Epson seeks bigger inkjet market share
EPSON YESTERDAY announced six new inkjet printers as it targets market share of 40 per cent by the end of this year, up for 36 per cent in 2014.
The inkjet market this year will be worth an estimated Bt1.8 billion, up 10 per cent from 2014. Epson expects revenue growth of 15 per cent in 2015.
Yungyong Muneemongkoltorn, general manager of Epson (Thailand), said the six new high-yield inkjet printers with ink-tank systems were the L220, L310, L360, L365, L565 and L655.
The L220 is a multifunction printer, which boasts a printing speed of 27 pages per minute (ppm). The L310 is a single-function printer, while the L360 and L365 are multifunction machines designed for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The L565 is a multifunction printer for medium-sized enterprises, designed for a large volume of printing jobs. It is equipped with an automatic document feeder, and can be connected with Wi-Fi and directly with up to four portable devices.
The L655 comes with the new Epson Precision print head, which allows a printing speed of 33ppm for colour pages and 20ppm for black-and-white.
Yungyong said Epson was the first to offer ink tanks and high-yield printers to the Thai market. High-yield printers are expected to hold 75 per cent of the inkjet market this year.
Epson last year claimed 36 per cent of the inkjet market and expects 38-40 per cent by the end of this year. The growth will be driven by the introduction of the new L series, a promotional campaign to reduce the prices of the new printers by about 5 per cent, and a new two-year warranty.
Epson expects that 40 per cent of its revenue this year will be from home-use printers and the rest from business customers. Last year, revenue from the home-user market was 45 per cent.
“Thailand is a high-potential market in Southeast Asia,” said Toshimitsu Tanaka, managing director of Epson Singapore. “Indonesia and Thailand are the two biggest markets in the region. Meanwhile, the Philippines and Thailand have high potential for growth of the high-yield inkjet market.
“Even though the Thai economy is not so good, Thailand is a priority for Epson, and we are continuing to invest in Thailand.”
Yungyong said revenue in the first quarter grew by 15 per cent year on year despite lower purchases from the government sector, so the company was on track for full-year growth of 15 per cent.
He said that in Vietnam and Myanmar, the company expected revenue growth of more than 20 per cent.
