Ink Tank Devices Show Growth but META Region’s Broader Print Market Continues Decline: IDC

The overall Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) hardcopy peripherals (HCP) market suffered a significant decline in both units and value in Q1 2019, according to the latest insights from International Data Corporation (IDC). The global technology research and consulting firm’s Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker shows that 1.43 million units were shipped in the region in Q1 2019 for a total value of $480.40 million, down 9.2% and 8.3%, respectively, year on year.

Turkey, Israel, and Kenya were the countries largely responsible for the overall decline. Postponed and cancelled projects due to elections, ongoing currency fluctuations, and high inflation were the main reasons behind Turkey’s decline. For Israel and Nigeria, the countries’ slow economic performance had a negative impact on HCP shipments in Q1 2019.

“Economic and political instabilities continue to hinder the growth of HCP shipments in the region,” says Zeynep Kilic, a program manager at IDC. “However, the overall hardcopy peripheral market is expected to rebound from 2020 and grow slightly onwards in both unit and value terms. The ongoing shift from paper to digital documents is creating opportunities for vendors to sell more advanced devices and offer highly profitable printing/document management solutions.”

Inkjet shipments declined 8.1% in units and 4.1% in value year on year in Q1 2019. The inkjet market was characterized by a significant shift towards ink tank models. New technologies introduced by inkjet vendors aimed at increasing printout speeds and reducing the cost per copy have led to renewed interest from both the home and business markets. Despite the overall decline, ink tank models recorded year-on-year growth of 11.6% in unit terms to account for 25.6% of the overall inkjet market in unit terms and 41.6% of its value. The fastest growth in the ink tank technology segment was seen in Ethiopia, Egypt, Israel, and South Africa, while Morocco, Algeria, and the UAE also posted robust growth. Meanwhile, shipments of A3 inkjet devices were up 26.4% year on year.

The laser market saw a decline of 7.3% in units and 7.3% in value when compared to Q1 2018. While color laser sales declined across all speed segments, entry-level mono laser devices saw significant growth, with shipments of these devices increasing 28.5% year on year in Q1 2019.