Due to the growth of e-commerce, Japan has also seen a surge in demand for delivery services, resulting in a shortage of truck drivers. Therefore, Canon and Ricoh, as well as other office equipment companies in Japan, are pooling resources to provide joint delivery services.

About 15 office suppliers will test the joint delivery plan in the region by March. The Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association (Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association) has become a committee responsible for the logistics of making such plans.

This organization includes large suppliers such as Canon, Ricoh, Fuji Xerox, Konica Minolta and Kyocera, and sales companies of various manufacturers. They will also seek cooperation with overseas office suppliers. According to the plan, these companies will each deliver their products (such as multifunction copiers and printers) to a central logistics center, and then deliver them to customers by truck. Each company will be responsible for the installation of the machine.

This plan is the second attempt by the industry to simplify services. Since around 2000, office suppliers have pooled resources to collect second-hand machines. Japan sells about 500,000 multifunctional copiers every year, some of which weigh more than 100 kilograms each and require trucks equipped with elevators. Analysts believe that in regions where only a small number of multifunctional copiers are sold and delivered at the end of the fiscal year, direct delivery is inefficient for suppliers.

In addition, there are opinions that in addition to saving money for the company, combined delivery services are also beneficial to the environment.