This Week in Imaging: Printer/MFP Industry Consolidation as Elusive as Ever
Back in about 2007, there was a lot of talk about the need for industry consolidation. This speculation only became more widespread after the 2008 global economic crash, when money was tight in offices, which then sought to curtail print expenses
But just as the “paperless office” continues to be elusive, industry consolidation also appears elusive. Since about 1993 with the introduction of the first digital copier, these companies entered the office printer and multifunction-printer market: Apple, Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, Fuji Xerox, HP Inc., Lexmark, Konica, Kyocera, Minolta, Panasonic, Ricoh, Savin, Sharp Corporation, and Xerox.
Since then, Apple, Dell, and Panasonic have exited the market, and in 1995 Ricoh purchased copier maker Savin, while Konica purchased Minolta in 2003.
So while in the mid-1990s, we had about 16 office printer/MFP companies – if we include Eastman Kodak which briefly was in the desktop inkjet-printer business in about 2009 – that’s 17 companies. Now however we’re down to about 11. If you count Ninestar Corporation’s Pantum, that’s 12, but because of the U.S. government’s ban on Ninestar, Pantum can’t sell in the U.S.
Considering the many benefits of consolidation, that’s probably still too many. The result is continuing strong price competitiveness – something constantly cited in many printer/MFP companies’ financial reports as a factor holding down profit. One thing that may be holding back consolidation is that with several companies, printing is only a part of their business, and sometimes only a small part. Consequently, we’re probably only going to see partial acquisitions, or joint ventures (as in the recent case of Ricoh and Toshiba Tec), or just dropping out of the market altogether. It still seems unusual however that in a world with lots of consolidation – from auto makers to U.S. copier dealerships – consolidation hasn’t occurred to any major extent in the printer/MFP industry.
This Week in Imaging
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Canon Previews FLXflow for Arizona Flatbed Printers
Canon Previews New ProStream Commercial Printers with Enhanced Speed and Performance
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Canon, Ricoh Again Receive Energy Star Partner of the Year Awards
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