Supply Chain Research

U.S. imports of printers and ink may have turned a corner after a challenging 2016. Imports increased 6% in December in value terms, and by as much as 18% in January. It isn’t clear whether this is due to genuine demand, or retailers trying to get ahead of the risk of new tariffs. Imports from Thailand hit a new high in December, driven in part by imports from Canon, though Epson saw the fastest growth in January. HP Inc continues to struggle, with a 67% drop in printer imports in the quarter to January 31 on a year earlier, while shipments of ink fell for a sixth straight month. That le...