper such as
duplex/grouping prints,
alternative materials of paper
Re-use/Recycle 0.04
Electricity
Customers
Paper
0
10.76
More Energy
Saving
36.96
10
20
30
40 (%)
Figure 2: Integrated environmental impacts by each step pf
product lifecycle.
Super long term vision
In determining reduction target of the whole business, we first
image the aimed figure of the societies in the future (Figure
3). It depicts that the integrated environmental impact given
by human being fits into the earth capacity and human being
on the earth equally enjoy affluence. For such purpose, in the
developing countries that anticipate large population increase
and economic growth, the integrated environmental impact
per head in 2050 must be of the same level as the developed
countries. As the condition, assumption is made that the
population already 40% in excess of the earth capacity is 9
billion (developed countries 1.2 billion and developing
countries 7.8 billion) in 2050. On such basis, if calculating the
integrated environmental impact per head in 2050 for
controlling environmental impact within the earth capacity and
making the society where both developed and developing
countries equally enjoy affluence, it must be reduced to 1/8 of
2000 in the developed countries and kept 2 times of 2000 in
developing countries.
As assumed conditions or ways of thinking themselves have
many other study result/ opinion/forecast, it may be difficult to
pursuit accuracy of numerical values. However, Ricoh’s
sustainable environmental management considers it
important to hold up a clear super long term vision and to
make a target setting. It considers that a rough super long
term direction to proceed at present would be 1/8. Any
change of the assumptions would have to be periodically
checked.
Since the integrated environmental impact per head in the
developed countries must be 1/8 in the society aimed in
2050, Ricoh considers that its target value should be in line
with it. And also in consideration of growth of the company,
we aim technical development that largely reduces the
integrated environmental impact of the whole business
activity by 2050. And we have established in 2004 the “long
term environmental target for 2010” that reduces 20% by
2010.
Integrated Environmental Impact (IEI)
• Product related efforts
USA
Average of
Developed
Countries
Developed
Countries
Developed
Countries
Eastern
Europe
affluence
Developing
Countries
China
Index of Affluence
Each of them has the following 2 efforts:
Developed and
developing countries
can equally enjoy an
affluence to have
a sustainable and
equal environmental
impact per person.
sustainable IEI
Central Africa
Developing
Countries
Past
Present
Future
Figure 3: Figure of the society of super long term.
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3
3.1
ENVIRONMENTAL
TECHNOLOGY
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REDUCTION
FOR
Environmental impact reduction in the production
site
Environmental impact in the production process
For each step of the product lifecycle as shown in the Figure
2, example of environmental impact reduction will be shown.
One of large environmental impacts in the production site is
CO2 emission through energy use of manufacturing
equipment. Concerning CO2 reduction, while Kyoto Protocol
sets Japan’s target at 6% reduction, Ricoh makes addition
and targets 12% reduction from 1990 in 2010. While the
performance in 2005 showed increase in these years due to
production increase, the absolute quantity is reduced by 3.7%
from 1990. In order to have a large CO2 reduction in the
production site, production process reform is needed, in
addition to changing the equipment to energy conservation
type with smaller warming coefficient
Cart pushing production
At Gotenba factory which is the main Japanese factory of
copiers, the conveyor line is eliminated; instead, “cart pushing
production” (new production method whereby the cart with the
product on it is pushed by the air cylinder from its rear end) is
developed. The copier is not put on the pallet on the
conventional conveyor line, but is put on each cart. The
space between each cart is flexibly connected and composes
production line. The rear end cart is pushed by the air
cylinder and the whole line slowly moves. Figure 4 shows
how the “cart pushing production” looks like. Advantages of
this method are as follows:
• By changing number of carts connected, it flexibly copes
with the change of production quantity.
• Power consumption is kept the minimum.
As the result, as shown in the Figure 4, when compared to
the conventional conveyor line, in addition to the fact that
power consumption is reduced by 99%, equipment
investment and maintenance expenses are largely reduced.
In terms of CO2 emission reduction effect, annual emission
quantity is reduced by 99%.
Super compact toner filler
In order to cope with the multiple model production in smaller
lots of toner product, super compact toner filler is developed.
In order to fill the toner produced into the toner bottle, we
used to pour the toner into the bottle by rotating gigantic
agitator and stirring the toner with nozzle like cork screw.
Thus, in order to fill with a high speed, we used to need a
large quantity of electric power.
Super compact toner filler simultaneously pours mixture of
toner and air with the air pump; and enables smooth pouring
as before. Technology to exhaust the air after filling also
enables filling speed the same as before or more. As poured
by air, large equipment has become unnecessary and
installation space has become 1/40, power consumption per
bottle 1/4 and CO2 emission 1/4 (Figure 5).
As installation space is as small as 2 tatami mats, this toner
filler is introduced for the purpose of production and delivery
not only to the production site but also to logistics base or
sales company, very near to the customer. Thanks to it,
further effects are obtained, such as environmental impact
reduction in transportation of the bottle in collecting from the
market and in reusing, as well as shortening of delivery lead
time. Currently, 56 units are in operation in 5 regions of
Japan, Americas, Europe, Asia and China. As it fills when
necessary and delivers to the user, it is called “on-demand
filler” in-house.
Conventional Toner Filling System
• Space of production is minimized.
78.3wh/pc e
Super Compact Toner Filler
18.3wh/pc e
Belt Conveyer
90 Kwh/day
Push Cart
1 Kwh/day
Savings
99%
Space
Initial
Investment
1160 m2
J. Yen 20.00M
380 m2
J. Yen 0.28M
67%
99%
Maintenance
Cost
CO2
J. Yen 2.24M
0
100%
Electricity
Figure 5: Super compact toner filler.
3.2
Reduction of user’s environmental impact
HYBRID QSU
7.7 ton/year
0.1 ton/year
Figure 4: Cart pushing production.
99%
In addition to energy conservation in the business sites of our
company, the product energy conservation contributes to
reduction of energy at customer side. As copier has the
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system to melt toner with heat and fix it onto the paper, it is
necessary to have the fixing device always heated so as to
have the copier ready for use. On the other hand, the heat in
the standby time when the copier is not in use remains for a
long time; and it causes waste of energy. But if heat in
standby time is of too low temperature, recovery time
becomes long, causing disadvantage of bad usability.
Ricoh has shortened the recovery time from energy
conservation mode from the conventional 30 sec. to 10 sec.
or less in 2001; and further, in advance to other companies, it
has accomplished compatibility of energy conservation and
usability by developing QSU (Quick Start Up) technology
whereby user can accomplish larger energy conservation.
Later, “HYBRID QSU” is developed and installed into the high
speed digital copier (the product with 100V power source
introduced to Japan). “HYBRID QSU” is the technology that
combines the QSU technology to shorten temperature rising
time of fixing device and the capacitor to enable rapid charge
and discharge (electricity accumulation device).
By
accumulating electricity in the capacitor, electricity consumed
for remaining heat in standby is restrained; and by
discharging at the time of recovery, the fixing device gets the
temperature risen in a short time. With color copier, IH
technology is installed as the color QSU, which shortens
recovery time and accomplishes both energy conservation
and usability.
AC Power Source
Main Heater
Sub-heater
Paper
Capacitor Unit is
charged up while
idling.
Pressure Roller
Thin Fusing Roller
Figure 6: HYBRID QSU.
Rewritable sheet
For the purpose of reducing environmental impact of paper,
we have adoption of recycled paper, improvement of
usability/productivity of duplex/concentration function that
effectively uses paper and further, direction toward
alternatives of paper. As an example of the alternative,
example of application in use of thermal rewritable technology
will be explained.
process in which workers intervene.
As the sheet is
rewritable 1,000 times, it contributes to a large reduction of
paper. The user who utilizes the IC tag sheet as the shipping
label anticipates about 80% CO2 reduction as compared to
paper.
3.3
Environmental impact reduction of the inputted
resources
Direction of technical development
In order to reduce impact of inputted resources/parts in the
upstream of the product lifecycle, there are various directions,
such as compactness/lightness, reduction of inputted quantity
by switching from single function product to composite
product with more functions, switching to the materials with
less environmental impact and reducing by promoting
reusing.
Plant based plastic
Ricoh has introduced the copier that first installed the plant
based plastic that draws attention recently as a low
environmental impact material. Even if the plant based
plastic is incinerated at the end of its useful life, CO2 emitted
is the one absorbed by photosynthesis in the course of the
plant growth; therefore, theoretically the raw material does not
CO2 emission from
increase CO2 in the atmosphere.
electricity use in the course of plastic production is 1250 Kg
CO2/ton, according to the LCA of poly-lactic acid, the base of
the plastic developed this time [3]. It is less than half of
general plastic.
While utilization of plant based plastic is studied by many
companies, when considering installation into the copier, it
was necessary to have a large improvement of physical
properties such as shock resistance and flame resistance. In
cooperation with plastic manufacturers, we have continuously
improved the material and accumulated the know-how to
mold the new material. As its result, we have succeeded in
producing part from the new plastic material that has corn as
raw material and has high combination ratio of plant based
resin of 50% or more. In 2005, it has been adopted to a part
of the main body of copier (Introduced in Japan). CO2
emission in manufacturing the plastic parts combined with
plant based plastic is anticipated to be reduced by 30%, as
compared to the conventional plastic replaced.
Collection prediction
Ricoh has developed IC tag sheet that installs IC tag onto the
rewritable sheet in use of its unique thermal rewritable
technology. Digital information recorded in the IC tag can be
printed on the sheet by the exclusive printer. We assume
utilization of the sheet in the process management in the
factory and in the logistics management and consider
worker’s visibility. Thus, we have developed A-4 size white
sheet that is printed with high contrast black letter.
As the means to largely reduce new resource input,
performance of the resource cyclic product is greatly
expected, whereby used product is collected from the user,
recovery treatment is implemented by exchanging/adjusting
consumable parts and re-manufactured machine is inputted
to the market again. In manufacturing the resource cyclic
product, we need the used product collected from the user.
In correspondence to the units collected, recovery
plan/replacement part procurement plan/sale plan must be
established. While Ricoh also implements recovery of copier,
the timing of the end of use was up to the user; and
appropriate prediction could not be made merely from the
past data.
Thanks to the IC tag, utilization of digital management
information is facilitated; and thanks to the rewritable sheet,
worker can check by eyes the instruction contents in the IC
tag. Such electronic management and checking by eyes are
of great help to prevent human error in the production
Then, in Japan, we have developed the technology to
statistically predict the unit to be collected by extracting items
useful for prediction such as employee scale or number of
copies taken from the customer data of each copier and by
analyzing/accumulating collection distribution for each item.
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Integrated Environmental Impact (IEI)
As the result, as shown in the Figure 7, collection quantity
prediction can be made with almost no gap between
prediction and actual performance. This technology is utilized
since 2005. Because detailed collection prediction can be
made, such as area, period (month, half term, full fiscal year)
and number of copies for each model, we depend on the
predicted values to establish highly efficient collection
logistics/production plan of recovered machines.
Collection #
Mid-speed Digital Copiers
Expected reduction by improvement
activities of all employees’
participation
1
Result
FY2003
14%
Expected reduction by early
Technical innovation
FY2005
22%
Interim Target
FY2010
IEI Saving : 20%
FY2000
FY2010
FY2050
Figure 8: Reduction activity with a hard look at super long
term.
Actual Data
Prediction
1
7
13
19
25
31
37
43
49
55
Figure 7: Prediction and performance of collection quantity.
Dry media cleaning
Ricoh’s resource cyclic products also include toner cartridge
for copier/laser printer. Flow of recovery treatment of toner
cartridge includes disassembly, replacement of consumable
part, assembly and inspection. As toner is attached inside of
the cartridge, the toner has to be cleaned off the part after
disassembly. The toner is attached to the plastic part by
static electricity; therefore, mere air blow is not enough; and
ultrasonic cleaning is done. This cleaning is the most time
consuming process. By shortening this process, reduction of
cost and environmental impact is expected.
Under the newly developed cleaning technology, the plastic
sheets finely cut are rapidly blown up like confetti inside the
device to be cleaned and wipe off the toner from the part. We
call this device as “dry media cleaning”. This “dry media
cleaning” technology replaces the conventional ultrasonic
cleaning process, resulting in large advantage such as largely
shorter time, reduction of electric power in drying,
unnecessary treatment of effluent of cleaning solution.
3.4
Result of reduction
In addition to the abovementioned environmental technology
developments, in line with the environmental management,
we are also conducting environmental impact reduction
through improvement activities participated by everybody.
They are the portion of the efforts concerning business sites
shown in the Figure 1. Figure 8 shows the result of
converting Ricoh Group’s environmental impact reduced by
two activities to the integrated environmental impact by EPS.
Against the long term target to have the integrated
environmental impact that is made 1 in 2000 reduced by 20%
in 2010, 14% was reduced in 2003 and 22% in 2005. On the
other hand, Ricoh Group’s operating profit was 105 billion yen
in 2000, 150 billion yen in 2003 and 152 billion yen in 2005.
We are in the situation that the “sustainable environmental
management” is realized, whereby environmental impact is
reduced while earning profit.
4
CONCLUSIONS
I have shown environmental management that aims Ricoh’s
“Sustainable Environmental Management” and environmental
technology that supports its realization. Summary of the
concept will be as follow:
• Environmental technology development through the target
setting with super long term viewpoint and integrated
viewpoint over the product lifecycle.
• Reduction of integrated environmental impact in overall
business activity through the environmental technology and
improvement activity participated by everybody
• Promotion of environmental impact reduction by offering
environmentally
friendly
product
based
on
the
environmental technology and by having more customers
use such product.
As the result of promoting “Sustainable Environmental
Management”, we have won high evaluation, such as
selection of 3 years in a low in 2005, 2006, and 2007 among
the top 100 sustainable global corporations (Global 100) in
the “World Economic Forum” (commonly called as Davos
Meeting) held every year in Davos, Switzerland where
executives of global corporation, prime ministers of countries,
mass media and knowledgeable people gather.
REFERENCES
[1]
Ricoh
Group
Sustainability
Report
2006,
http://www.ricoh.com/environment/report/index.html .
[2]
Steen, B., 1999, A systematic approach to
environmental
priority
strategies
in
product
development (EPS). Version 2000 - Models and data of
the default method, CPM report 1999:5.
[3]
E. T. H. Vink, K. R. Rabago, D. A. Glassner, P. R.
Gruber , 2003, Applications of life cycle assessment to
TM
polylactide(PLA) production, Polymer
NatureWorks
Degradation and Stability, 80, (2003),pp.403-419.
http://www.springer.com/978-1-84628-934-7