Part of Ricoh's UK production to be transferred to France. On Tuesday February 3, employees of the Japanese group were informed that part of its toner production for office applications would be transferred from the Telford site in Shropshire, UK, to Etria Manufacturing in Dieppe, Normandy, France, according to the British press.
The newspaper Shropshire Star which was the first to reveal the affair, refers to a relocation of around 70% of production. A spokesman confirmed to the BBC that the project would take around 14 months, starting in May.
On its website, Ricoh states that it employs over 400 people. Shaun Davies, MP for Telford, said the change could jeopardize the company's future "hundreds of jobs . But the Ricoh spokesman quoted by the BBC said that these figures were "inaccurate", without disclosing any further figures.
Production would be transferred to the Etria Manufacturing France multifunction printer assembly and toner production site, formerly Toshiba TEC Europe Imaging Systems, located in Normandy, near the port of Le Havre. The plant, which began operations in 2024, is the result of a joint venture between Toshiba Tec Corporation and Ricoh, who were joined in January 2025 by Oki.
Ricoh Printing Solutions Europe, as well as the customer experience center attached to the global Ricoh Graphic Communications group and also based at the Telford site, would not be affected by this change.
