The global mobile printer market has registered significant competition between the top providers of mobile printers. The growth of these players primarily depends upon the market conditions, industrial requirements, technological advancements, and the development of the industry. Thus, it becomes necessary for the vendors to integrate state-of-the-art technology and develop cost-effective solutions for users to maintain their market position and gain a competitive advantage. Thus, the players in the market are focusing on research & development and product expansion strategies to maintain their hold on the market.
Sato Holdings Corporation, Zebra Technologies Corp., Honeywell International, TSC Auto ID Technology Co., Ltd, and Toshiba Tec Corporation, are some of the prominent players in the market. The rising demand for mobile printers in corporate offices, retail, healthcare, residential, and other applications is increasing the demand for mobile printers. Apart from technological innovations and the development of the existing product portfolios, these players have entered into various partnerships and strategic alliances with local companies to expand their geographic presence.
As per the study by Wantstats, Zebra Technologies Corp. holds the maximum share of 28.56% of the global mobile printer market. The company is engaged in the provision of automatic identification and data capture. It operates through the AIT and EVM segments. The AIT segment consists of mobile printers, barcode and card printing, location solutions, supplies, and services. The company also manufactures mobile printers, portable printers, receipt printers, RFID smart label printers, and hand-held antenna.
SATO Holdings Corporation is also one of the prominent players in the global mobile printer market, holding a share of 16.78% of the total market. manufactures and develops industrial printers, desktop printers, tag printers, print engines, RFID printers, feed laser printer, bar-code software, labels, tags, ribbons, wristbands, hand labelling devices, scanners, and others.
Honeywell International accounted for the third position with a share of 10.35% in the mobile printer market. The company operates through four business segments, namely aerospace, building technologies, safety and productivity solutions, and performance materials and technologies. It also offers various various products, such as scanners, computer devices, printers, RFID, and barcode labels to the market players across the globe. Honeywell International Inc. primarily follows an organic growth approach, under which it delivers innovative products and services to its customers through research and development and technological excellence.
TSC Auto ID Technology Co., Ltd accounted for the fourth position with a share of 4.27% in the mobile printer market. The company provides various printers and solutions such as desktop barcodes printers, industrial bar code printers, mobile barcode printers, color label printers, accessories, and other printer supplies to different industry verticals such as manufacturing, retail, healthcare, warehouse, and logistics. The company focuses on strategic partnerships and acquisitions to strengthen its market position for global expansion and to increase its reach to the untapped market.
Toshiba TEC Corporation has been ranked in the fifth position for the market with a share of 4.11%. The company manufactures and sells electronic and electrical products. It operates through two business segments, namely, retail solutions and printing solutions. Additionally, the company offers various products such as barcode label printers, desktop printers, mobile printers, displays, industrial printers, and digital signage solutions.
Michael Porter’s Five Forces model is a framework to study the global mobile printer market. Strategic business managers, trying to gain an edge over competing firms in the global mobile printer market, can utilize this model to better comprehend the industry in which the company operates. The components of each of the forces and the degree of impact of each force in the context of the global mobile printer market have been broken down and analyzed.
THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS
The global mobile printer market has high growth potential. The capital investments required to enter the market are moderate as the costs include setting up assembly facilities. Furthermore, the technological complexity is moderate as the selection of an appropriate printing technology depends upon the application and client’s specific requirements. However, the government regulations are favorable as the assembly and manufacturing of printers generally do not affect the environment, which lowers the barriers for the new entrants in the market. Therefore, the new entrants are expected to present a high threat to the existing players in the market during the forecast period.
BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS
Mobile printers are mainly used in retail, healthcare, transportation, logistics, manufacturing, and other industries. The components used for assembling and manufacturing mobile printers include mechanical components, such as rollers, toners, electronic components, and optical components. The raw materials used for manufacturing mobile printers include plastics, ceramics, polylactic acid, nylon, carbon fiber, and polycarbonate. A high concentration of suppliers lowers their bargaining power. Since the design and specifications of mobile printers vary among different manufacturers, product differentiation at the component level is also moderate. The suppliers usually enter into long-term contracts with the assemblers for building partnerships to compete with other component suppliers. Such agreements between the system integrators and suppliers lead to high cost of switching between material and component providers, which raises the bargaining power of suppliers to an extent. Thus, the bargaining power of suppliers is projected to be moderate during the forecast period.
BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS
The concentration of buyers in the mobile printer market is high, owing to a large number of end-use applications of mobile printers in corporate offices and in retail, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and logistics industries, which lower their bargaining power. The buyers prefer upgraded products with advanced features, and therefore, are inclined toward brands such as Zebra Technologies Corporation, SATO Holdings, Seiko Epson Corporation, and Honeywell International as their products are available on various distribution channels. Thus, the high impact of brand identity creates a dependence on the established players. However, the cost of switching for buyers is low due to moderate product differentiation and comparable prices. Therefore, the overall bargaining power of buyers is expected to be moderate during the forecast period.
THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES
Mobile printers are available in various printing technologies, including direct thermal and inkjet. Such printers are used to print labels in high-speed to maintain the operational efficiency in manufacturing and retail. Although portable printers are used as a substitute to mobile printers, the application of mobile printers is more extensive than portable printers due to their ease of use. Thus, the buyer’s propensity to substitutes is low as mobile printers serve specific printing purposes in retail and manufacturing verticals and several manufacturers are shifting toward laser printing and receipt printing with barcode printing as an additional feature. Thus, the threat of substitutes is expected to be low during the forecast period.
RIVALRY
The degree of rivalry among existing players in the global mobile printer market has increased over the last decade as mobile printers are becoming a part of a broader ecosystem. This provides lucrative opportunities for the manufacturers operating in the global mobile printer market. Since there is moderate product differentiation, the key players invest extensively in research and development of mobile printers. However, the difference in pricing of the products offered by the market players is low. Hence, the intensity of rivalry in the market is moderate but is expected to increase in the coming years.
