MFPs MARKET GROWING STRONG IN 2005

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MFPs market growing strong in 2005
Gartner says page copier, printer and flatbed MFPs market in EMEA to grow 7% in 2005

SMB adoption of colour page copier, printer and flatbed Multifunction Products to drive growth in EMEA.

The market for page copier, printer and flatbed Multifunction Products (MFPs) in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) will grow by seven percent in 2005, with shipments totalling 11.65 million units, according to latest forecasts from Gartner. Shipments in 2009 are expected to amount to 12.33 million units, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.5 percent over the five year period.

Gartner said that total page and inkjet technologies’ unit shipments in the EMEA region would rise 3.5 percent to 49.6 million and generate end-user spending of $22.0 billion over the next five years, a rise of one percent.

“The market will witness two transitions through 2009. Colour machines will take market share from monochrome devices and flatbed MFPs will displace single-function devices,” said Sharon McNee, principal analyst at Gartner. By 2009, 18 percent of all page technology devices sold will be colour, compared to only ten percent in 2004.

“New entrants, new products and new price-performance points will ensure that the transition from monochrome-only to colour-capable flatbed MFPs will gather pace over the next five years,” Ms McNee added.

Business market
In the business market, IT organisations have been reluctant to completely embrace colour devices amid fears of escalating and uncontrolled print costs. However, declining acquisition and running costs will continue to help sell the business advantages of colour across the entire business market.

Small and medium businesses have been the early adopters of colour page products, driven by large reductions in acquisition cost and the increased business benefits of using colour.

The transition to colour flatbed MFPs is taking hold firstly at the departmental level with a single machine to meet mono, colour, A3 and A4 printing and copying. This will later be supplemented with workgroup A4 colour flatbed MFPs as new models with lower acquisition and running costs are developed in the next two years.

By 2009, Gartner forecasts that 16 percent of the EMEA copier and flatbed MFP markets will be colour in comparison to only six percent in 2004. User adoption of colour page printers is also accelerating. In 2004, 11 percent of page printers were colour, with this predicted to rise to 19 percent by 2009.

Consumer market
In the consumer environment, the transition to colour adoption occurred many years ago and was rapid. The transition to flatbed MFPs is moving quickly because prices have fallen dramatically during the past two years. Consumers are now embracing digital photography, which will spur an upgrade market for printers and flatbed MFPs – with flatbed MFPs taking the major share – as well as an ancillary market for photo-dedicated solutions.

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July 21, 2005 at 11:10 AM