International Data Corporation (IDC) in its new Worldwide Quarterly Industrial Printer Tracker has highlighted that due to the impact of COVID-19 the global industrial printer and large-format printer shipments declined sharply in Q1 2020, with the Asia-Pacific region the worst hit. But as markets recover, IDC forecasts improved supply chains and new signage and graphics applications. Large-format printer shipments declined 32 percent worldwide in Q1 2020 as COVID-19 impacted both supply chains and demand cycles, and as the market has shifted towards higher-end solutions. The year also got off to a slow start with weak results in the industrial printer segments.
As the markets recover, IDC expects to see shipment growth for the full year as more companies worldwide adopt smarter and more sustainable supply chains, new signage and graphics applications are developed, and more PSPs seek new revenue opportunities. The industrial printer market, as defined by IDC, generated $5 billion in hardware revenue to manufacturers worldwide. The COVID-19 crisis had the greatest impact across the Asia/Pacific region in Q1 2020 with the total value of industrial printer shipments declining 55.9 percent year over year. The value of shipments declined 31.5 percent year over year in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
