Richardson, Texas-based Convex Computer Corp has undergone a number of organisational and personnel changes recently, Electronic News reports. For a start, it has merged its Pre-emptor 5500 real-time research and development group into its main engineering section. The 15-strong real-time unit, comprising mainly software engineers, will be the direct responsibility of vice-president of engineering, Tom Jones, and will remain at Colorado Springs. The group has had its share of problems – not least the defection last autumn of a number of key engineers to Cray Research Inc, but Convex insists that the reorganisation is nothing more than a desirable amendment to its standard development structure. While admitting that customer numbers for its Preemptors are not huge, the company says it has won a couple of new orders recently and is reaping the benefits of its lengthy research at last. Meantime, the former head of real time operations, William Wallace, has been chosen to nurture Convex’s blossoming relationship with Hewlett Packard Co – Convex is to use the Precision Architecture RISC in future massively parallel systems, and Hewlett-Packard took a 5% stake in Convex. A mutual OEM agreement is due for completion shortly too. Wallace is also to remain in Colorado Springs where he will report to Convex chief operating officer Terrence Rock. Rock, who has been in post only for four months, is also to oversee Convex’s marketing, sales and customer services departments, formerly the charge of senior vice-president, Adrian Wise. Wise left the company a few months after Rock’s promotion to chief operating officer. Con-vex has no comment to make on the circumstances of his departure but notes that the change suits Rock’s philosophy of flattening the organisation.
