Confidence in the future of the industrial inkjet market is high, according to a new survey from FM Future and strategic partner Ricoh Europe.
The survey - based on 129 participants from around the world - shows that more than 95% of them are extremely confident or very confident in the future of industrial inkjet, and 40% foresee growth in excess of 10% over the next 12 months. In terms of achieving the required quality of production, 78% believe these requirements are close to being met in their market.
When asked which market segment they viewed as the next growth opportunity for inkjet, packaging came out on top, specifically corrugated and folding carton (56%). This was followed by the opportunity for inkjet in garment printing (46%). The décor segment was also popular, with 44% of respondents considering wallcoverings as among the top opportunities for inkjet.
The survey also highlights some of the principal barriers to growth - 76% either agree or somewhat agree that there are too few integrating companies of scale in the market, and this is a problem for the growth of industrial inkjet, while half of respondents believe that technical challenges are holding inkjet back in terms of growth.
Co-founder of FM Future, Marcus Timson, said: “The insights gained from the Future of Inkjet Survey confirm that the outlook for industrial inkjet is overwhelmingly positive. Crucially, it also offers some incredibly useful observations on the need for better education and communication in certain areas in order to facilitate continued growth.”
The survey is supported by the SGIA, with contributions from IMI Europe, GIS, and Sun Chemical and with analysis and insight from IT Strategies.