NEEDHAM (Mass.), March 15, 2023 – Worldwide shipments of industrial printers declined 11.6% year over year to 78,500 units in the fourth quarter of 2022 (4Q22), according to results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Industrial Printer Tracker. Also, results for the entire year 2022 were down with shipments falling 12.9% in comparison to 2021.
Tim Greene (research director, Hardcopy Solutions at IDC) stated, “The fourth quarter ended in a soft spot and marked the end of a down year for this sector overall.” China is the main manufacturing center for industrial printing. Therefore, while China is now opening up, the growth in the Chinese market was limited and slow throughout 2022. The prime example of how digital transformation can disrupt growth is 2022.
Q4 2022 Highlights
- The shipments of large format digital printers fell 1.6% in the third quarter (3Q22), and 11.7% year-over-year.
- In 4Q22, direct-to-garment (DTG), printer shipments increased by 4.7% sequentially and 8.4% annually.
- The shipments of direct-to-shape printers saw a slight decline in Q3 2022, and 6.6% over the previous year.
- Globally, shipments to the industrial textile sector fell almost 15% in a sequential fashion and nearly 50% compared with the full-year 2021.
- Industrial digital label & packaging printer shipments declined 15.9% compared to Q3 2022 and 8.9% year over year.
Analysis of Regional Issues
- Shipments in the Central & Eastern European and Western European markets were bright spots with double-digit shipment growth for both regions in Q4 2022.
- China saw its shipment decline by 21% in Q3 2022 compared to Q3 2022.
- The Middle East and Africa region saw the strongest growth, with a 36% increase in shipment volume compared to Q3 2022.
- 4Q22 North America (US + Canada shipments) decreased by 6% compared with 3Q22.
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Shipment Share of Worldwide Industrial Printers, Shipment Value Share and Sequential Growth By Product Category, Q4 2022 |
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|
Product Type |
4Q22 Shipments |
Change in 4Q22/3Q22 Shipment |
4Q22 Shipment Value Share |
4Q22/3Q22 Shipment Growth |
|
Direct to Garment |
2.3% |
+4.7% |
4.4% |
+0.2% |
|
Direct to Shape |
1.4% |
-3.2% |
3.0% |
+0.5% |
|
Industrial Textile |
0.5% |
-14.9% |
5.0% |
-1% |
|
Label & Packaging |
0.4% |
-15.9% |
14.9% |
-4.4% |
|
Large Format |
95.4% |
-1.6% |
72.8% |
+0.3% |
|
Total |
100% |
1.9% |
100% |
-0.5% |
|
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Industrial Printer Tracker (March 2022). |
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2022 Highlights
- The worldwide shipment of large format digital printers fell 12.9% compared to 2021.
- Year over year, direct-to–garment (DTG), printer shipments declined 6.8% due to slower shipments beyond North America.
- The decline in direct-to-shape printer sales was mainly due to softness in China, Western Europe and other factors.
- The largest decline in shipments to the industrial textile market was seen by 2021, when shipments were down 45%.
- Industrial digital label & packaging printer shipments declined 5.4% year over year in 2022.
Regional Analysis
- Shipments in the Central & Eastern European market were down 35% in 2022 as global vendors limited their activities in the region due to the war in the Ukraine.
- China’s shipping volumes declined 46% in 2022, compared to 2021.
- From 2021 to 2022, North American Shipments (US + Canada), were practically flat.
- In 2022, the Middle East and Africa region saw a 25% increase in shipments compared to 2021.
- In 2022, the Asia/Pacific region (excluding Japan & China) saw a 10% increase in shipping volumes.
IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Industrial Printer Tracker provides total market size and vendor share for five major market categories: large format, label & packaging, direct to garment, industrial textile, and direct to shape. The Tracker not only provides shipment value and units, but also provides market data for each product category by ink type and media size. This can be used to determine whether the primary application is available across nine countries and 90 nations.
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