The latest research from IDC found that printer markets in the region “show volume decline[s]” but value increases.
IT Web reported on IDC’s research, which found that the Western European printer and MFP market declined 4.4 percent in unit terms in the fourth quarter of 2016 “compared with the same period a year ago”, with “negative sales performances in both inkjet and laser markets for units”, though values for both “were actually up”.
The analysts noted that the whole market “has been in continuous decline” since the second quarter of 2015, but that in the last quarter it fell by 289,000 units for a market of 6.2 million machines “and a decline that is again largely due to the contraction in colour laser printing”, though this was still “relatively in line with forecasts”. Revenues conversely grew 2.2 percent, with increases in inkjet of 1.5 percent and laser of 2.3 percent.
Laser shipments fell 7.4 percent in the quarter but values grew, “indicating that prices in many markets are holding” according to IDC. It added that average selling prices for laser printers “increased by 0.8 percent” in the quarter, which in itself “indicates higher specification products shipping, including production” devices.
Business inkjet shipments saw a “second consecutive quarter” of decline, with a fall of 7.1 percent, printers falling 15.4 percent while MFPs fell 6.3 percent in volume, but “only decreased” 2.5 percent in value, “due to an increase in the average selling price for A4 MFPs” of 6.1 percent. A4 MFPs in turn make up 73.6 percent of business inkjet MFPs, which accounted for 93.3 percent of all business inkjet shipments in the quarter.
MFP products overall “accounted for” 83.2 percent of all Western European shipments, an increase on 81.9 percent the year before, while laser and inkjet MFPs fell 2.8 percent as single-functions in both fell 11.3 percent, with shipments “generally in line with IDC forecasts”. The analysts added that there was “a decline in the business market” in the quarter because both laser and business inkjets together declined four percent, though value grew 0.4 percent.
Additionally, the “highest value growth” was found in 31 to 44ppm colour machines and 70 to 90ppm monochrome machines, a “positive trend that has been seen for more than a year now”. Overall, the market saw laser “decreasing faster than inkjet”, with few segments seeing “any significant growth” beyond A3 colour laser MFPs and colour inkjet printers, which showed “the only real growth”.
Delphine Carnet, Senior Research Analyst for IDC’s Western European Imaging, Hardware Devices and Document Solutions Group, commented: “The negative trend in the printing and imaging industry continued in 4Q16. And the business inkjet segment, which until recently enjoyed very strong growth, is not exempt from the global decline.
“The volume of business inkjet devices is decreasing, but value decreased at a much slower pace. This is due to the increase in the average selling price for the MFPs, and higher sales in the workgroup/shared devices segment.”