Modem Firm to Transfer Production to County

Computer Peripherals Inc., a Newbury Park concern owned mostly by Asian interests, will introduce two new products this month. And, thanks to several factors that could signal a favorable trend for the U.S. economy, the firm plans to switch much of its overseas production to Ventura County.

The new products are a high-speed modem--which allows computers to send data over phone lines--and a sophisticated printing cartridge. The modem works with IBM and IBM-compatible personal computers; the cartridge increases the variety of type available on Hewlett Packard LaserJet printers.

“Both items are very aggressively priced, and we expect them to be well-received,” said Jimmy K. Wang, Computer Peripherals’ chief operating officer.

Within nine months, Wang said, between 30% and 40% of the company’s modem production will be transferred to Ventura County from plants in Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Most of the work will be turned over to subcontractors in the county, he added. Modems account for 70% of Computer Peripherals’ annual sales of between $30 million and $35 million.

Among the reasons for the move toward domestic production, Wang cited increasing foreign duties and rising wages overseas. “By manufacturing domestically we can reduce our costs further by controlling our inventories much more efficiently.”

Wang estimated that the new products and the switch to domestic production will result in about 20 new jobs in the county. Most of the hiring will be done by the subcontractors, he said.

Computer Peripherals now has 75 employees, 65 of them at its headquarters in Newbury Park. The company is controlled by the Lam Soon Group, a conglomerate based in Hong Kong.