World printer, copier market to generate $62.6 bln by 2010, Brother Gulf sees 19% growth

Brother Gulf announced it has achieved a 19% increase in its revenues – the highest growth rate in the regional printer, copier and multifunction products (MFP) market in the first half of 2007. Findings compiled by IDC indicate that Brother’s share in the EMEA printer, copier and MFP market has increased significantly, which the company attributes to the growing importance of MFPs and its move towards achieving a long term goal of 100% growth in three years.

The manufacturer has also announced that it aims to leverage the rapid growth of the global printer and copier market, which is expected to generate revenue of USD 62.6 bln by 2010.

A recent study by IDC reveals that MFPs are dominating the regional market by slowly easing out single function printers and copiers, which has led to sales of more than 23 mln MFP units in the first two quarters of 2007.

Data and research house Gartner Dataquest has also reported that the MFP trend has rapidly gained momentum since the second half of 2006, with sales in this segment driven by the serial inkjet MFP, which accounts for 41% of the total printer market.

Brother has achieved the highest comparative growth rate in the printer and copier market through its wide range of Color Inkjet, Color Laser or Mono Laser products, that are competitively-priced at the mid and high end, and which feature higher print speeds, superior performance, a 3-year warranty on Color and Mono Laser devices at no additional cost, and separate ink cartridges for each colour.

Brother recently launched its latest colour laser devices, which use the new ‘Horizontal 4-colour Single Pass Tandem Engine’. The new technology, which was fully developed by Brother Japan, addresses the concerns of the booming SMB sector, as it primarily focuses on higher print speeds for full colour prints, data security as well as lower purchase and operating costs. In its efforts to supply the growing demand for quality printing equipment, Brother has undertaken intensive research to produce a range of colour laser devices to address the specific needs of the SMB sector in terms of function, security usage control, performance and economy.

Colour laser is expected to replace monochrome printing among SMB end-users with an increasing demand for professional quality colour laser printing in many business applications.

Brother Gulf is a subsidiary of Brother Group, Japan. Its Middle East headquarters, with fully integrated sales, marketing and services capabilities, is located at the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai. Brother Gulf has authorized distributors across the region, including in the GCC countries, Levant region, Iran, the Indian subcontinent, and East, West and Central Africa.