Tandberg Facility Gets Royal Opening
Norway kicked off 1985 as its Year of Export with a visit by Crown Prince Harald to California. The 48-year-old prince, who will follow his father, King Olav, to the throne, this week toured Northern California’s Silicon Valley, met with Apple Computer Corp. President and Chief Executive John Sculley, and, on Friday, cut the ribbon on Tandberg Data Inc.’s new computer products facility in Anaheim.
“This is an important development in Norwegian-American relations,” the prince said during the ceremonies, which were broadcast live to Norway via satellite. “This symbolizes the internationalization of Norwegian business and industry.”
Tandberg Data is a subsidiary of Oslo-based Tandberg Data A/S. The prince said the success of Tandberg’s streaming tape drives, which provide backup storage for computers, demonstrates that Norway has “successfully entered the era of high technology.”
The Anaheim plant has the capacity to make 40,000 to 50,000 tape drives each year. Tandberg President Robert Chartrand projects sales of $20 million to $24 million in the first full year of business.
Adding timeliness to the prince’s visit, Tandberg Data A/S is planning to go public this year with a prospectus that boasts sales of almost $50 million last year.
The prince, who speaks unaccented English, was honored at a lunch for business and political leaders and a black-tie dinner in Newport Beach. Before returning home, he planned to tour the Queen Mary and the Spruce Goose in Long Beach.
