Investors Revive Plan to Buy Dataproducts

A New York investors’ group renewed its bid to acquire control of Dataproducts Corp., saying it plans to launch a tender offer for the Woodland Hills-based company and to seek the ouster of its directors.

The group, DPC Acquisition Partners, which owns 8% of Dataproducts’ stock, did not indicate when or at what price it might launch the tender offer for the maker of computer printers. A group spokesman, James M. Hennessy, declined comment.

Dataproducts Chairman Jack C. Davis expressed frustration at DPC’s action. He said that “if they have a real offer, they financially ought to make it. If the offer is frivolous, they ought to go away and let us get back to work.”

In August, DPC made three proposals to buy all or part of Dataproducts, including a bid of $15 a share, or $273 million, to buy the whole company. But DPC dropped the offers after Dataproducts last month unveiled a major restructuring plan.

The plan includes eliminating 400 domestic manufacturing jobs, mostly in Woodland Hills, the sale of a subsidiary and a special dividend--expected to be about $3 a share--for Dataproducts stockholders.