Ricoma Insights Quarter 1 2019

1st QUARTER • 2019 EDITION RICOMA INSIGHTS PUBLICATION • ISSUE 0005 EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT PRODUCTION MANAGER GUIRONG MA SHARES 13-YEAR EXPERIENCE WITH RICOMA UK TRADE SHOW UK SUPPLIER DISPLAYS RICOMA’S INNOVATIVE EMBROIDERY MACHINES STHWE NEDW SERIES Largest sash frame and embroidery area on the market!

A new year is your chance to celebrate your achievements and create new goals. This year, I’m proud to announce that Ricoma has been voted the #1 embroidery machine brand in China by industry peers and consumers. Through years of relentless effort, we have become one of the leading manufacturers of embroidery equipment. Now that we’ve positioned ourselves as the #1 brand in China, we are 100% committed to becoming the #1 brand in the U.S., where we are headquartered, and worldwide. From the start, we have been fiercely devoted to ensuring top quality, developing proprietary technology, and providing global 24-hour customer service and support – all at affordable prices. It all began when I first looked into the embroidery machine market and found it was dominated by extremely expensive machines from Japan, Germany, the United States and South Korea. To compensate for those high equipment costs, embroiderers had to mark up their prices. This narrowed the market of consumers who bought custom goods. Today, Ricoma continues to become the standard in the machine embroidery industry through good quality embroidery machines at affordable prices. This lowers the barrier to entry into the embroidery business and increases the amount of custom goods available to people. Our mission continues to be to help make the world look more fashionable and polished through decorative embroidery on things people wear and use. Within these pages, you’ll get to know more about our vision, our latest technological innovations, and learn new embroidery techniques and business practices. With each piece of content we create, we aim to keep the apparel and textile decoration industry alive and thriving and help our customers succeed in their businesses. Thank you for believing in the Ricoma brand and helping us help others, and I hope you enjoy this year’s issues of Ricoma Insights. FRANK MA Founder & President

1st QUARTER • 2019 EDITION In This Issue... You can read through the News and Events section to get updates on the latest in the embroidery industry and Ricoma. Dive into the Profiles section to read exclusive interviews with Ricoma distributors and staff. Finally, check out the Business section to get professional machine embroidery tips and insights. BUSINESS Profiles News + Events 2 ACADEMY DOWN UNDER Ricoma Holds Embroidery Boot Camps, Project Classes in Australia 3 INTRODUCING: EMBROIDERY INSIDER Ricoma COO Launches New YouTube Series for Embroidery Business Owners 3 #1 BRAND IN CHINA 4 THE NEW SWD SERIES All About Ricoma’s Latest Technology 6 DISTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT Ernest Arulkumar, Blessington Australia 7 EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT Interview with Ricoma Production Manager Guirong Ma 8 UK TRADE SHOW Printwear & Promotion LIVE 9 CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY Custom Printing Business Upgrades to a Ricoma Multi-Head 10 5 REASONS WHY EMBROIDERERS ARE EXPANDING TO DTG And Why You Should, Too 14 UPCOMING EVENTS Ricoma’s Upcoming Trade Shows Worldwide

Academy Down Under Ricoma Holds Embroidery Boot Camps, Project Classes in Australia Blessington, one of Ricoma’s distributors in Australia, “When I got back from Australia, hosted its biennial quilting and embroidery academy people asked me if I saw a koala, in February, holding more Ricoma embroidery classes than ever before. and I said, ‘Actually, I did. The overall conference featured 12 tutors from various In fact, I made one.’” sewing and embroidery backgrounds, one of which was Ricoma Content Specialist Laura Gomez. because of how confident the students felt after successfully Blessington CEO Ernest Arulkumar invited Laura to be one completing the course. of the conference’s international tutors and Ricoma’s main “A lot of people go into cap embroidery a bit intimidated, representative at the show, where she taught nine multi- but I told the class there’s really nothing to fear,” Laura said. needle embroidery classes. “It’s all about proper hooping technique and using the right “I was honored to be recognized by Ernest. The entire materials.” Blessington staff was so helpful throughout the conference,” The cap embroidery class also covered how to embroider Laura said. “I made some amazing friends, and I’m extremely on the back of a cap using the 8-in-1 device. Later the same grateful to Ernest and his team for making the experience so day, students learned how to employ the 3D puff embroidery wonderful.” technique on caps. The Ricoma classes were held in the presidential conference Of the nine classes she taught, Laura said the in-the-hoop room at the Sea World Resort in Gold Coast, Australia. The stuffed animal class was one of her favorite classes because room was overlooking a beautiful deck by the water, where the attendees got to take a home a cuddly stuffed koala. attendees can see jet skiers and adventure seekers soaking up “When I got back from Australia, people asked me if I saw a the sun and waves as 10 Ricoma machines hummed along koala, and I said, ‘Actually, I did. In fact, I made one,’” Laura uninterrupted. said. “Beat that.” Laura enjoyed teaching the cap embroidery class, mainly 2

Introducing: Embroidery Insider This month, Ricoma will be launching a brand new Embroidery Hub will continue covering tutorials and best embroidery series on its YouTube channel. And this time, practices on the production side of embroidery, while embroidery industry expert and Ricoma COO Henry Ma Embroidery Insider will touch on the business aspect of will host the show. embroidery, revealing proven methods that thousands of Embroidery Insider will discuss embroidery industry trends, embroiderers have used to grow their businesses. business tips and helpful advice related to the business. Not only will the episodes be beneficial to existing business Ricoma’s YouTube subscribers can now expect an even wider owners, but also for newbies who are about to venture into range of content with Embroidery Hub, hosted by Ricoma the business world of embroidery. Content Specialist Laura Gomez, remaining more active So now that you have insider access on the new happenings, than ever. you can get alerts about new videos by subscribing to Ricoma Embroidery Machines on Youtube. That way, you won’t miss any of the latest content! #1 brand in china “Over the years, Ricoma has For 2019, Ricoma has been awarded for being the best been constantly embroidery machine brand in China, amongst its top copied, but competitors. This is an amazing accomplishment for never surpassed the Ricoma brand, given its astounding improvements in by others in the business and embroidery innovation over the past few years. industry.” According to CEO, Frank Ma, “over the years, Ricoma has – Frank Ma been constantly copied, but never surpassed by others in the industry.” 3 “Ricoma has superior quality, innovative technology, competitive prices, unparalleled customer service and customer support that sets us apart from others,” which is what has landed us in the number one position.

THE NEW SWD SERIES All About Ricoma’s Latest Technology The Future of Machine Embroidery Power And Precision With Every Stitch Imagine taking the best features of all of Ricoma’s embroidery Powered by a 150-watt motor, the SWD is equipped to fulfill machines, creating a brand new panel and putting it into orders around the clock. The DC36V step motor moves one machine. That’s the type of innovation you’ll get with the pantograph smoothly, minimizing vibration and noise, Ricoma’s latest single-head, the SWD. making it perfect for in-home or business use. Another With the SWD, you can embroider wide and bulky items major bonus: It also consumes the least amount of power in with the machine’s wide body, caps with the machine’s the embroidery industry today! professional cap embroidery system, and large embroidery Achieve More With The SWD with the machine’s impressive sash frame embroidery area. With its extra wide body and high clearance, the SWD Running at 1,000 stitches per minute, this high-speed grants room to embroider large and bulky items like coats 15-needle embroidery machine brings designs to life in and luggage. Meanwhile, its slim sewing arm simplifies just a few minutes. But that’s not why we and users around embroidery on smaller items like sleeves, collars and wallets. the world love Ricoma’s latest addition to the single-head The SWD also has the largest embroidery area on any single collection. In this article, we’ll cover some of the highlights head machine to date. The SWD’s included 32-by-20-inch of Ricoma’s new SWD. 4

The optional 48-by- 20-inch extended table takes it a step even further. sewing field already defies existing industry standards, but the optional 48-by-20-inch extended table takes it a step even further. But flats aren’t the only thing you can embroider on this versatile machine. Embroidering the fronts and sides of caps have never been easier because of the amazing 270-degree wide angle cap system that rotates seamlessly from ear to ear. This makes embroidering large items, caps and wide garments a breeze -- all with the same machine! Brand New 8S Panel Best Machine In The Industry The SWD’s brand new 8S panel is packed with features that The SWD is the future of machine embroidery. Enjoy all the make it easier than ever to operate your machine. Measuring Ricoma features you already know and love, as you fall in 8 inches, the new panel is longer and sleeker than ever before. love with the machine’s innovative features. Call or schedule The redesigned interface also carries a clean, modern design a virtual demo to learn more. that hosts the most important functions right on the home screen. 5 You can select the design, program a color sequence and select a hoop directly from the main screen before running a job. You can also store up to 20 million stitches within the panel’s large internal memory and stay organized with the file management interface, which grants quick and easy access to all of your files. With the new panel, you can choose from an extensive color palette to set a corresponding thread color for each needle. Meanwhile, proper design placement has never been easier with the addition of the built-in camera function. Simply align the design to the center point marked on the garment with the help of the camera.

Distributor Spotlight Ernest Arulkumar, Blessington Australia Ernest Arulkumar is the managing director and CEO I knew the only way forward for Blessington was to add of Blessington, one of Ricoma’s distributors in Sydney, a multi-needle semi-industrial machine to our already- Australia. This month, we had the opportunity to talk accomplished brands. With such a strong presence in the to Ernest about his business and experience with Ricoma. market, we knew a reputable brand was the only option. After meeting with Frank and his professional team, I knew In this Q+A, you’ll learn how his business relationship with Ricoma was the right fit for Blessington. We have proudly Ricoma developed over time and what Ernest’s future plans are. held the Ricoma brand for 18 months now and carry three of its multi-needle embroidery machines. In the future, we How did you get started in the industry? What’s the are preparing to launch more of the industrial multi-heads origin story of your company? to the market. Ricoma is always professional in their interactions. My I was employed by Singer Sewing Machines for 20 years. team has been impressed with the training capability, When the opportunity became available to become a Singer communication with customers and their social presence. distributor in 1998, I knew I had to take it. With a team of We are excited to continue working with and learning from four people, we did everything for the Australia market, the Ricoma team. Our consumers in Australia have been from taking orders, to hand delivering machines. These three impressed with the multi-needle embroidery machine since people remain with my company today – nearly 20 years we launched in 2016, and our retailer network is eager to later. learn more about the Ricoma range. Together, throughout the years we have included more and Ricoma is huge on customer support. What do you do to more brands and have grown the business. We now have 40 support your customers? staff members responsible for Singer, Husqvarna Viking, We have a network of retailers throughout Australia who PFAFF, Handi Quilter, AccuQuilt, Ricoma and Superior regularly provide training, demonstrations and troubleshoot Threads (not just in Australia, but the entire Asia-Pacific). for our consumers. Our social media pages are monitored 24 Blessington has field staff across Australia and New Zealand, hours a day and my team is always willing to assist or find a warehouse on the Central Coast of NSW and after the fire the answers. we experienced in November, we are rebuilding our head office in Western Sydney. “We have proudly held the Ricoma brand for 18 months How did you first come in contact with Ricoma, and now and carry three of its multi- why did you decide to add Ricoma machines to your needle embroidery machines.” lineup? We also hold annual retailer training to ensure our stores 6 are able to answer customers and troubleshoot any issues that arise to the best of their ability. The Academy held in February was one of our first consumer training events and the classes were booked out. We also attend a dozen craft shows each year and Ricoma is one of our featured brands, with consumers able to interact with the machine themselves under the guidance of one of our sales staff. We appreciate customer feedback to improve our support. What are your (or your employees’) thoughts on our customer support?

My team has been watching the Ricoma Connect page with consumers, it is clear they stand by the Ricoma brand. The great interest. The way the staff and consumers interact with respect and praise shown by their customers shows they hold respect and eagerness to assist each other has really made them in high regard, and that Ricoma provides leading edge Ricoma a team to be envious of. The Skype support being technology, with family-driven customer service. used to assist with technical repairs is really a game-changer What are your future plans for Blessington? across large continents. We’re excited to see what happens After our recent devastation with the fire in our head office, next. my team and I are working hard on rebuilding and taking the opportunity to use the fresh start to our advantage. We are Is there anything else you’d like to add about your hoping to launch a new Ricoma Australia website in the new experience? year and are excited about the possibilities ahead. With Frank and Henry Ma interacting directly with employee Spotlight Interview with Ricoma Production Manager Guirong Ma Guirong Ma is the Ricoma production manager in our I chose this industry because embroidery will always keep China location. This month, we had the opportunity up with the times. But, more importantly, because I met an to catch up with Ma, where he gave us valuable influential person with great wisdom and capabilities in the information about his experience at Ricoma in the past 13 industry: Mr. Frank Ma, the founder and president of Ricoma. years. How long have you been working at Ricoma? In this Q+A, you’ll learn why Ma chose a career in the I've been working at Ricoma for 13 years, and it has always embroidery industry, his achievements over time and been a cooperative environment filled with dedicated some of the most valuable experiences he’s had since being people. This type of company culture is representative of the employed by Ricoma. company’s integrity. Why did you choose a career in the embroidery What achievements has Ricoma made in the last year? industry? In the last year, under the leadership of Mr. Frank Ma, and with the joint efforts of all the staff, we have worked with one heart and one mind to forge ahead. In the past year, we’ve had a huge increase in orders, production improvements, and have even raised employee benefits. We also have welcomed dozens of new dealers at home and abroad. The quality of our products has been further consolidated and improved, and it has gained a lot of positive feedback from machine owners. These achievements have gradually accentuated the role and the leadership of Ricoma in the embroidery industry. What measures has Ricoma taken to guarantee production quality? First off, we do regular training with staff, as staff is the most important factor in ensuring production quality. We do regular job training, skill training and safety training with our employees. Some employees are also selected to go abroad for further study. At the same time, we have long- term connections with foreign technicians and experts 7

“In the past year, we’ve had the team. We organize staff outdoor activities regularly to a huge increase in orders, promote team bonding. We also carry out competitions to production improvements, and stimulate employees' creativity and progress. have even raised employee We firmly believe that excellent corporate culture can change the benefits. We also have welcomed mental state of employees, nurture more excellent employees dozens of new dealers at home with a sense of pride and honor, and more effectively improve the production efficiency and product quality assurance. and abroad.” What is one of the major takeaways you’ve gained from visiting our enterprise, providing our staff with professional Ricoma? guidance and training. It takes a lot of effort to stay on top in this competitive We also have strict control on incoming materials. industry. When I came to work for Ricoma, the factory was Materials directly constitute the final product, so we have just established. I participated in the production of the first established a supplier selection and evaluation system machine and the first exhibition with everyone. to ensure each supplier provides us with the best quality “As long as there is a dream, there is no turning back and parts and services. everything is possible.” This is what President Frank Ma What efforts has Ricoma made to enrich the life of often told everyone, and I always keep it in my mind. Ricoma team members? Over the years, there have been a few challenges on the way I often talk with our team members to solve their difficulties forward, but through our continuous efforts, exploration and in life and at work to improve their sense of belonging to innovation, the company has grown to become a leader in the embroidery machine industry. UK Trade Show Printwear & Promotion LIVE At this year’s Printwear & Promotion LIVE (P&P) trade show, our UK supplier displayed Ricoma’s new breed of innovative and high performance embroidery machines: the TC-8S, SWD and CHT2 series. The trade show was held Jan. 20-22 at the NEC in Birmingham. As the only exhibition dedicated to the UK garment decoration industry, the show aimed to inspire its visitors, providing a dynamic and interactive event with workshops, seminars, advice from industry experts and onsite demonstrations. This year P&P brought in over 6,000 visitors and was one of the most successful shows to date. The CHT2 12-Head and TC-8S single-head were the main stars of the show. “We love the Ricoma TC single head and run it far too hard for a single head machine, but it’s built to last and never lets us down,” said trade show attendee Barry Penny, from 4 Points Branding. “We are considering getting another one just to double our output and hopefully put us in a position to possibly get a 4 head in the future.” 8

Customer Success Story Custom Printing Business Upgrades to a Ricoma Multi-Head For Alex and Nadine Rosales, purchasing a new Ricoma much faster turn around than the competition,” Alex said. multi-head after owning a used embroidery machine Nadine loves that their MT-1502 is faster, more innovative was like “night and day.” and more precise than their other machine. Their old machine couldn’t keep up with their demand, so “The Ricoma machine is a million times better than the old the co-owners of Control Printing, a Los Angeles-based machine that we had,” Nadine said. custom printing and embroidery company, decided to add a Nadine and Alex both agreed that the best part of their two-head Ricoma to their shop. machine is its state-of-the-art technology, touch screen Having been in the custom apparel business for years, Alex capabilities, and ease of use, which increases their and Nadine had come across many different machine options productivity. in their time. When they finally decided to get a new machine, “It really felt like going from learning to drive stick and then they knew they needed to find a machine that could meet their going to automatic,” Alex said. “As long as we can hoop it, it quality standards and keep orders flowing out the door. can be embroidered.” That’s when they came to see Ricoma at the NBM show in Now, Nadine and Alex have more control over their Los Angeles, where they got all their questions answered and embroidery quality and look forward to continue bringing saw how the machines performed. in repeat customers, which they attest is the key to their After viewing it for themselves, they decided to purchase successful business. the MT-1502, which changed their production process In the future, the husband-and-wife business partner duo dramatically. plan to purchase a larger Ricoma multi-head to continue “With the machine being so well manufactured, and very keeping up with demand. consistent in regards to the quality, I know we can have a 9

5 Reasons Why Embroiderers A And Why You Should, Too will have a big impact on whether or not your customer will find a garment appealing. How many times have you turned down a printing In fact, tasteful decorative placement on your garment can order due to lack of equipment? be one of the biggest differentiating factors between you and Just by expanding your services, you’ll be able to reach new your competition. customers and markets that were otherwise unattainable If you’re an embroiderer, you’re probably already recalling a with embroidery alone. time where you’ve had to explain to a customer why you can’t In this article, you’ll learn how adding DTG printing will embroider on a certain area after they request decoration ultimately make your business more marketable as your beyond the scope of embroidery. DTG changes that, and allows demand increases. you to offer a plan B, rather than saying goodbye to business. Once we’re done, you'll be one step closer to expanding your Speaking of keeping customers happy, DTG prints also last custom apparel business. Let's dive right in! longer than traditional printing methods, which make them a great option for customers who purchase embroidery 1 You’ll have customers coming back for more! because of its long-lasting results. As you may know, the ability to offer more services increases customer retention. 3 You can create highly profitable mixed media This is because customers are able to get more of what they masterpieces! want in one convenient place. Mixed media refers to a decoration method that By offering more services, you become your customers’ one- combines embroidery and printing. This type of stop shop for all their embroidery and printing needs. decorating is extremely popular across brands With DTG printing, you’re able to offer on-demand, high- today. quality, full color printing on light and dark garments. You’ll also be able to produce photo-realistic and detailed designs on multiple fabric types and colors for all your customers. This combined with multi-colored embroidery capabilities on caps, appliqué, patches and more will surely cover all of your customers’ decoration needs. Becoming a one-stop shop for all their needs will continue to drive repeat business as long as you continue to produce quality products. Click here to learn how you can start producing high-quality prints on a wide variety of garments. 2 You’ll be able to decorate on any part of any garment! As you know, certain parts of garments like pant legs and t-shirt sleeves can be limited by embroidery machine hoops. But with DTG, there are little to no restrictions on where you can apply your print, so you can decorate on garments in places that you were otherwise limited by. When you really think about it, the location of the design 10

Are Expanding to DTG With DTG In almost every storefront, you will see new and exciting printing, you’re mixed media designs combining printing with applications able to offer on- like embroidery. For decorated apparel businesses, it demand, high- would be wise to incorporate these specialized product offerings to make your business more marketable and quality, full relevant. color printing on While staying up-to-date on trends could be the deciding factor between a customer remaining loyal to your light and dark business or not, more importantly, the profit potential is garments. astounding! Just by adding print elements to your garment using DTG, and combining this with a hint of embroidery, you can charge your customers an additional $10 or more, depending on the complexity of the decoration itself. Now, you may be wondering if adding DTG will increase your production cost. The answer is no. Mixed media designs actually decrease production time (and, therefore, costs) because you bypass the long stitching times for large embroidery fills and replace it with printing. 4 You can upsell and cross-sell! Offering a related service means you can cross-sell and even create profitable bundles to upsell to your customers. This is where businesses sell a package or a set of goods or services for a lower price than they would charge if the customer bought all of them separately. With the right bundle packages, everyone can win. Here’s a scenario: You have a customer asking for two embroidered dad hats, which sell for $25 dollars each. Instead of leaving the exchange for goods and services at that, you’ll have the perfect opportunity to upsell them to a few printed t-shirts that you can have ready in 20 minutes to go along with their hats. Now, the customer who originally wanted two items, leaves with four. The customer wins because they end up saving money off the cost of purchasing each item separately, and you win because you earned more than you originally planned. 11

Did you know… as the shirt is set up, is about as soon as it is printed! By using Packaged bundles, overall, have lower costs for the business this approach, you’ll reduce digitizing and machine run time. owner because they are able sell multiple products with Meanwhile, you can have your DTG machine printing one promotional effort. Therefore, the time and money you dozens of beautiful, colorful designs that would otherwise be spend acquiring additional sales is reduced. impossible with an embroidery machine alone. Click here to see how you can combine embroidery and DTG This process is also much less time consuming than screen for less today. 5 You’ll save time (and money) on intricate designs! DTG machines allow you to quickly and more easily print multi-colored images in quantities as low as one item. Rather than embroidering the entire design, it would be in your best interest to print large areas of color on the garment to fill larger areas of space. You may then embroider in the outlines and smaller areas of the design, making the design look more intricately made and unique. This also cuts the time factor in half, since less time is being spent embroidering in those areas, where print now fills. When a customer approaches you and wants a few graphic printed shirts, you can easily produce without worrying about your production time slowing down, because as soon 12

Adding DTG printing will printing, allowing you to print a lot more colors and do short ultimately make your business runs of high-color designs. The Bottom Line more marketable as your DTG printing is one of the most easy-to-learn and space- demand increases and keep you friendly printing options when starting or expanding your custom apparel business. By combining DTG busy year-round. printing to your existing embroidery business, you’ll have the flexibility to offer full-color prints and combine this technique with your existing embroidery business offerings! Not only is diversification in the decorative apparel market key, but incorporating mixed media designs is also a practical and money-saving decision in the short and long run. Decorators work in an on-demand business environment. It’s imperative to set yourself apart and wow your clients with new and innovative ways of decorating apparel. Want to talk to other DTG and embroidery experts? Join our Facebook group, Embroidery and Custom Apparel Mastery. 13

UPCOMING EVENTS Every embroiderer is a storyteller in his or her own way. As we continue to spread Ricoma’s mission to horizons across the world, we hope you’ll be able to share your story with us at an upcoming event near you! Here, you will meet our embroidery specialists and learn more embroidery tips to help guide you through your embroidery story. You’ll also be able to see our machines in action and ask questions in real time. USA DAX MINNESOTA TEXPROCESS AsiaTreasure Island, MN FRANKFURT EUROPEApril 06Fraknkfurt, Germany DAX TINLEY PARK INDO INTERTEX May 14-17 Tinley Park, IL Kemayoran, Indonesia May 04 March 28-30 NBM MEADOWLANDS Greater NYC/ CHINA DONGGUAN TEXTILE Meadowlands, NJ & CLOTHING INDUSTRY FAIR July 25-26 Dongguan, China NBM LONG BEACH March 27-30, 2019 Long Beach, CA August 15-17 CISMA SHANGHAI ISS ORLANDO Shanghai, China Orlando, FL September 25-28 September 05-07 ISS FORT WORTH Fort Worth, TX October 03-05 NBM DENVER Denver, CO October 11-12 SGIA/PRINTING UNITED DALLAS Dallas, TX October 23-25 NBM CHARLOTTE Charlotte, NC November 08-09 14

1st QUARTER • 2019 EDITION ABOUT THE AUTHOR Raegan Daley is one of the content specialists at the Ricoma headquarters in Miami, Florida. She enjoys writing, editing and managing social platforms, traveling and reading. She is very passionate about creating content that represents the Ricoma brand through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. If you’d like to chat more about embroidery or for more information regarding the information within this blog, contact Raegan at [email protected]. ABOUT THE editor Laura Gomez is the content specialist at Ricoma. As a University of Florida journalism graduate, Laura’s role at Ricoma combines her two major passions: communications and apparel. On her free time, Laura enjoys fueling her shopping sprees and gastronomic adventures with a trusty cup of Starbucks or a Cuban colada. You can reach Laura at [email protected] if you would like to chat embroidery, write for us or have any suggestions for future articles. ABOUt THE translator Joanna Zheng is the translator at Ricoma. With an M.A. degree in Linguistics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, she has been working on translation and bilingual magazine editing since 2014. She is now working on facilitating the effective communications between the Ricoma Headquarters and the Ricoma Factory to optimize the consumer experience for Ricoma internationally. If you would like to write for Ricoma Insights or have any suggestions for future articles, please feel free to reach her at [email protected]. helpful links Join Group WATCH Embroidery & Custom Apparel Mastery Facebook group Join our Facebook community to connect with other embroiderers, ask questions ricoma.us and share knowledge. training Embroidery Hub YouTube tutorials Scroll through this playlist to see our how-to videos such as best practices for embroidery on knitwear, 3D puff embroidery and more. Ricoma blog Visit our blog for more machine embroidery insights. Ricoma manuals and training videos Download Ricoma manuals and parts books, and view our training videos here. 15