In the present scenario customers are looking for value that helps them maximize the utilization of their resources and save costs.

As business demands change, the printer is morphing beyond its core functions, offering customers more value for money and is rapidly evolving. MFDs are increasingly redefining office life, helping organizations to consolidate investment, maximize space, and simplify workflow processes. MFDs also simplify cartridge and minimize maintenance calls, saving time, money, and critical resources for SMBs and enterprises.

On the growth drivers of the Indian MFD market

• Growing population of SOHOs, microbusiness and SMBs
• Penetration in class B and C cities
• A well defined printing and solutions strategy in the enterprise space
• Computerization and e-governance in government space

Also, the continued increase in internet penetration, home printing, and the usage of computers in the education, government, SMB, and IT segment have also led to the growth of the Indian MFD market.

On the impact of the slowdown on the market

The last few months have been challenging for enterprises, with reference to their efforts to minimize costs and maximize output. In this context, the imaging and printing environment has been recognized as an important area where customers can save not only costs but also energy. As companies re-analyze their investments and uncover their hidden costs, MFDs are gaining momentum and are expected to drive profitability.

Today's printing solutions have become multi-functional, and are providing multiple features to customers, empowering them to implement more for less. Simultaneously, customers are looking for value that helps them maximize the utilization of their resources and save costs. MFDs can help enterprises reap the benefits of technologies such as duplex printing, color access control, and wireless printing with one device, thereby leading to a controlled printing and imaging environment.

On key demand verticals

The public sector, manufacturing and distribution industries, and financial services are typical industries that are document-intensive. Education is a key vertical that is witnessing healthy growth-rates.

On the future of MFD market in India

As organizations seek smarter, faster and cheaper ways to access and share documents across the network and around the world, new technology such as the multifunction printer is making this prospect a reality. Innovations in digital technology, together with the always-on internet, have paved the way for MFDs.

Companies are increasingly opting to go in for multifunction printers (MFPs) while evaluating their print, copy, scan, and fax infrastructure. These products bring printing, copying, scanning, and faxing capabilities together in a single system saving time, space, and money while boosting productivity at the organization. The emerging trend here is the adoption of printer based MFDs which offer better value and additional features, which compared to a standalone infrastructure offers much better value with a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).