The recently released WorkForce Pro 6530
The OEM’s overall revenue came in at ¥542 billion ($4.4 billion/€4.1 billion), up from the figure for the respective 2014 period, which was ¥512 billion ($4.2 billion/€3.8 billion).
Profits before tax were registered at ¥40.1 billion ($331 million/€303 million), dropping substantially from the 2014 figure of ¥80.6 million ($665 million/€609 million). The ‘Printing Solutions’ segment, which includes label printers and industrial inkjets, saw its revenue increase, “helped in part by foreign exchange effects”.
Inkjet revenue increased despite falling printer unit shipments, as high-capacity ink tank printer revenue grew sharply in Asia and other regions “owing to a reinforced lineup”. Consumables revenue also increased, because of “an improved install base composition”, as did demand for ink.
The company reported that “inkjet printer demand was flat year-on-year in North America and Europe”, while large-format demand was “firm” in North America, Europe and Japan, while it was dampened in Latin America by the “effects of economic declaration”. Page printer revenue fell as unit shipments decreased, purportedly owing to the OEM’s focus on “high added value models”.
Serial-impact dot-matrix (SDIM) devices printers “continued to contract” in the Americas and Europe, while unit sales remained firm in China, which showed “on-going demand from the taxation collection systems market”. Revenue increased on the whole.
Revenue also went up for large-format printers, despite “sluggish” demand due to currency. Firm demand in the large-photo and colour calibration markets drove growth, with expanded applications for textile printers.