Hewlett-Packard Co has now signed a definitive agreement with China’s Ministry of Machinery & Electronics Industry for joint creation of and investment in a company set up to manufacture workstations and develop software in the People’s Republic. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The new Huapu Information Technology Co will assemble and market Hewlett-Packard’s newest line of workstations, the HP Apollo 9000 Series 400 for the Chinese domestic market. It will be based in Shanghai and is expected to begin operations by the end of the year, initially employing 70 people, with about 40 working in software development and 30 on adapting products to handle local languages, and in testing, assembly, installation and training. Apollo established a similar venture in India before it was acquired by Hewlett-Packard and there is already a China Hewlett-Packard, established in 1984 as a joint venture with China Electronics Import & Export Corp to make analytical instruments, assemble HP 300 s and run sales and service operations.
