Middle East Printer Market Registers Strong Growth

The Middle East hardcopy peripherals (HCP) market expanded 9.4% in volume and nearly 7% in value in the second quarter of 2014 (2Q2014), posting a year-on-year (YOY) growth.

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), inkjet shipments in the Middle East market dropped 2% YOY in 2Q2014 and totaled 315,000 units. But the value of this segment grew 15% in that quarter, reachig $34 million USD. The growth was mainly driven by the $400+ category printers and new high-speed inkjet models designed for businesses in the region.

In the mono laser segment, shipments reached over 457,000 units, up 11.8% for 2Q2014. The market value hit $196 million USD, up by 11.2%. In the color laser segment, shipments surged an uncredible 47.3% to reach more than 112,000 units.” But the market value was only $99 million USD, down 1.9% “as increasing competition continued to drive prices down across all segments.”

In the serial dot matrix segment, shipments increased 1.7% YoY for 2Q2014. The market value was $12.4 million USD, down by 11.8% in this quarter. The decline was attributed to “downward pressure on prices remaining strong as end users continue to transition to newer, more efficient technologies”.

Ashwin Venkatchari, Senior Program Manager for Imaging, Printing, and Document solutions at IDC Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, noted, “The color laser market continues to register the region’s most impressive volume and value growth rates, but we are also seeing strong shipment growth across most speed segments of the mono laser market. The focus of vendors on pushing entry-level mono laser devices into the region has had a significant impact on shipment growth in most of the major Middle East markets. And despite the volatile political climate seen in certain parts of the region, the ongoing reliance on hardcopy documents by businesses is continuing to drive considerable demand for HCP devices.”