MIMTEC, the Scottish electronic assembly company which was bought out by its management last year, has appointed Ian Bell as chairman.
The move comes as Mimtec is finalising plans to set up a printed circuit board assembly operation at either its Greenock or Livingston plant.
Mr Bell - a Scot with 20 years of experience in the computer industry - said the company expected to take a decision on setting up the new facility, probably in partnership with an existing manufacturer of printed circuit boards, within the next three months.
Speaking from his home in Windsor, Connecticut, he said: ``I believe a decision to go forward in some form will be taken during the first quarter.''
``That is the big challenge for 1997 and will enable Mimtec to become a fully integrated service company,'' he added.
Until recently Mr Bell, 62, worked as a senior executive for Picturebel Corp, a US manufacturer of video conferencing equipment. Before that he worked for the US computer companies, Sun MicroSystems and Digital.
He has now retired and plans to return to Scotland in May.
Mimtec's core business is assembling computers on behalf of original equipment manufacturers, notably IBM and Hewlett Packard.
But last August the company acquired a new capacity to manufacture computer casings through its purchase of the Dundee-based sheet metal engineering company Torbrex.
A month later, Mimtec managing director Gordon McKie led a management buy-out from Murray International Holdings, the business vehicle of Rangers chairman David Murray, with backing from the venture capital organisation 3i.
The buy-out, which reduced Murray International Holdings' stake from 100% to 43%, coincided with hopes that Mimtec was about to clinch a major new computer manufacturing contract with a new original equipment manufacturer.
Sources close to the company said at the time that the deal would probably lead to the opening of new factory in the west of Scotland in 1997 employing up to 1500 people.
However this particular project appears to have fallen by the wayside.
Mr Bell said he was unaware of any plans for a new computer assembly plant.
Mimtec's main aim at present was to set up a printed circuit board assembly operation on one of its existing sites, he stressed.
Mr Bell declined to say how much the new plant would cost, but he said the manufacturing equipment for it could alone cost up to #8m.
The plant could be up and running within six months if Mimtec set it up a joint venture with a partner who already manufactures circuit boards.
But Mr Bell said it would take longer if Mimtec decided to undertake the project on its own.
Mimtec, which had turnover of #38m in 1995, currently employs more than 2000 people.
n.BUSINESS services group Hays has been appointed sole UK supplier for all the brands of brewing giant Scottish Courage from late 1997, it emerged yesterday.
Hays, based in Guildford, Surrey, said the three-year contract had an annual value of #20m.
The distribution will be done through Hays Distribution, the logistics arm of Hays, which operates four sites at Livingston, Manchester, Newcastle and Westland for Scottish Courage.
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