Second quarter of 2013 sees overall hardware market return to growth, led by commercial markets.
IDC research found that the Western European hardcopy market has seen a return to growth, with laser shipments increasing 11.6 percent year-on-year and the overall market increasing by 4.3 percent to 4.69 million units; although inkjet shipments remained flat and the dollar value market for hardware declined 3.3 percent.
Arnaud Gagneux, Director of Western European Imaging Hardware Devices and Document Solutions Group at IDC, noted that the growth, particularly in laser devices and business inkjets, was due to “mobility, security and the explosion of digital content” which has driven the need for “modern devices that control, monitor and enable user to print at their convenience while ensuring that businesses comply with the latest regulations”. He added that “while household printing needs are limited, businesses are streamlining their fleets, optimizing their processes and leveraging the latest technologies”.
IDC reports that colour products showed the strongest year-on-year growth at 17.3 percent, with both the A3 and A4 segments in printers and MFPs increasing. The monochrome market meanwhile saw an increase of 10.1 percent, although the A3 market continued to decline. Also seeing an increase was the business inkjet market, which grew by 22.5 percent year-on-year to over 345,000 units. This was in contrast to consumer inkjets which contracted by 2.3 percent.
In terms of country performances, Germany showed the largest year-on-year unit growth, with the overall market increasing by 8.6 percent to nearly 88,000 units and the laser market experiencing the strongest growth at 29 percent. Furthermore, shipments of monochrome A4 printers were found to be very strong, accounting for a third of all shipments. However, while business inkjet shipments increased 11.6 percent, the overall inkjet markets declined 4.5 percent.
Shipments in France increased 6.9 percent to almost 53,000 units, but its laser markets declined slightly by 1.6 percent, while inkjet increased by 16.5 percent in business shipments and 11.4 percent in consumer shipments. The colour laser market saw a growth of 7.9 percent year-on-year, mostly in A4 and A3 MFP products, and A4 monochrome printer shipments achieved growth; but a fall in A4 MFP shipments led to an overall decline in the laser market.
Overall, the UK saw a year-on-year decline of three percent, largely due to continued declines in consumer inkjet products. However, laser markets remained strong, increasing 16.9 percent, with all laser segments seeing growth except A3 monochrome products. A4 monochrome printers continued to be the largest market, followed by A4 monochrome MFPs and A4 colour MFPs.
Business inkjets meanwhile experienced strong growth at 25.6 percent, while consumer inkjets declined 11.3 percent. IDC added that the UK remains one of the stronger business inkjet markets and has the greatest amount of A3 business inkjets shipping.
Phil Sargeant, Programme Director of Western European Imaging Hardware Devices and Document Solutions Group at IDC, commented: “There have been signs in recent quarters that market declines were slowing, and particularly strong laser shipments in CY2Q have led to the first year-on-year growth for the hardware market for 2 years. More countries displayed growth than declines, but it remains to be seen if this momentum can continue for the rest of the year. Strong laser shipments indicate higher investment and spending by the commercial markets, but consumer markets still show some weaknesses.”