In the arbitrary division of computer labour decreed by the former Soviet Union across the Comecon countries, which seemed to see Russia getting to build all the top-end Rjad Unified Range mainframes while East Germany ended up doing mid-range machines that turned out not only to work but to be more powerful, Bulgaria was mandated to be the sole repository of disk drive expertise – and the basic skills acquired are suddenly beginning to pay off for the country. Saratoga, California-based Aura Associates Inc, which designs and makes 1.8 disk drives, has signed Bulgaria’s DZU disk drive company to a manufacturing contract to produce head-disk assemblies at its 2.5m square foot vertically integrated manufacturing facility and clean rooms with its trained work force in Stara Zagora. Aura wanted to subcontract the labour-intensive part of producing its 1.8 head-disk assemblies to a European company. Aura has a base in Munich and final assembly and test of the disk drive will be completed in Western Europe. DZU employs 10,000, down 40% on 1989, and it had sales equivalent to just $30m last year against $1,500m in 1988.