Solectron Scores With NPI Outsource Contract

Data communications company Network Peripherals Inc. (NPI) has outsourced its entire manufacturing operation to electronics-manufacturing-services firm Solectron Corp. The agreement transfers NPI's manufacturing operation from offshore -- in Taiwan -- to the U.S., at Solectron's Everett, Wash., facility. This move will allow NPI to focus its efforts on research-and-development to create market-focused solutions for its customers, says NPI President and CEO James Regel. The change "significantly enhances our manufacturing flexibility and customer response time," says Joe Botta, NPI vice president of operations. "Solectron's manufacturing capability allows it to seamlessly transfer production to any of its 57 worldwide locations to meet our customers' needs." The Fremont, Calif.-headquartered NPI, which had $10 million in fiscal-1999 net sales, makes a range of Layer 2/3 Ethernet switching solutions based on its NuWaveArchitechture, a combination of proprietary chips and software. The $14.1 billion Solectron is headquartered in Milpitas, Calif.