Printer Consumables

One out of 4 printer consumables shipped worldwide comes from mainland China or Taiwan. Suppliers are expected to boost production as demand grows.

To profit from this increased supply-market activity, start pre-qualifying your printer consumable suppliers now with this 128-page report.

You'll benefit from profiles of 43 leading manufacturers, as well as 193 product profiles to help you evaluate which producers best meet your needs.

Plus, you'll receive a comprehensive overview of the industry in mainland China and Taiwan, including analysis of key issues and forecasts of price and production trends.

What you'll get

Obtain in-depth supplier profiles of 25 printer consumable suppliers, including detailed information on manufacturing capabilities, R&D strategies and product offerings. Based on personal factory tours and interviews with senior managers by our research team, this information is available nowhere else

Get profiles of 18 additional suppliers with key sourcing information on production capacities, export markets, customer profiles and forecasts for 2005

Find a full-color product gallery featuring 193 popular export ink cartridges, toner cartridges, printer ribbons, ink refill kits and other printer consumables, including detailed product specifications for easy comparison

Shortlist key manufacturers that provide OEM services to such major companies as CompUSA, Fujitsu, LG and Oki

How you'll benefit

Discover new product developments and R&D initiatives that manufacturers are undertaking to remain competitive

Learn about the state of the industry in Zhuhai — China's premier manufacturing hub for printer consumables

Get the results of Global Sources' latest supplier survey — find out what to expect in the printer consumable industry in the next 12 months

Obtain quick-to-use summary listings of all featured suppliers, with easily comparable statistics and verified contact details

Executive summary

One out of every four printer consumables shipped worldwide is produced in mainland China or Taiwan. In 2005, the two supply bases will turn out a total of 618 million ink cartridges, toner cartridges and other printer consumables. About 50 percent of these will go to export markets and 40 percent to OEM buyers such as CompUSA, Fujitsu, LG and Oki.

Mainland China's 200 makers are expected to ship 600 million printer consumables in 2005. The low technology threshold is expected to attract more players into the line, expanding the supplier base to 220 makers. The industry looks forward to explosive growth and projects to double its total 2004 production volume by 2006.

Taiwan's supplier base of 15 makers is export-oriented. In 2004, they produced a total of 12 million units. In 2005, they expect to turn out about 18 million units.

These are a few of the main findings of this report, based on a survey of 36 mainland China and seven Taiwan makers of printer consumables.

Geographic distribution
Printer consumable manufacturers are concentrated in Guangdong province, particularly in the cities of Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou. Others are clustered in Shanghai and in the provinces of Liaoning, Fujian and Zhejiang.

Zhuhai is the main production hub, accounting for 30 makers and 70 percent of printer consumable production in mainland China. Almost all tier-one suppliers are based in Zhuhai.

Taiwan makers generally operate two types of factories: one in Taiwan, where new models and prototypes are produced, and another offshore, usually in a mainland China city, for mass production.

Production capability
Tier-one printer consumable suppliers in mainland China can produce 1 million to 8 million printer consumables per month. Only 13 percent of surveyed mainland makers have a monthly production capacity of less than 100,000 units.

Taiwan's major suppliers can produce between 350,000 and 600,000 printer consumables per month.

The majority of makers conduct key production processes in-house, including hardware design, mold design, assembly of small parts, final assembly, QA/QC and packaging. About 50 percent of makers design the chips installed in ink cartridges.

Output and unused capacity
On average, each mainland China company in this report produced 420,000 printer consumables per month in 2004, with an average unused production capacity of 36 percent. In 2005, the average monthly output is projected to rise to 610,000 units.

Surveyed Taiwan makers produced an average 160,000 units per month in 2004, with an unused capacity of 41 percent. Average monthly output per maker is forecast to increase to 215,000 units in 2005.

Industry overview

Mainland China accounts for 25 percent of the global supply of printer consumable products. The industry on the mainland grew by more than 30 percent in 2004. In 2005, the output value from its supplier base of about 200 makers is projected to reach US$1.2 billion, and is expected to expand by at least another 30 percent in 2006.

Though the printer consumable industry on the mainland traces its early growth to the domestic market, its continuing expansion is export-driven. In 2004, 45 percent of the printer consumables that were produced were shipped overseas. In 2005, 50 percent of production is forecast to be exported, and by 2006 two out every three printer consumable products made in the mainland is expected to be shipped overseas.

The provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian, as well as the city of Shanghai are the main production centers for printer consumables.

Zhuhai in Guangdong is home to 30 makers, whose combined output represents 70 percent of mainland China's total production of printer consumable products. The big manufacturers in the domestic and export business — such as Print-Rite Unicorn, Ninestar and Gree — are located in Zhuhai.

Besides Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Shanghai are homes to clusters of suppliers, while Zhejiang has an emerging supplier base of small-scale printer consumable makers.

Competitive edge, low technology threshold entice more players
Over the past 15 years, mainland China's printer consumable industry has matured. Many makers now offer a wide array of products, including compatible and remanufactured ink and toner cartridges, ink refill kits and printer ribbons. Some suppliers also offer ink and toner in bulk, as well as continuous ink supply systems.

Besides low prices, there are other factors that contribute to the growing market acceptance and demand for printer consumable products from mainland China.

Samples of supplier profile

Chialstar Technology Group Ltd
Chialstar Technology Group Ltd was founded in 1996. Headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, this privately owned company recently set up a branch in Hong Kong.

Since its establishment, Chialstar has focused on the development, production and marketing of printer consumable products, including ink cartridges, toner cartridges and printer paper.

Although the company produces own-brand printer consumables for both local and overseas markets, it mainly provides OEM services for international consumer electronics brands such as LG.

Chialstar also manufactures consumer electronics and computer products, including motherboards, MP3 players, VGA and PC cameras, TV tuners, sound cards and computer mice.

The company has established an independent international marketing department that focuses on its export business. The company has also set up its own sales office in Russia.

Chialstar's total sales revenue reached US$8.6 million in 2004. Exports were estimated to account for about 60 percent of this figure.

Manufacturing capability
Chialstar's ink cartridge factory occupies two floors of an industrial building in Fuyong in the Bao'an district, about 40 minutes' drive from downtown Shenzhen. The factory employs 268 workers, with about 130 employees involved in the production of printer consumables.

Management strictly enforces the use of antistatic slippers in the factory's production areas. Chialstar's factory consists of an assembly workshop, a packaging workshop, a warehouse and a QC department.

Three KWS2018A supersonic machines from Keweison and eight assembly machines developed by the company are used in the ink-cartridge assembly workshop. There are 33 workstations for soldering, each equipped with a soldering machine manufactured by Chialstar.

The ink-filling workshop is equipped with nine filling machines, three of which are automatic. After being filled with ink, the cartridges are weighed on an electronic scale to ensure each contains the standard volume.

The packing line is operated by 40 workers using 10 machines, including one WE&TE infrared packing machine and three DZQ-400/2D vacuum packing machines. The whole factory has a central airconditioning system and four standing airconditioners to maintain a constant temperature throughout all production processes.

QC and R&D
Chialstar's QC team consists of 32 employees. Its factory houses a separate room for the IQC department, which contains a sponge-cutting machine that divides large incoming sponges into small, standard sizes for insertion into individual cartridges.

The QC department also uses rinsing machines to clean incoming materials. It handles tests for print chromaticity, print stability, longevity and resolution. The company has developed 60 different models of printers to use in testing the performance of ink cartridges.

Sample of product gallery

Ink cartridges Angel Model: CB800M Product type: Ink cartridge Release date: January 2004 Supported printers: Brother Minimum order (units): 50,000 Packaging options: Carton Units per 20ft container: 100,000 Delivery time (days): 14

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All this column of information contained in China Sourcing Reports is the result of original, independent and impartial research conducted by Global Sources analysts.

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