The worldwide production print market enjoyed 9.4% year-over-year growth in unit shipments in the second quarter of 2015 (2Q15), according to new data from IDC.

According to the research group, shipments grew to approximately 9,279 units (printers and MFPs) and shipment value increased 6.0% to nearly US$1.1 billion in the same time period. All of IDC's regional markets saw positive year-over-year unit growth in the production print space. Key contributors to the worldwide growth were Latin America (32.7%), Middle East & Africa (30.7%), and Western Europe (19.7%).

All categories in the production print market recorded year-over-year gains. Mid-Production shipments grew 5.8% year over year while Production shipments increased 25.8% and Label & Packaging was up 18.3%. Color laser shipments grew 24.8% year over year in 2Q15. The Xerox Versant 2100 Press and Konica Minolta bizhub Press C1100/C1085 have each made strong gains in this segment and contributed significantly to the growth of color laser space.

"Production-class presses had a strong second quarter, with both color and monochrome performing well," says Amy Machado, senior research analyst, Hardcopy Peripheral Solutions, IDC. "For color laser, the Versant 2100 from Xerox is off to a robust start. HP also found high demand for its Indigo 7800. In monochrome, the United States remains the largest market. The Canon Océ VarioPrint 6200 family and the Ricoh Pro 8100 presses continue to grab cutsheet share. High speed inkjet saw a slip following a record breaking first quarter, but we expect that segment — with long selling cycles — to rebound in the coming quarters."