Worldwide industrial printer shipments fell 11.6% year over the year to 78500 units during the fourth quarter of 2022 (4Q22), as reported by the International Data Corporation’s Worldwide Quarterly Industrial Printer Tracker.
Also, results for the entire year 2022 were down with shipments dropping 12,9% in comparison to 2021.
“The fourth quarter was soft and concluded a down year for the sector overall,” says 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.”
Highlights of the quarter include:
* 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.
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 21% less shipment growth than Q3 2022. 4Q22 North America (US, Canada) shipments were down 6% from 3Q22.
The Middle East and Africa region saw the strongest growth, with a 36% increase in shipment volume compared to Q3 2022.
| Shipment Share of Worldwide Industrial Printers, Shipment Value Share and Sequential Growth By Product Category, Q4 2022 | ||||
| Product category | 4Q22 Shipments | 4Q22/3Q22 Shipment Change | 4Q22 Share of Shipment Value | 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). | ||||
Highlights from the entire year include:
* 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.
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 saw a 46% drop in shipping volumes for 2022 as compared with 2021.
Between 2021 and 2022, North America’s shipping volumes (USA and Canada) was effectively flat.
In 2022, the Middle East and Africa regions 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.