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Hit hard by IBM's move onto its turf earlier this year, AST Research Inc. laid off 65 workers Thursday and is preparing to report lower quarterly earnings and sales for the first time in its history.
The nation's largest maker of turbo-charging "add-ons" for personal computers said nearly all the job cuts were made at its Irvine headquarters and manufacturing plant Thursday afternoon. About 7% of AST's 890 employees are being laid off.
In an interview, Jerry Ulrich, AST's controller and acting vice president for finance, said he has no quarrel with analysts' projections of lower fourth-quarter sales and profit.
Analysts have forecast that the company will report profit between $3.5 million and $5.8 million and revenue between $38 million and $42...