Internal pilot aims to advance and automate facility‑management operations in Japan
NEW YORK, June 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ricoh Company, Ltd. today announced that it has signed an agreement with Thread AI, a leader in AI orchestration infrastructure, to collaborate on an internal pilot to advance and automate facility-management operations using AI in Japan.
In recent years, the use of AI has shifted from experiments and proof‑of‑concepts to a phase where continuous application in daily operations is required. At the same time, AI deployments that are isolated or dependent on individual expertise often fail to deliver organization‑wide optimization or sustainable value creation. As sensor and camera data from on‑site environments become increasingly integrated with operational data—and as digital‑twin technology advances—the foundation is being laid for AI to more accurately understand real‑world conditions and support decision‑making and execution.
Under this agreement, Ricoh will combine Thread AI’s technology with its own digital‑twin capabilities to build an execution platform that integrates digital twins, multimodal AI, and workflow orchestration. Ricoh will first apply the platform to its internal facility‑management operations in Japan to verify the effectiveness of a system that supports end‑to‑end processes, from AI‑driven decision‑making to operational execution. Insights gained through this internal pilot will be leveraged to drive operational transformation in the facility‑management domain and to develop new digital services.
This initiative is part of Ricoh’s activities within Plug and Play, the Silicon Valley–based innovation platform the company joined in September 2025. The platform connects large enterprises, startups, government and public institutions, investors, and universities, creating a global ecosystem for innovation.
“This partnership underscores Ricoh’s commitment to advancing open innovation by collaborating with external partners and applying cutting‑edge technologies to real operational challenges. With this internal pilot now underway, we are taking an important step toward transforming and automating facility‑management operations across our sites in Japan. As we move forward, we will continue to strengthen operational excellence and create new value through AI and digital transformation, using insights from these pilots to work with customers and partners to drive sustainable growth and help address social challenges.” said Yasuyuki Nomizu, chief technology officer at Ricoh Company, Ltd.
“Our work with Ricoh marks a significant milestone in expanding AI’s role from experimentation to production-ready execution,” said Angela McNeal, co-founder and CEO of Thread AI. “By integrating our orchestration infrastructure with Ricoh’s digital-twin capabilities, we are empowering teams to safely automate workflows, embed valuable expertise, and respond to on-site conditions faster than ever before – with full traceability and control over every AI action.”
Overview of Ricoh-Thread AI co-creation initiative
Through this initiative, Ricoh will transform its internal facility-management operations in Japan, such as on-site facility inspection and maintenance operations, by leveraging advanced AI for situational understanding, decision support, and the automation or semi-automation of tasks. The initiative will build an AI-driven execution platform capable of real-time anomaly detection and optimized work processes through the integration of camera, sensor, and equipment data.
The shift from data analysis to automated execution is designed to deliver real-time visibility into on-site conditions and accelerate decision-making and significantly elevate operational quality. By standardizing processes to reduce reliance on individual expertise, Ricoh aims to build valuable internal know-how, deploy scalable operational models across multiple sites, and foster a robust future ecosystem for its partners and customers.
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https://www.ricoh.com/release/2025/0916_1
About Thread AI
Thread AI is an AI infrastructure company founded by Palantir’s former heads of AI product and engineering. Its composable infrastructure and workflow orchestration platform, Lemma, lets enterprises rapidly deploy AI into core operations and power the AI products their customers demand. It provides the foundational layer needed for agentic processes to run at scale with the control, governance, and reliability assurances these operations require.
To learn more, visit www.threadai.com and follow Thread AI on LinkedIn.
About Ricoh
Ricoh is a global integrator in workplace transformation, operating in approximately 200 countries and regions and headquartered in Tokyo. Supporting customers’ value creation, Ricoh offers workplace services and solutions that empower organizations to work smarter through advanced technologies—including AI— together with long-standing expertise rooted in printing. Ricoh also operates commercial and industrial printing businesses and delivers new solutions leveraging inkjet technology. In the financial year ended March 2026, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,608 billion yen (approx. 16.4 billion USD).
For 90 years since our founding, Ricoh has upheld its mission and vision of empowering individuals to find Fulfillment through Work—and that commitment continues today. By understanding and transforming how people work, we unleash their potential and creativity to realize a sustainable future.
For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com
© 2026 RICOH COMPANY, LTD. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies.
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SOURCE Thread AI
