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Supply-Chain Issues Disrupt Western European Printer/MFP Market

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After a strong start to the hardcopy market in the first half of 2021, the initial signs of supply-chain issues finally came to light in the third quarter, as the market contracted by 21.5 percent year-over-year, as most brands simply didn’t have enough inventory to fulfill orders. This is according to International Data Corporation’s IDC Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, November 2021. The firm reported that that the Western European printer and MFP market stood at 4.07 million units shipped in third quarter 2021, compared with 5.19 million shipped in third-quarter 2020.

Note that IDC tracks A2–A4 devices for its Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker.  Hardcopy peripherals include single-function printers and multifunctional systems (MFPs).

Laser and Inkjet

The major product segments of inkjet and laser both had double-digit declines as manufacturing constraints, logistical issues, and high demand in the first half of 2021 meant that few brands could supply all the required hardware and supplies to their channel partners and customers. The overall inkjet segment declined by 19.5 percent year-over-year, with business and consumer markets suffering from a lack of supply, according to IDC. But not all brands saw declines and those that had sufficient stocks captured more share of the market.

The overall laser segment contracted by 27.1 percent year-over-year, and all A4 and A3 segments, monochrome and color, and printer and MFP market declined by double-digit figures. This means that most gains seen in the first half of 2021 were wiped out; as with the inkjet market. However, there were some successful brands that had inventory to take over some accounts.

Phil Sargeant, program director for IDC Western European Imaging, Hardware Devices, and Document Solutions group, commented: “Increased demand for home working and education print devices because of the pandemic has now come to an expected end as supply-chain issues have led to many orders being unfulfilled, and this is likely to continue for the rest of 2021 and for some it will continue into 2022. Most brands are suffering from inventory issues and this ultimately affects revenues and profits, with some feeling the effects more than others.”

Main highlights:

• The overall Western European hardcopy market declined 21.5 percent year-over-year in third-quarter 20201 (3Q21), with 4.07 million units shipped.

• The second-quarter market value in Europe declined by 16.1 percent year-over-year to €1.53 billion.

• Inkjet shipments declined 19.5 percent year-over-year in 3Q21; consumer inkjets declined 19.9 percent year-over-year, and business inkjets declined 16.1 percent year-over-year.

• Laser shipments declined 27.1 percent year-over-year for the quarter; all segments of the laser market declined.

• SDM (serial dot matrix) printer shipments declined 16.9 percent year-over-year in 3Q21; this remains a market in decline.

Main Country Highlights

Germany

German shipments declined 16.5 percent year-over-year in 3Q21 — an effective decline of almost 83,000 units, for a market size of 900,000 units. German inkjet markets contracted by 16.0 percent year-over-year, with declines in both consumer and business markets. Laser shipments declined by 17.3 percent year-over-year; most segments saw double-digit declines and A4 color printers were the only segment that saw any growth, even though it was minimal. The largest laser segment in Germany was for A4 monochrome printer devices.

France

French shipments were below the Western European average, declining 27.4 percent year-over-year for a market size of 759,000 units shipped. Inkjet shipments declined by 27.7 percent year-over-year; most of this decline was from consumer devices, while business inkjets only marginally suffered. The total laser market declined by 26.1 percent year-over-year and all segments posted double-digit figures.

The U.K.

U.K. shipments declined by 23.9 percent year-over-year in line with other major European countries. This gave a market size of 682,000 units; as in other countries, both inkjet and laser markets contracted by double digits. Inkjet shipments declined by 22.8 percent year-over-year and laser shipments by 29.8 percent year-over-year. But unlike other countries, the A3 color laser MFP segments increased by 5.9 percent year-over-year. Serial impact dot matrix shipments also increased.

Italy

The Italian market declined by 23.7 percent year-over-year for a market size of 516,000 units. Inkjet shipments declined — not as much as in other countries, but it was still a double-digit decline of 11.7 percent year-over-year. Laser shipments were much lower than in other major countries, declining by 43.2 percent year-over-year with no segments showing any sign of increases.

Spain

Spain’s shipments declined by 27.9 percent year-over-year for a market size of 306,000 units. Inkjet shipments contracted by 27.2 percent year-over-year, and the only growth was the increase in monochrome devices, though this remains a niche market. Total laser shipments declined by almost a third, but total A3 shipments increased year-over-year; A3 color MFP shipments increased by 16.3 percent year-over-year and monochrome A3 by 48.2 percent year-over-year.

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