AST Research Inc, Irvine, California has now completed review of its operations following the acquisition of Tandy Corp’s personal computer manufacturing operations, and reckons that 1,050 of its combined staff are surplus to requirements or in the wrong place – wrong place because it does expect to create 850 new jobs in Fort Worth, Texas and Limerick, Eire by the middle of 1994, but the move is another blow to Scotland, which is already mourning the big cuts at Conner Peripherals Inc. Mobile computers will now be made in Taiwan and at the Fountain Valley, California base, while Fort Worth is to get all multiprocessors. Desktop manufacturing will now be done in Texas, Hong Kong and Ireland. The boom falls at the 113,000 square foot East Kilbride, Scotland as its work transfers to Limerick, where all European distribution and repair will be consolidated, with Victor and GRiD brand production from East Kilbride. The jobs to go are 450 in Fountain Valley, California-based service and repair 200; subassembly manufacturing positions in Fort Worth, 150 – but 500 will simultanously be created there. Closure in Scotland costs 140 jobs, an initial 350 will be created in Limerick.
