The latest figures from IDC showed a “slight” decline in shipment levels, but an increase in revenues thanks to business inkjet.
The report found that the printer and MFP market in Western Europe “showed a slight decrease in unit terms” of 0.8 percent compared to last year, thanks to consumer inkjet shipments contracting, giving the market a shipment figure of 6.84 million units – an actual decline of 52,000 units. However, revenues grew as “more high speed laser” MFPs and business inkjets were shipped.
The overall hardcopy peripherals market in the region “did recover” in 2014, according to IDC, with combined printer and MFP shipments increasing by 2.9 percent and “the switch from single function to multifunction continued in most major segments”. MFPs accounted for 82.4 percent of all shipments in the region, with the overall MFP market increasing by 0.6 percent, while single-function machines continued to decline with a fall of 6.5 percent.
The laser market overall saw a 0.6 percent decrease but MFPs saw growth of 8.3 percent, with 17.3 percent in colour (a growth of 10 percent) and 1.6 percent in monochrome. A4 colour laser MFPs contributed “most of the colour growth”, and in turn, the A3 laser market showed a “slight increase”, while the A4 market saw a decline of one percent, which IDC said “indicat[es] the continued threat from business inkjets”. Despite this, high-speed colour laser “showed excellent growth”, which the analysts added was “largely due to the increase in market revenues”.
On a country-by-country basis, the trend “is more pronounced”, with a double-digit increase in Nordic countries alongside “more positive trends” in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. In terms of business inkjet, the market “remains successful”, with a 46.1 percent increase year-on-year, with MFPs “showing the highest growth rates”. Germany represents 39 percent of the market in business inkjet, followed by France and then the UK, and MFPs saw 51 percent growth as single-functions saw a “more modest” 15.9 percent growth.
The German market for HCP shipments grew six percent year-on-year, a “very different trend than the Western European average”, with business inkjet as previously mentioned “very strong” with a 61.6 percent increase. Other types of inkjet “actually decreased” by five percent, while laser “did show some growth” due to colour, while monochrome “showed a negative trend. Single- and multi-function markets grew thanks to business inkjet and colour laser, while monochrome shipments “contracted sharply” in single-function as MFP shipments “slightly increased”.
In France, shipment levels “contracted” by around 3.6 percent compared to 2014, with inkjet demand remaining “flat” as laser fell by 13.1 percent, though consumer inkjet “showed a small decline” while there was “actually a solid increase” of 26.9 percent for business inkjet. These increases were “not enough to counteract” consumer declines, but single-function shipments grew 12.9 percent as both inkjet and laser MFP levels fell.
Finally, the UK saw an 8.6 percent fall “in sharp contrast to Germany”, as well as decreases in inkjet and laser markets, losing its place as the second largest market to France. On the positive side, it “enjoyed a very good performance” in business inkjet, with a 26.3 percent increase, while laser fell 7.6 percent, with the only growth seen in colour MFPs – single-function devices “continued to decline” at double-digit levels.
Delphine Carnet, Senior Research Analyst for IDC’s Western European Imaging Hardware Devices and Document Solutions Group, commented: “While the inkjet segment has been associated for a long time with the consumer market, business inkjet proved to be a game changer, with excellent growth for the past seven quarters. It is a real alternative to laser and is slowing the decline of the inkjet market.”