Japanese copier maker Ricoh Co said Thursday it would cut 10,000 jobs over the next three years from its 109,000-strong workforce, according to dpa. Ricoh aims to boost operating profits to at least 210 billion yen (2.57 billion dollars) and sales to more than 2.4 trillion yen by the financial year ending March 2014, it said. The company posted operating profits of 60.1 billion yen and sales of 1.94 trillion yen for the financial year ending March. Already hit hard by the global financial crisis and facing stiff competition, the company has also been affected by the March 11 earthquake in Japan. The announcement sent the company's shares higher Thursday. Stocks surged 4.12 per cent, outperforming the 1.48-per-cent rise of the benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average.
