AST Names Senior Vice President of World Operations

James L. Forquer has been appointed senior vice president of worldwide operations for AST Research Inc.

In his new position, Forquer is responsible for AST’s worldwide manufacturing and procurement operations.

Before joining Irvine-based AST, Forquer was vice president of worldwide operations for Apple Computer Inc., where he provided the strategic direction for worldwide manufacturing and physical distribution at Apple’s four manufacturing facilities.

Forquer succeeds Gordon Chilton, who left the post in February after only six months on the job. Chilton, formerly a manufacturing executive for the Swiss firm Asea Brown Boveri, had been assigned to establish AST’s manufacturing plant in Europe.

That project was scuttled after AST agreed in May to buy the computer manufacturing operations of Tandy Corp. for as much as $175 million.