W. European printer and multifunction (MFP) shipments are down by -4.9% Y-o-Y to 4.6 million units in Q3 2019, IDC reports. Revenues are worth $2.1 billion, a 5% Y-o-Y increase, thanks to a skew towards higher-priced devices.
Inkjet markets remain in decline as consumer demand continues to contract, and while business inkjet shipments are strong they are not enough to make up the shortfall. As a result, the inkjet market is down by -4.2% Y-o-Y with declines from both consumer and business markets. The value declines for inkjet eased, as greater numbers of A3 products shipments.
Laser shipments are down by -9.6%, the result of sharp monochrome declines. Colour laser is also down, if at a laser extent of -1.4%, if with pockets of growth such as A4 and A3 colour MFPs. The A4 colour MFP market is increasing at a high rate, and Q3 2019 sees higher shipments of such printers compared to A4 monochrome MFPs for the first time.
High-speed inkjet shipments are down "slightly," while serial impact dot matrix shipments see heavy decline.
Country growth patterns are "erratic," with some countries showing strong growth while others have much poorer results. For instance, the German market is down by -6% Y-o-Y to 72000 units, with all major areas contracting. However, as with the main European trend, A4 and A3 colour shipments are on the up, as are A3 inkjets. Meanwhile France performs well with 5.7% Y-o-Y growth, with most of the increase coming from inkjet devices. French laser shipments are flat, but still much better than the European average.
UK shipments are down by -13.1% Y-o-Y, as both inkjet and laser shipments tumble. All inkjet market segments are down, and most laser segments also see similar declines, with A4 colour MFPs as sole bright spot. The Italian market falls back in Q3 2019, with shipments dropping by -9.6% Y-o-Y as the only real growth area is the A3 monochrome MFP market.
Shipments in Spain see a -2.1% Y-o-Y dip, but despite such decline the Spanish market is the only one out of the big 5 countries to show full-year growth, if at a modest 1%. Inkjet shipments are flat as consumer markets decline and business inkjets grow. As with other countries, most laser segments are down except for colour A4 MFPs.
Go IDC WW Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker November 2019
