AST LOSING MONEY
By Adnews Staff
U.S.-based AST Research recently asked three senior executives to resign in the wake of a projected financial loss. The computer maker expects to lose $40 million(US) this quarter. Industry observers feel AST has been hurt by competition from companies such as Compaq Computer Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Company. The three executives who left the company are president Jim Schraith, Americas division senior vice-president Jim Wittry and desktop products general manager Scott Smith. Gerald Devlin has joined the company to replace Wittry and take on the role of corporate officer. Corporate operations engineering, product development and product marketing for the company's desktop, mobile and server products will be headed by one executive yet to be named. AST will also place its corporate marketing under a separate vice-president. Chairman Safi Qureshey and chief financial officer Bruce Edwards will share the duties of the president until a new one is found. AST became the fourth-largest personal computer maker in June 1994 when it bought Tandy Corporation's PC operations. It has since been passed by Packard Bell Corporation.