Industrial Printer Products Experienced Significant Decline In 2020; Dye Sublimation Printer Products Buck The Trend

According to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Industrial Printer Tracker, industrial printer products in Australia and New Zealand shipments fell 35% YoY in 2020. “Economic slowdown due to the pandemic, sluggish business sentiment and limited hardware and equipment were the cause of the diminished total numbers in 2020” says Muhammad Faris Latief, Market Analyst for IPDS at IDC Asia/Pacific. This trend was not unique to Australia and New Zealand, with the majority of Asia Pacific countries experiencing similar declines.

Unit Shipments

All segments experienced significant decline in terms of unit shipments. This was particularly so for both Graphics (down 18% YoY) and computer-aided design (CAD) products (down 43% YoY). The increasing cost of freight and extended dwelling times resulted in the market being sluggish, with principals and distributors experiencing postponed shipments in 2020. Raw material constraints for printers and supplies also contributed to the decline.

Value of Products

As with unit shipments, total Product Value of Industrial Printer products also declined 44.6% YoY, with all products in this category declining in the period. The Graphics and Label & Packaging products had the largest share of the market, by total value.

Increase in Dye Sublimation

Breaking down products by Toner-ink type, dye sublimation printers outperformed all others, increasing by over 100% YoY, primarily as a result of the strong performance of 24” printers, dedicated for entry level business. These products have risen in line with user demand for retail, souvenir, and T-Shirt Printing. “Australia and New Zealand are experiencing strong economic growth as a result of increases in consumer and business confidence in line with their continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 was a challenging year for the Industrial Printer market, but IDC expects more positive trends in coming years.” adds Faris Latief.

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