Alco brings production of chipsets to Poland with opening of new plant

Alco Electronics, the computer hardware producer based in Lower Silesia, is to become only the second company in Europe, after Formoz of Russia, to produce computer chipsets. The firm has recently opened a production facility near Wroclaw that will produce 30,000 to 40,000 chipsets a month. However, company officials says output can be increased to as high as 100,000 a month if necessary. Alco is keen to launch its product design in Poland, where well-qualified specialists can be found at relatively low cost. According to Grzegorz Deron, chairman of Sono Kanda, Alco's parent company, the chipsets, which are 30 percent cheaper than their Taiwanese equivalents, have already received positive reviews in the specialist press. Alco is now turning its attention overseas, and says its target markets will be the UK, Germany, the USA and Canada. The company plans to open another, bigger production facility before the end of next year in a special economic zone in Nowa Ruda near Walbrzych. (Gazeta Wyborcza, April 28-29, p.25) J.K.