S.E. ASIA SMB’s USE OEM TONERS & INK CTGS

[Anonymous]

Majority of SMBs use branded ink tanks
10//2006
SINGAPORE–More than two-thirds of small and midsize businesses (SMBs)
across Southeast Asia used branded ink cartridges last year, says
market analyst AMI-Partners.This finding was revealed last month
against the backdrop of a cost-conscious SMB market, where cheaper
compatible printer cartridges are thought to be preferred.AMI-Partners
attributed the trend to the success of “buy original” campaigns
spearheaded by many printer makers, as well as the lack of awareness
among most SMBs in the region that compatible printer cartridges are
available.According to Loh Teck Heng, Singapore country manager of
Lexmark International, a “big proportion” of the company’s customers
use Lexmark-branded cartridges. He attributed this trend to how Lexmark
integrates its printer heads with print cartridges, making it difficult
for third-party vendors to manufacture compatible ones.Loh told ZDNet
Asia that Lexmark’s campaigns have also focused on print quality
assurances provided by its own cartridges, and added that the company
priced its cartridges competitively to combat the lure of compatible
ones.A spokesperson from Fullmark, a Singapore-based compatible printer
cartridge maker, declined to comment on its sales volume, but she told
ZDNet Asia that customers choose compatible cartridges primarily
because of cost savings.According to AMI-Partners, SMBs in the region
are expected to invest more than US$490 million on printers this year.
Emerging markets, notably Indonesia and Thailand, will account for more
than half of that spending.Cindy Tan, Singapore-based analyst at
AMI-Partners, said in a statement: “To thrive in an increasingly
competitive climate, SMBs need to choose systems that can deliver
results efficiently at a low total cost of ownership.”Falling printer
prices have also driven color printer sales among SMBs, she noted.
Medium-sized businesses, with 100 to 999 employees, are recording
higher printer penetration than their small business
counterparts–companies with fewer than 100 employees, she added.Tan
also noted that more than 50 percent of midsize businesses in Singapore
and Malaysia use multifunctional printers and document management
systems with networking, copier and printer features.Of the total SMB
printer spending, about 75 percent hail from small businesses. This is
despite the fact that the average printer spending by small businesses
is lower than that of medium-sized and large companies.”Many companies
are also examining the feasibility of leasing options to manage capital
costs, with a small percentage looking at managed print services,” Tan
added

[Author]

October 4, 2006 at 11:18 AM