Despite the suspension of projects and falling demand in Western Europe, the projector market has recorded another year of growth with China leading the charge, writes Steve Montgomery
WORLDWIDE PROJECTOR sales in the third quarter of 2012 of just over 2 million units, showed a slight increase of 3.6% over the corresponding quarter of 2011, according to the latest round of research from Futuresource Consulting. Growth was achieved across many emerging regions but the suspension of a number of key education projects in territories such as Mexico and Indonesia casts doubt on the prospect of year-on-year growth for full calendar year 2012 volumes.
The flattening, and in some cases decline, of the developed markets in Europe and the Americas is also borne out in the figures. China remains the number one global market, growing 5% over the same period in 2011, posting sales of half a million units. Sizeable growth in short-throw projection occurred, accounting for 21% of the market from just 13%. In Indonesia, allegations of corruption made against Ministry of Education officials has reportedly led to the suspension of central government funding for ambitious plans to equip 75% of classrooms with a projector by 2014.
VARIED MARKETS Western Europe posted a regional total of 304,000 units, 15% down on 2011; the shortfall in demand coming from the entry-level data projector and the home cinema segments. These achieved good volumes in the second quarter of 2012 prior to the start of the European Football Championships but left many unsold projectors in the channel. Russia once again posted good growth, this time of
40% with a total volume of 77,500 units, after strong demand in the education sector across a number of regions. This is expected to continue into 2013.
US DECLINE The US, however, suffered a considerable decline of 7.1% with sales of 375,000 units. The HDT (Habilidades Digitales para Todos– Digital Skills for Everyone) project in Mexico’s primary schools, meanwhile, remains in doubt. This project, which plans to install up to 165,000 classrooms with projectors and interactive whiteboards has, as yet, failed to gain the support of the incoming government. Brazil continued to offer a good level of regional tender opportunities, while the later rounds of MEC projects – tenders totalling a possible 200,000 units – have been postponed. MEC is an all-in-one piece of equipment, which includes a projector, computer, television, stereo, microphone and DVD in one unit; it was developed by the Ministry of Education. In terms of technology and type of projector, solid-state devices accounted for 1.5% of the global projector market with a total volume of 29,000 units. Ultra-short-throw projectors made up 7% of the total with a volume of 137,000 units, up by 4.9%. Interactive projection is beginning to take hold, rising from 1.8% of the market to 2.6%. Similarly, widescreen formats are becoming more popular, increasing by 3% of the business-to-business market, to 21%; a total volume of 383,000 units.