Second quarter results show overall hardcopy peripherals (HCP) market in Middle East grew 9.4 percent in volume and seven percent in value.
IDC released the 2Q2014 results for the Middle East HCP market, which showed “strong” year-on-year growth despite a downturn in Turkey due to presidential elections, which had caused firms to postpone their purchases as they awaited the outcome.
Other than Turkey, most of the region’s other key markets recorded “significant” double-digit growth, with “robust domestic infrastructure investments” in Saudi Arabia and the UAE having a particularly positive impact on HCP demand.
While inkjet shipments in the region declined by two percent year-on-year to 315,000 units, the inkjet market’s value actually increased by 15 percent to over $34 million (€25.8 million) due to “strong performance in the $400+ (€303+) category” due to increasing popularity in high-speed inkjet models aimed at businesses.
Meanwhile mono laser shipments grew 11.8 percent to more than 457,000 units, with the market’s value also increasing 11.2 percent to reach $196 million (€148.6 million) and all segments of the mono laser market experiencing strong growth.
Colour laser shipments also saw a huge increase of 47.3 percent to reach more than 112,000 units, although the market’s value decreased 1.9 percent to $99 million (€75 million) “as increasing competition continued to drive prices down across all segments”.
Finally, dot matrix shipments showed “relatively flat” year-on-year shipment growth of 1.7 percent during the quarter, while the market’s value dropped 11.8 percent to $12.4 million (€9.4 million). IDC noted that “the downward pressure on prices remains strong as end users continue to transition to newer, more efficient technologies”.
Commenting on the second quarter results, Ashwin Venkatchari, Senior Program Manager for Imaging, Printing, and Document Solutions at IDC Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, said: “The colour laser market continues to register the region’s most impressive volume and value growth rates, but we are also seeing strong shipment growth across most speed segments of the mono laser market.
“The focus of vendors on pushing entry-level mono laser devices into the region has had a significant impact on shipment growth in most of the major Middle East markets. And despite the volatile political climate seen in certain parts of the region, the ongoing reliance on hardcopy documents by businesses is continuing to drive considerable demand for HCP devices.”
The Recycler reported yesterday that the worldwide HCP market declined in 2Q2014 for the first time in three previous quarters, with 25.5 million units shipped worldwide.