Storage and distribution for Eastern Europe is more economical from Vienna than from Prague or Budapest. Because shipping business between the individual reform nations is barely developed, whereas neary every Eastern destination is serviced from Vienna several times a week.
HP is one of the biggest IT companies in the world in terms of sales, and was the first technology company in Silicon Valley. The computer producer Compaq and Palm, a manufacturer of PDAs and smart phones, belong to Hewlett Packard.
The Austrian subsidiary (Hewlett-Packard Gesellschaft m.b.H.) is located in Vienna.