A barcode printer is an electronic device that is typically used for printing barcode tags or labels, which can be attached to objects that are shipped. The barcode printer uses direct thermal or thermal transfer techniques to apply ink labels. Although direct thermal printers are less expensive, the labels produced by these printers can become illegible if exposed to chemical vapors or direct sunlight. On the basis of printing type, barcode printer is segmented into desktop barcode printer, mobile barcode printer, industrial barcode printer, and others. They are typically used in manufacturing industry, transportation, government, healthcare, commercial services, and retail.
The global barcode printer market was accounted for US$ 3,900 Mn in terms of value in 2021 and is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of 8.1% from 2021 to 2030.
Recent Developments:
Market Driver:
Rising adoption of barcodes in manufacturing industry is expected to drive growth of the global barcode printer market during the forecast period
Although after the economic crisis of 2008 growth of manufacturing sector as slowed down, it has continued to grow steadily at slower pace. A number of manufacturers around the world are incorporating automation and streamlining of manufacturing process, in order to reduce wastage and enhance the efficiency of output. This, in turn, adoption of barcodes has increased significantly, as each product or part in the assembly is assigned barcode which signed and recorded repeatedly at each workstation. As a result, this provides information on the progress of the product. This, in turn, has reduced production time significantly in the manufacturing process thereby driving the demand for barcode printers. For instance, various automotive manufacturing companies including Hyundai, Ford, Volkswagen, Bajaj Auto, etc. use quick response (QR) code, which is a specific matrix barcode or 2D code. It is readable by QR barcode readers or camera phones.
Growing preference for accuracy and speed is expected to propel the global barcode printer market growth over the forecast period
Barcodes have simplified the usage of various commodities and supplies hassle-free to consumers. It has become standard format to store and label product information. A barcode label attached to product can store the product’s manufacturing date, date supplied to the retailer, product count, selling price, etc. When the products are scanned, the information is retrieved and displayed on the monitor. This entire process takes only few seconds, which increases efficiency and reduces errors. This, in turn, helps retailers in maintaining the record of products and inventory. Major retailers around the world including Walmart, IKEA, Costco, Carrefour, etc. use barcode on their all products. Thus, growing preference for accuracy and speed is propelling the market growth.
North America region dominated the global bar code printer market in 2018, accounting for 35.6% share in terms of value, followed by Asia Pacific and Europe, respectively
| Report Coverage | Details | ||
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| Base Year: | 2021 | Market Size in 2021: | US$ 3,900 Mn |
| Historical Data for: | 2017 to 2020 | Forecast Period: | 2022 to 2030 |
| Forecast Period 2022 to 2030 CAGR: | 8.1 % | 2030 Value Projection: | US$ 7,743.96 Mn |
| Geographies covered: |
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| Companies covered: |
Zebra Technologies Corporation, Honeywell International, Inc., Toshiba TEC Corporation, SATO Holdings Corporation, Avery Dennison Corporation, GoDEX International Co., Ltd., Printronix, Inc., TSC Auto Id Technology Co., Ltd., Printek, Inc., Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., and Stallion Systems And Solutions Pvt. Ltd. |
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| Restraints & Challenges: |
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Market Restraint:
Availability of alternative solutions such as RFID tags is expected to restrain growth of the global barcode printer market during the forecast period
Although necessary information can be retrieved through barcode, new data cannot be added to them. Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are similar to barcodes though it offers additional features. For instance, data can be obtained from RFID tags only when it is present within the scanning radius through a radio scanner that does require straight line as of sight like it does for barcode scanners. This system is very advantages, especially in theme parks and hospitals where time for tagging each person concerned is reduced when RFID tags are implemented on wristbands. Moreover, RFID tags find extensive applications in manufacturing units and logistic warehouses where every product is scanned. Thus, growing adoption of RFID is expected to hinder the market growth in the near future.
Low compatibility with numerous operating systems is expected to hamper the global barcode printer market growth over the forecast period
One of the major drawbacks of barcode printers is that it is programmed to operate on a few users interface applications such as Linux and Windows. However, the number of operating systems has increased in the recent past with computer terminals used in different sectors have different operating systems based according to their necessities. This, in turn, is expected to restrain growth of the global barcode printer market in the near future.
Market Opportunities
Incorporation of computer systems with barcode printers is expected to pose lucrative growth opportunities for market players
Barcode printers cannot store or process the information. Barcodes are formed in a separate computer system and all the information is connected with each barcode is stored on the system. Moreover, barcode printers are connected to computer through cable or wireless connection. Key manufacturers in the market are focus on manufacturing such barcode printers that function as both barcode printer and computer. This removes the need for separate systems and a standalone system can be employed to maintain and store barcodes and product database, scan required barcodes for quality checks, and print barcodes similar to the barcode printers. It reduces the cost of owning separate barcode printer and can be more beneficial for industrial applications.
Adoption of barcode in business for asset management is expected to offer conducive business opportunities for market players
All types of business, from small-scale to multinational conglomerates, have fixed assets and IT assets. Computers, laptops, office furnishings, and other entities are assigned to employees. The management of these entities can be made sophisticated if barcoding is implemented within the business. This, in turn, would increase the efficiency at the time of audit. This system is quite common in large-scale businesses though not so in small-scale businesses. This, in turn, is expected to pose lucrative growth opportunities for market players in the near future.
Market Trends:
Constant focus on product innovation is a major trend in the market
Key companies in the market are constantly focused on product innovation, owing to availability limited number of products. Major OEMs such as Avery Dennison, Printronix Inc., and Zebra Technologies have upgraded their industrial printer models, in order to enhance the global market presence. Introduction of wireless barcode printers in both desktop and industrial variants have made significant impact in the market. For instance, Printronix Inc.’s M4L2 desktop printer model and GoDEX International Co., Ltd.’s RT700iW industrial printer model are two such examples of wireless barcode printer.
Wax ribbons are extensively used although they have low reliability
For printing barcodes, manufacturers often use three types of ribbons. Of these three types, OEMs prefer wax ribbons for printing as they are cheaper and easier to use. Moreover, these ribbons are preferred on a shorter run that requires less time. Other ribbons such as wax/resin and resin ribbons are costlier than wax ribbons, since high quality polymer-based resins are used for binding of the ink. Moreover, normal white colored labels are used as printing medium in all printing technologies.
Regulations:
The Food and Drug Administration agency of US has started enforcing the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) requirement from November 2018 making it mandatory for all manufacturers to include a unique serial number and 2D barcode on every prescription drug containers for sale and transportation. The EU Falsified Medicines Directive and other regulations throughout have also mandated similar barcoding with a deadline of November 2019.
Competitive Section:
Key companies operating in the global barcode printer market are Zebra Technologies Corporation, Honeywell International, Inc., Toshiba TEC Corporation, SATO Holdings Corporation, Avery Dennison Corporation, GoDEX International Co., Ltd., Printronix, Inc., TSC Auto Id Technology Co., Ltd., Printek, Inc., Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., and Stallion Systems And Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Global Barcode Printer Market - Impact of Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has immensely damaged the global economy. Due to this COVID-19 pandemic, scheduled for product launches and their distribution were postponed to stop the spread of the virus. The barcode printers are used in business activities including shopping, sporting, and manufacturing. However, during lockdown there is restrictions on these business activities to maintain social distancing. So, all these resulted in disruptions of supply chain globally and hence decline in sales of barcode printers in the first half of 2020.
North America region held a dominant position in the Global Barcode Printer Market in 2021
Statistics:
North America held a dominant position in the Global Barcode Printer Market in 2021, followed by Asia Pacific region
Figure 1: Global Barcode Printer Market Share (%), By Region, 2021
North America held the dominant position in the global barcode printer market in 2021, and is expected to retain its dominance throughout the forecast period. This is owing to huge awareness regarding use of barcode printers for various applications in industries, such as healthcare, transportation, and logistics.
North America is one of the largest developers of barcode printers. In this region, large number of companies are present, including Zebra Technologies, Honeywell International, and Brother Industries. This companies are the provider of barcode printers.
Additionally, the U.S. leads the market in North America because the country has well-established economy. Barcode labels and tags help in gaining information about the location and the status of assets in various industries such as manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare. So, this barcode labels and tags create need for adoption of barcode printers in these industries.
Asia Pacific Region is expected to show substantial growth throughout the forecast period, owing to the growth in retail, manufacturing, and transportation infrastructure industry in countries such as India, China, and others.
Mobile printers segment is expected to drive the Global Barcode Printer Market during the forecast period
Among printer type, the mobile printers segment of the barcode printer market is projected to exhibit highest CAGR from 2021 to 2030. The demand for mobile barcode printers is increasing globally. In the hospitality, retail, and healthcare sectors these printers are used for printing barcodes, tickets, receipts, labels, and tags. This printer has certain features that includes simple to use and easy connectivity with mobile devices via USB, Bluetooth, and wireless LAN (WLAN).
Figure 2: Global Barcode Printer Market Value (US$ Mn) Analysis and Forecast, 2017 - 2030
The global barcode printer market was valued at US$ 3,900 Mn in 2021 and is expected to reach US$ 7,743.96 Mn by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.1% between 2022 and 2030.
Major players operating in the Global Barcode Printer Market include Zebra Technologies Corporation, Honeywell International, Inc., Toshiba TEC Corporation, SATO Holdings Corporation, Avery Dennison Corporation, GoDEX International Co., Ltd., Printronix, Inc., TSC Auto Id Technology Co., Ltd., Printek, Inc., Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., and Stallion Systems And Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Barcode is a machine-code in form of parallel lines of varying width used for coding product information. A barcode printer is an electronic device that is typically used for printing barcode tags or labels, which can be attached to objects that are for sale or shipping. Barcode printers do not have programmable logic controllers though they rely on an external computer system. The barcode printer uses direct thermal or thermal transfer techniques to apply ink labels. They are typically used in the manufacturing industry, transportation, government, healthcare, commercial services, and retail.
Market Dynamics
A number of manufacturers around the world are incorporating automation and streamlining their manufacturing processes, in order to reduce wastage and enhance the efficiency of output. This, in turn, has increased the adoption of barcodes significantly, as each product or part in the assembly is assigned barcode which is signed and recorded repeatedly at each workstation. As a result, this provides information on the progress of the product. This, in turn, has reduced production time significantly in the manufacturing process thereby driving the demand for barcode printers. Also, barcodes are extensively used in the retail industry to tag products where it can store key information such as manufacturing date, price, where it was manufactured, batch number, and more. This can help retailers to keep the record of their products and inventory on shops and warehouses. This, in turn, is expected to drive the market growth in the near future.
As per the new regulations in US and other European countries, it is mandatory for all manufacturers to include a unique serial number and 2D barcode on every drug containers for sale and transportation. Also, Barcodes have been widely used in healthcare industry for other numerous purposes including surgical procedures, patient identification, specimen labeling, tracking devices, etc. Thus, growing adoption of barcodes in healthcare industry is expected to pose excellent growth opportunities for market players.
Market Taxonomy:
This report segments the global barcode printer market on the basis of Printer Type, Printing Technology, Consumables, Application, Distribution Channels and region. On the basis of printer type, the global barcode printer market is segmented into Desktop Barcode Printers, Industrial Barcode Printers, Mobile Barcode Printers and Others. On the basis of printing technology, the market is segmented into Thermal Transfer, Direct Thermal, Dot Matrix, Laser and Ink Jet. On the basis of consumables, the market is segmented into Ribbons (Wax/Resin Ribbons, Resin Ribbons and Wax Ribbons) and Labels. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into Industrial/Manufacturing, Transportation/Logistics, Retail, Healthcare, Government and Commercial Services. On the basis of distribution channel, the market is segmented into Direct-to-End User, Direct-to-OEM, Dealer/Distributor and Systems Integrator. On the basis of region, the market is segmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe and MEA
Key features of the study:
Detailed Segmentation:
“*” marked represents similar segmentation in other categories in the respective section.
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