The worldwide production print market enjoyed double-digit year-over-year shipment growth in the fourth quarter of 2014 (4Q14).
Unit shipments grew 17,1% to approximately 11 650 units (printers and MFPs) and shipment value increased 4,5% to nearly $1,4-billion in the same time period.
Other highlights from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Production Printer Tracker included:
* With exception of Japan, all of IDC’s regional markets saw positive year-over-year shipment growth in the production print space. Among the regions, North America grew 19,4% year over year, EMEA grew 23,2%, and Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) was up 14,7%.
* All categories in the production print market recorded double-digit year-over-year growth. Production had year-over-year shipment growth of 50,1%, followed by Label & Packaging at 25% and Mid-Production with 10,2%.
* Colour laser grew by 44,8% on an annual basis while high speed inkjet saw a 27,9% year-over-year increase and monochrome declined -5,9% compared to 4Q13.
“The worldwide production market saw gains as print service providers across the globe are investing in digital, says Amy Macado, senior research analyst: Hardcopy Peripheral Solutions at IDC. “The US is still the largest opportunity for the digital production market, but other regions are showing high demand for equipment.
“Vendors are truly focused on selling value and services, adding to their sales forces to target specific print environments and applications. They are reducing barriers to entry, offering increased options and greater print quality at lower price points, and appealing to print service providers of varying size.
“And for inkjet specifically, image quality will only get better and media libraries will continue to expand, pushing that high-speed technology to high growth rates.”
