1. Resume
Oct. 5, 2016
Kiyonori Kobayashi
kiyonori@computer.org
──── Qualifications and Summary────
Business and Product Development management professional as Department
General Manager for nine years and Senior Engineer for four years at Ricoh
Company Limited, Ricoh Printing Systems Limited, Hitachi Printing Solutions
Limited, and Hitachi Koki Company Limited. And Product Develop management
professional as R&D Project Manager for one year and three months at Xeikon,
NV.
1. Impact Line Printer Business Management
Especially I was General Manager of impact line printers business and product
development from April 2005 to September 2007. My management roles were
development project management, development of OEM sales channels, P&L
responsibility including costs and development expenses management, human
resource management, and any other management related to impact line
printers business in the company.
2. Cross Border and Cross Culture Management
I was working with InfoPrint Solutions, LLC (former IBM Printer Division) in CO,
USA from October 2008 to September 2012 as an overseas assignment due to
that Ricoh acquired IBM Printing System Business. My main roles were
integration of budget management system and development process between
InfoPrint (IBM) and Ricoh across the border and the cultures.
And also I have been working with Xeikon NV in Belgium since Sep., 2015. My
main role is to arrange the joint development project with Japanese Printer
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2. manufacturing company which has much different company culture from
Xeikon.
──── Core Competencies ────
• Product Development Project Management
• OEM and Channel Development Management
• P&L Statement Management
• Cross Culture and Borders Communication Management
• Human Resource Management placing right people in right jobs
• Sales & Business Development in OEM businesses.
• Strategy Planning
──── Professional Experience ────
Xeikon, NV, HQ in Lier, Belgium
September 2015 – Present
R&D Project Manager
• Facilitation of joint development project of a new digital printer with a printer
manufacturing company in Japan.
• Vendor management of quality and lead time of the components of the current
digital printers.
• The most important project was to develop an exhibition digital printer with new
liquid toner technology for drupa2016 in Dusseldorf, Germany, which was the
biggest printing system exhibition WW. And we have done it on schedule.
• The most difficult things were to unify the same target of two parties in Belgium
and Japan which have different company culture, history, and value concept.
Ricoh Company Limited, Tokyo, Japan
October 2012 – August 2015
Senior Management – Business Strategy of Production Printing Business
Group, and Printing Systems and Software Strategy Department of
Production Printing Business Division
 Roles and responsibilities
• Development Strategy Planning for Production Printing Market
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3. • Total Development Expense (DE) Management of Development Organizations
in Japan and USA.
• Development of IT tools of DE management with IT Division
• Facilitation of Manufacturing Cost Reduction Activities
• Facilitation of Cross Border and Cultures Communication
 Backgrounds
• Development of Production Printing Division has 700 members totally and
diversity of backgrounds from Ricoh, Hitachi, and IBM with independent
company culture. Furthermore each party has its own development process. So
we had to make a consolidated development process with respect each
company culture and history.
 Actions and results
• We have made a committee with selected members from all development
center and had regular meetings for development process consolidation with
respecting self-initiative, each history, and culture. As a result we made a
common development strategy and a mid-term business strategy.
InfoPrint Solutions, LLC, Boulder, CO, USA
October 2008 – September 2012
Director of Business Planning
 Roles and responsibilities
• Integration of DE budget management system with Ricoh
• Integration of development processes with Ricoh.
• Penetration of Ricoh’s development policy
• Integration of development organizations with Ricoh
• Facilitation of joint development project with Ricoh
• The most critical points were to make Boulder members who were from IBM
understand Ricoh policies and keep their motivations.
 Backgrounds
This InfoPrint Solutions, LLC which was former IBM Printing Division was
merged with Ricoh in 2007 and I had been there as Business Planning Director
direct report to GM of Development from IBM.
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4. Number of members were 260 headcounts and the annual sales was 70B Yen.
IBM and Hitachi Group had been a good relationship for more than 25 years as
OEM partner of high speed monochrome laser printers. So both partiers has
similar development processes and concepts. On the other hands, Ricoh had
different development process from IBM’s and Hitachi’s. Because Ricoh
business concept has been based on mass productions of various product lines
with same product concepts.
 Actions and results
I have respected culture of each country of USA and Japan, and company of
IBM and Ricoh, carefully and stably. And I have convinced them the necessity of
the consolidation of processes and organizations.
As a result, the development processes, organizations, and DE management
were completed by the end of my assignment at InfoPrint.
Ricoh Printing Systems, Limited, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Pref., Japan
October 2007 – September 2008
General Manager of 1st
System Development
• Development Project Management of controllers for high speed laser printers.
• Preparation for consolidation of development organization with Ricoh.
Ricoh Printing Systems, Limited, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Pref., Japan
April 2005 – September 2007
General Manager of Impact Line Printer Development
 Roles and responsibilities
Entire of Business and Development of impact line printers, those roles
include P&L and monthly report to CEO. The title was Department manager,
which concept was based on “the factory profit center” concept and the
actual roles were for sales, cost, expense, development, HR location, and
the others. So I myself negotiated the product specifications, prices,
development schedule, and shipping dates directly, with OEM customer and
dealers, and have decided them.
Those details are as the followings.
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5. • Product Development Project Management of Impact Line Printers KD series
 Full responsibility for development schedule, cost, quality, expense, actual sales.
• Development of OEM sales in Japan market
 Finally we gained around 70% market share in Japan with OEM customers and
Ricoh sales companies in 2007.
 The most critical points were to build win-win relationship with OEM customers
and channels.
• Sales expansion in Asia market
 We gained around 30% to 40% market share in China with our dealers in 2007.
 The most critical points were to build win-win relationship with the dealers.
 We also have Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand dealers.
• P&L responsibility
 I had to make presentation of P&L of impact line printers business for CEO
every month.
 Including cost and development expense management.
 Backgrounds
 Sales : 4B JPY/Year
 Engineers: 51 HC (Mechanical, Electronics, Software, and the others.)
 Product Spec. Impact printers as the peripheral of the computer system, and
applications are for logistics bill or financial bill with multi-layer papers.
 Market status: mature in Japan, growing but low prices in China.
 Frequency of new products: one type per 1.5 year.
 Business route: OEM and the own brand in Japan, and dealer routes in
China and Asian market.
 Brands: Own and every computer brand.
 End-user: Major logistics, retailers, financials, and local government.
 Development location: Hitachinaka city, Ibaraki Pref.
 Manufacturing and procurement location:
 Hitech parts, and final assembly for Japan market in Japan.
 Low-tech parts, and final assembly for China and Asia in Hong Kong
and China.
 Development location: High fixed cost and high breakeven point, so sales
expansion is necessary.
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6.  QA management system
 Our QA management system is certified by ISO9001 and for development,
manufacturing, and QA.
 Production development process is as below:
 GM of development makes a development plan of market status,
competitor status, quality target, development expenses, profit plan,
development schedule, and technical issues, and then proposes to
the monthly development meeting owned by GM of printer business
division.
 After getting approval of the development by GM of the division, GM
of development has to make reports of the development status at
the monthly development meeting until its launch.
 GM of the division makes a judgement for the first shipment at the
end of the development phase with information from sales,
procurement, development, manufacturing, and QA department.
 In the case of the quality status is below the target after launch, GM of
development has to make reports the cause of the defects, countermeasure,
confirmation of effects, and recurrence prevention to GM of the division at CS
meeting. And also in the case of the problems are by parts or units from
outside company, the development has to analyze the problem and make
reports how to make actions for improvements on that outside company to
GM of the division at CS meeting.
 These processes are based on the philosophy “The development should
cover all of the quality of the products”, and the development make every
effort to maintain and improve the quality.
 Actions to improve business and results
 Japan market: expansion of OEM customers and the own brand route by
activities for increasing awareness of local dealers and major users.
 China and Asian market: share business target with each dealer (four in
China, one in Korea, one in Taiwan, and one in Thailand) and meet their
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7. requirement for spec. and sales and conditions, and make good relationship
with them.
 Cost reduction: PDCA with each parts vendors in Japan and China.
As a result, I have achieved the positive and the following items.
Japan market: 70% market share in the printer numbers.
Gain all OEM customers except one which is a computer brand.
China market: 30% market share in printer numbers.
Ricoh Printing Systems, Limited, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Pref., Japan
October 2004 – March 2005
Senior Engineer of Impact Line Printer Development
• Project Management of Impact Line Printers KD series.
• Project Management of controllers for Impact Line Printers
• Manufacturing Cost Control of Impact Line Printers
Hitachi Printing Solutions, Limited, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Pref., Japan
October 2002 – September 2004
Senior Engineer of Impact Line Printer Development
• Project Management of Impact Line Printers KD series
• Project Management of controllers for Impact Line Printers
• Manufacturing Cost Control of Impact Line Printers
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8. Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd., Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Pref., Japan
March 2001 – September 2002
Senior Engineer of Impact Line Printer Development
• Project Management of Impact Line Printers KD series
• Project Management of controllers for Impact Line Printers
• Manufacturing Cost Control of Impact Line Printers
Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd., Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Pref., Japan
October 1990 – February 2001
Engineer of Impact Line Printer Controller Development
• Software Development of Impact Line Printer Controller
 For Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan markets.
 Software Language : Language C
 Development Environment : In Circuit Emulator
 The most critical points were to improve software commonality
Hitachi Cable Engineering Co., Ltd., Hitachi, Ibaraki Pref., Japan
Software Engineer of Supervising Systems March 1987 - October 1990
• Software Development of Supervising Systems for Electric Power
Companies
 Software Language : Language C
 Development Environment : In Circuit Emulator
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9. ──── Education ────
RIKKYO UNIVERSITY, Tokyo, Japan （Bachelor of Science
(Mathematics)）March 1987
HOSEI UNIVERSITY, Tokyo, Japan （Bachelor of Law) of the correspondence
course, September 1998
SANNO UNIVERSITY, Tokyo, Japan （Bachelor of Business Administration）
of the correspondence course, September 2000
──── Languages / Certifications ────
TOEIC （Score:845）2015
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10. ──── Education ────
RIKKYO UNIVERSITY, Tokyo, Japan （Bachelor of Science
(Mathematics)）March 1987
HOSEI UNIVERSITY, Tokyo, Japan （Bachelor of Law) of the correspondence
course, September 1998
SANNO UNIVERSITY, Tokyo, Japan （Bachelor of Business Administration）
of the correspondence course, September 2000
──── Languages / Certifications ────
TOEIC （Score:845）2015
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