Toshiba to Market 2 Business Computers

Hoping to grab a share of the huge U.S. business computer market, Toshiba America announced plans Monday to begin selling two multiple-user business computers in the United States.

Both of the Toshiba machines will use the Unix operating system, an American Telephone & Telegraph software product that manages a computer’s operations. One of the new machines will be manufactured at the company’s plant in Irvine.

The new products initially will provide from 35 to 70 new marketing, sales and production jobs in Irvine, Toshiba officials said. “Down the road, things will grow considerably,” said Leonard Feldman, a Toshiba consultant.

Toshiba America, a subsidiary of Japan’s Toshiba Corp., employs 400 people in Irvine.

The products mark Toshiba’s first entry into the U.S. business computer market. The company has been manufacturing and marketing laptop personal computers in the United States for several years.

“This is a market Toshiba has not addressed until now,” Feldman said. “We know there’s a lot of competition in the market.”

The T5100, a 15-pound portable business computer, will be assembled in Irvine from parts manufactured in Japan, Toshiba officials said.

The T8200, a desk-top business computer utilizing Intel’s powerful 80386 microprocessor, will be manufactured and assembled in Japan, but T8200 assembly may eventually be moved to Irvine, said Donald Anderson, a Toshiba marketing manager.

Final pricing for the new machines has not been determined, Toshiba officials said. They said shipments of the products will begin in April.