Ricoh shifts into the digital realm

Print is dead? Japan’s Ricoh Co, best known as a maker of copiers, printers, faxes and other office mainstays, has joined those saying so.

With the pandemic upending workplace practices around the world, the office-equipment giant on Wednesday unveiled an ambitious shift away from paper and into the digital realm, aiming to transform into a digital-services provider.

Investors cheered the move, with the stock surging 16% in Tokyo yesterday. That’s the most since 1992, and came even as the Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 2.1%.

The coronavirus outbreak has forced companies worldwide to upend long-held practices — downsizing offices, eschewing business travel and turning to video conferencing as more staff work from home.

In Japan, the pandemic has helped propel a long-overdue shift to the digital space, with the administration of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga…