Printer and MFP markets continue growth in third quarter, although price pressures increase.
According to IDC, the Western European hardcopy peripherals market remained stable during 3Q2014, with both printer and MFP markets increasing by two percent compared to the same period last year, as 5.87 million units were shipped in the region – an increase of over 118,000 units.
MFP products accounted for 80.8 percent of all shipments due to the market increasing by 2.8 percent, while printers declined by 1.2 percent. However, laser markets remained flat, with the predominant growth seen in colour MFP products. Despite contracting in this quarter, the A4 printer market remained the single biggest hardware market.
Meanwhile, inkjet markets continued to experience year-on-year increases, although consumer markets weakened, with business inkjet again showing strong growth. High-speed inkjet printers “had one of its best ever quarters”, increasing by more than three-quarters.
HCP shipments for 2014 so far are 4.5 percent higher than in the same period in 2013, equating to a growth of 700,000, with IDC noting that “2014 is likely to be a positive growth year”. However, while HCP shipments grew, IDC noted that there continue to be “strong pressures” on prices, and the value of hardware “continued to contract”.
In terms of individual country performances, the German HCP market increased 3.5 percent year-on-year – above the region’s average. Business inkjet markets were particularly strong, increasing 19.8 percent year-on-year, in contrast to consumer inkjets which grew by 1.8 percent. Some growth was seen in Germany’s laser market due to monochrome increases – bucking the trend for other countries in the region – with monochrome printer and MFP products seeing growth. However, colour shipments “contracted quite sharply”, especially for printers, with MFP shipments remaining flat. The high speed inkjet market meanwhile doubled, with IDC noting that most of the region’s growth for SDM (serial dot-matrix)products took place in Germany.
Shipments in France meanwhile contracted 3.3 percent in 3Q2014 compared to the same period last year, with “all major technology areas” in the country declining. Demand for inkjet and laser fell 1.5 percent and 8.1 percent respectively, with a small decline seen in consumer markets. However, there was a “modest increase” for business inkjets of 3.6 percent, but these “were not enough to counteract the declines seen in consumer markets”. SDM shipments in France also declined, but as in Germany, shipments of high speed inkjet products doubled.
Finally, the UK HCP market recorded growth of 7.8 percent, including year-on-year increases in both inkjet and laser markets. This meant that the UK remained the second largest market in the region. However, unlike the other countries, the UK’s business inkjet market contracted by 11.2 percent, although IDC noted that “there were very strong shipments in the first half of the year”. Laser markets increased 3.3 percent, driven by growth in colour and monochrome MFP printer products, while laser printers continued to decline. However, slight gains were seen in SDM products.
Phil Sargeant, Program Director of IDC’s Western European Imaging Hardware Devices and Document Solutions group, said: “The overall market increased for the sixth quarter in a row and although this growth may not be in double-digit figures, it does show that there are still many positives to be taken from the industry, and there are several growth markets, such as business inkjets and colour laser, which have become a major focus for many vendors wishing to adapt their business models to changing customer requirements.”