Recession impact downs printer market in India

BANGALORE, INDIA: Reflecting the continued impact of global economic recession, the combined printer, copier and multi-functional product (MFP) market in India declined by 12.7 per cent in the first half of 2009, compared to the year-ago period. Only Canon managed to strengthen its market position.

According to a Gartner report, the shipments totalled nearly 1.1 million units in the first half of the year.

“The impact of the global recession was clearly visible in Indian market as consumers and businesses are either delaying or canceling their decision to buy print devices,” said Vishal Tripathi, principal research analyst, Gartner.

“New sales are also getting impacted due to the credit crunch and tight budgets. However, with the decline in hardware sales, there is increased focus from vendors on their document management software and services capabilities to help businesses reduce and better manage costs.”

In the India printer, copier and MFP market, each of the top five vendors recorded a decline in the first half of 2009, with Canon being the only exception. In the last year, Canon has strengthened its position in the market. With 21 per cent market share, Canon has emerged as No.1 in A3 Flatbed Copier/MFP in 1H 2009, said Gartner.

Hewlett-Packard shipped 562,300 pieces in total, a decline of 18.7 per cent compared to 692,100 in the year-ago period, while Canon improved its market position with 178100 pieces, which is an increase of 22.2 per cent compared to the first half of 2008. However, HP is the market leader with 49.8 per cent market share in the first half of 2009, though it declined from 53.3 per cent in the year-ago period.

Epson shipped 143,400 pieces, a decline of 9.2 per cent compared to 157,900 the year-ago period. Samsung Electronics totalled with 89,800 compared to 90,000 in the year-ago period, and TVSE shipped 70,100 pieces in the first half of this year, 10 per cent lower than the same period last year.

“With the freeze on hardware spending and more focus on cost cutting, vendors are looking at managed print services as an alternative solutions to help users cut costs and better manage their print fleet,” said Tripathi. “This will also allow them to save money on CAPEX.”

He said managed print services can help businesses understand and reduce the cost associated with printing and copying through product consolidation or redeployment.