While the current global economic slowdown is proving disastrous for many companies, some are enjoying new growth: case manufacturer Lian Li, for example.

The aluminium case specialist company has announced that it has spent a not inconsiderable amount of money investing in new toys for its manufacturing facility in Keelung, Taiwan – including a funky new laser cutter from Amada.

The device – the second to be fitted to the company's factory – is destined to be used to offer OEMs the chance to create small runs of customised cases with rapid turnaround and surprisingly low cost, which is good news for anyone that likes an innovative case design for their builds. The company has described this focus on manufacturing for OEMs as “integral to Lian Li's future plans to cater for other big name brands,” clearly hoping that as companies tighten their belts and sell off manufacturing capability that it will be in a perfect position to take up the slack. Indeed, the company claims that the new manufacturing capabilities will offer OEMs a thirty-day turnaround time between a product design being submitted and the first production batch being shipped.

If you're a fan of Lian Li's own case designs, you have nothing to fear: despite the hopes from management that the company will be able to work with some of the bigger names in the business to build mass-market products, Lian Li hasn't forgotten their fans in the enthusiast market: the company promises to maintain quality and continue to add “handcrafted aspects to their prestigious lineup of own branded products.”

Are you hoping that some mainstream companies like Dell will turn to Lian Li to improve the design of their PC ranges, or should the company stop flirting with the big boys and concentrate on top-quality products for the enthusiast? Share your thoughts over in the forums.