“I think none of the segments (B2B, public sector) contributed that much. I’d say its’s a private-public sector mix, but none of them did very well this year. Neither did the consumer segment,” Pantaia said.
The company did increase its market share, though, he added.
“According to IDC reports, the PC market saw double-digit growth in the first three quarters. The same goes for the printing equipment market. Fortunately for us, the decline did not mirror our results, in that we actually gained market share,” the HP Inc. managing director said.
“For instance, we gained 2% in the personal computing segment year-on-year in the first three quarters. We strengthened our position on the printer segment, with a market share of more than 40%.”
Computer and printer penetration is still low, so the market has potential for growth but the return of the industry into positive territory largely depends on the public sector, Pantaia said.
“There is still growth potential in Romania and I am sure all actors on the market agree with me when I say we all want to see this potential materialize. I believe in this potential growth, it’s only a matter of time before it happens. This potential needs to be supported by concrete steps/ projects (especially in the public sector), which would help develop this segment of the IT business.”
Unfortunately, there has not been an abundance of such projects lately. When the number of new projects developed in the public sector increases, the entire IT market will definitely return to growth, Pantaia added.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)