SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY : MAI Changes Name:
One local company that didn’t buy exhibit space at Comdex this year is MAI Basic Four Inc., a Tustin computer firm.
On Tuesday, the company announced that it had changed its name to MAI Systems Corp. to reflect its recent transition from a manufacturer of business computers to what is known in industry jargon as a “systems integrator.”
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Nov. 22, 1990 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday November 22, 1990 Orange County Edition Business Part D Page 2 Column 3 Financial Desk 1 inches; 35 words Type of Material: Correction
MAI Systems Corp.--A statement in a Nov. 14 article that MAI Systems Corp. expects to post a profit for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 was incorrectly attributed to company spokesman Richard Seeley. The information came from other company sources.
“We’re changing our emphasis from building the actual printers and computers to being a systems integrator; that is, taking hardware and software made by other companies and integrating it with software and hardware our company has developed,” said Richard Seeley, a company spokesman.
MAI, which used to manufacture mid-size business computers known as minicomputers, now specializes in assembling computers and software for applications in specific industries.
Seeley said the change will help the company adapt more quickly to market changes and escape the slump in the minicomputer industry. MAI lost $39.9 million on sales of $397 million last year. Seeley said the firm expects to post a profit for the year.
“We’re not shutting down any division or expanding any,” Seeley said. “We’re just changing the emphasis of the company.” The company said its stock, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, will now be listed under the symbol MCO instead of MBF.
