Special Devices Gets OK for Air-Bag Initiators

Special Devices Inc., a Newhall manufacturer of pyrotechnic devices for the aerospace and auto industries, said it has received authorization from TRW Inc. to produce initiators for use in TRW air bags supplied to General Motors Corp.

Shipments of the initiators, which trigger inflation of automobile air bags in a crash, were scheduled to begin last week, the company said.

The company also said its plant in Mesa, Ariz., has begun limited production of air-bag initiators, with the first delivery scheduled for April.

Special Devices said it expects lower than expected earnings through the first half of its fiscal year due to delays in shipping the initiators and the start-up of the Mesa plant.