Developing energy-saving products

Evolution of energy-saving QSU technology

QSU (Quick Start-Up) is Ricoh's original energy-saving technology developed to achieve effective energy conservation for multifunction devices. It enables quick recovery from energy-saving mode, allowing users to make copies whenever they need to.

According to a customer survey, the longer it takes to recover from energy-saving mode, the less likely they are to use an energy-saving mode. Ricoh has poured its efforts into developing QSU technology in a way that satisfies both user-friendliness and energy conservation so that our customers will use the energy-saving mode more often.

In 2001, we launched the imagio Neo 350 series, the first multifunctional monochrome copiers equipped with QSU, and received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize – the highest of the Energy-Saving Awards in Japan.

In fiscal 2006, Ricoh developed Colour QSU technology using the IH* fusing system and achieved a reduction in recovery time from energy-saving mode for colour multifunctional devices. This follows Ricoh’s production development policy of creating products that have minimal environmental impact throughout their lifecycles, while ensuring our products excel in performance and functionality.

For more information on Ricoh’s global research and development, click here.

*IH stands for "Induction Heating," a technology that heats metal instantly with the magnetic force generated by an electric current passing through a coil. This technology is also widely adopted in electric rice-cookers and stoves.