The value of the market’s shipments grew by 3.5 percent compared to 2013 to $14.9 billion, though shipment numbers fell by 2.3 percent compared to last year.
The report from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, outlined that the market’s value grew to $14.9 billion (€12.1 billion) in the third quarter of 2014, but shipments themselves declined by 2.3 percent to a total of 27.5 million. IDC reported that Western Europe enjoyed a sixth consecutive quarter of growth, with the “main driver” colour MFPs, while inkjet “continued to show year-on-year increases” despite a lower demand in consumer markets, with business inkjet’s “growth patterns […] again strong”.
IDC noted that inkjet “still makes up the majority” but that laser has “the best market growth”, with colour laser shipments increasing by 4.6 percent in the quarter to two million units. Comparing inkjet to laser, IDC found that inkjet unit shipment fell by 3.1 percent compared to 2013 to 16,286,683 units from 16,807,491 units, while laser only fell by one percent in the quarter to 9,985,269 units shipped from 10,086,612 in 2013.
IDC noted that the single function market fell by 6.2 percent whilst MFP shipments saw “flat growth”, but MFPs had a “strong performance in all colour laser speed ranges”, particularly 31 to 41ppm, with a year-on-year growth of 19.2 percent. MFP inkjets fell by 2.3 percent in the quarter to 14,254,944 units compared to 14,593,130 units in 2013, while MFP lasers grew by 3.4 percent to 5,199,499 units this quarter from 5,015,724 units in 2013, with the total MFP market falling by 0.8 percent to 19,433,433 units shipped.
Single function inkjets meanwhile fell by 8.2 percent year-over-year from 2,214,361 units to 2,031,739 units, and single function laser fell 5.3 percent to 4,788,982 units from 5,057,44 units in 2013, giving the total single function market a decline of 6.2 percent with 6,820,721 units shipped. In terms of monochrome and colour, the latter grew by one percent to hold a 19.3 percent share, while the former lost 0.1 percent to maintain an 80.7 percent share. Year-over-year growth in colour was 4.6 percent, while monochrome laser declined by 2.2 percent, and the “strongest colour speed” was one to 10ppm, with 23.1 percent share. IDC addedthat Samsung “did particularly well” in the sector.
The “move to faster speed segments” also grew, with the 45 to 69ppm monochrome laser MFP segment seeing the “strongest” yearly growth of 19.5 percent, followed by 70 to 90ppm with 9.9 percent and 31 to 44ppm with 9.1 percent; while in colour, the 31 to 44ppm segment saw 19.2 percent yearly growth, followed by 45 to 69ppm with 13.6 percent and 70 to 90ppm with 11.2 percent.
A3 and A4 mid-speed segments saw their “battle” continue, with A4 MFPs gaining 77.7 percent share of the total monochrome market in the 31 to 69ppm monochrome segment, while the A4 31 to 69ppm MFP monochrome laser market saw 16.8 percent yearly growth, driven further by 12.2 percent growth in the A4 31 to 44ppm segment and 46.9 percent growth in the A4 45 to 69ppm segment.
Finally, in terms of OEMs, Epson and Samsung – two of the top five worldwide – saw “positive year-over-over growth”, with most of Epson’s coming from “developing regions”, while Samsung grew its gains in “developed regions” including the USA and Western Europe. Ricoh meanwhile “continued to gain momentum in the laser space”, with continuous year-over-year growth in shipments since the first quarter of 2010.
Phuong Hang, Programme Director for IDC’s Worldwide Hardcopy Peripheral Trackers, commented: “IDC expects solutions, services, and workflows will be the main growth areas for the printing industry going forward. Nevertheless, there is still ample opportunity to make equipment sales within the traditional printing market as well as in adjacent markets.”