Fears grow for future of Alienware

Fears are mounting for the future of Alienware in Athlone as reports surfaced this week that the company is to close its manufacturing divisions, both here and in Miami. While the company would not confirm that it was to close the Athlone facility, which employs some 70 people, informed sources indicate that staff have been told the facility will close. Company spokeswoman Annette Condon did say Alienware was reviewing its operations and had begun a 30-day consultation with staff in Athlone on Monday. The Alienware spokesperson added that she could not say how many employees of the 70 in the Blyry Industrial Estate facility would be affected by this review. Alienware is a subsidiary of Dell and, it"s expected, by the end of the third quarter its products will be manufactured in Dell"s own manufacturing facilities or at Dell"s third party manufacturers. The company is reviewing a number of its businesses worldwide, including manufacturing, finance, accounting, operations, IT and procurement in a bid to solidify its position and expand its markets. Ms Condon explained that Alienware currently serves six markets, but plans to expand to 35 markets. 'We are looking at how we can maximise our efficiencies. We plan to leverage Dell"s third-party manufacturing parties and Dell"s own manufacturing facilities. We need to make these infrastructural changes to support our expansion. We currently serve six markets and plan to expand to 35 markets and believe this is the best way to do this. We anticipate any changes to the business will be in place by the end of October,' she said.