IDC Global Industrial Printer Shipments Declines in Q4
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Worldwide shipments of industrial printers declined 11.6% year over year to 78,500 units in the fourth quarter of 2022 (Q4, 2022), according to IDC. Results for the full year 2022 were also down, with shipments declining 12.9% compared to 2021.


“The fourth quarter was soft and concluded a down year for the sector overall,” said Tim Greene, research director, Hardcopy Solutions at IDC. “For much of the industrial printing market China is a key manufacturing center, so while the region is opening up now, for most of 2022 the market in China was slow and limited worldwide growth. 2022 is a prime example of how growth, driven by digital transformation, is not linear and can be disrupted by macro events.”


Q4 2022 Highlights
Large format digital printer shipments declined 1.6% compared to the previous quarter (3Q22) and 11.7% year over year.
Direct-to-garment (DTG) printer shipments grew 4.7% sequentially and 8.4% year over year in 4Q22.
Direct-to-shape printer shipments saw a modest decline of 2.2% compared to Q3 2022 and 6.6% year over year.
Worldwide shipments in the industrial textile segment declined almost 15% sequentially and nearly 50% compared to the full year 2021.
Industrial digital label & packaging printer shipments declined 15.9% compared to Q3 2022 and 8.9% year over year.


Regional Analysis
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 shipments decline 21% compared to Q3 2022.
The strongest growth was in the Middle East and Africa region, which saw shipment growth of 36% compared to Q3 2022.
4Q22 shipments in North America (US + Canada) were down 6% compared to 3Q22.




2022 Highlights

  • Large-format digital printer shipments declined 12.9% on a worldwide basis compared to 2021.
  • Direct-to-garment (DTG) printer shipments fell 6.8% year over year driven by slower shipments outside of North America.
  • Direct-to-shape printer shipments fell 5% compared to 2021 primarily on softness in China and Western Europe.
  • The industrial textile printer market, which is heavily influenced by the market in China, saw the steepest decline with shipments down 45% compared to 2021.
  • 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.
  • Shipments in China declined by 46% for 2022 compared to 2021.
  • Shipments in North America (US + Canada) were effectively flat from 2021 to 2022.
  • Shipments in the Middle East and Africa regions grew 25% in 2022 compared to 2021.
  • Shipments in the Asia/Pacific region (excluding Japan and China) grew 10% year over year in 2022.

(Quote from RT)