Worldwide shipments of production printers grew 15% year over year to 13,000 units (printers and MFPs) in the second quarter of 2013, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC)Worldwide Quarterly Production Printer Tracker. Despite the increase in shipment volume, shipment value declined -4% year over year to more than $500 million for the same time period.

On a geographic basis, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region enjoyed the highest year-over-year growth (16.6%) with shipments reaching 1,300 units. The Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) region had 9.0% year-over-over growth with shipments totaling 1,500 units. Devices in the Mid-Production and Production categories were key contributors to the market in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) with year-over-year growth of 47.2% and 5.3%, respectively.

"2013 will be a growth year for the digital production market. While the offset-to-digital migration is a part of the story, it can't be ignored that vendors have been actively making technology enhancements from job creation to finishing, ensuring that digital print is value-added print," said Amy Machado, Senior Research Analyst, Hardcopy Peripheral Solutions at IDC.

Worldwide Production Printer Market Share, 2013 Q2 (based on shipment value)* 

Vendors                 2013 Q2  Market Share (Shipment Value)

1. Xerox                 30.8%

2. Canon                 20.2%

2. Konica Minolta    16.7%

3. Ricoh                   12.5%

Others                     19.8%

Total                          100%

*  Devices sold into production environments only, including highlight color models.

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Production Print Tracker, September 2013