Printer, MFP Market in Malaysia Rebounds With 21.2 Per Cent Growt in Q1

KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 (Bernama) -- The printer and multifunction peripherals (MFP) market expanded 21.2 per cent sequentially to reach over 320,000 unit shipments in the first quarter (Q1) this year, from just over 260,000 unit shipments in fourth quarter last year. International Data Corp (IDC) said inkjet printers and MFPs, popular choices amongst home users, continued to dominate the total hardcopy peripherals market, holding 61.7 per cent market share compared with laser printers and MFPs with just over 35 per cent. "Overall, the inkjet printers and MFPs market grew 13 per cent sequentially, recording over 197,000 unit shipments in Q1 2012," IDC said in a statement Friday. On the other hand, laser printers and MFPs saw a significant growth of 39.7 per cent sequentially in Q1 2012, contributed mainly by large scale commercial tenders and total solutions offered by vendors. Donovan Low, Associate Market Analyst for IDC's Peripherals Research in Malaysia, said the overall demand for multi-function printing machines has been on the rise due to aggressive pricing and marketing efforts put in place by most vendors. "On top of this, commercial tenders are also driving the market up with more strategic pricing and overall solutions offered," he said. As the market is expected to face several months of uncertainty because of the overall political situation in the country, spending from end-users, as well as public and private sectors is likely to fluctuate, IDC said. "In addition, the contraction of the global economy will decrease the overall spending by users causing further uncertainty in the months ahead. "Considering all these factors, we expect slow but steady growth ahead for the printer and MFP market and it is projected to grow at 5.5 per cent in 2012," it added. -- BERNAMA