Datron Systems Reports Loss of $8.59 Million

Datron Systems Inc., citing restructuring costs and unexpectedly low orders, posted an $8.59-million loss for its fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31.

The loss, which compared with a year-earlier profit of $876,000, came on a 39% drop in Datron’s sales, to $12.1 million from $19.7 million.

Datron, which makes satellite communications equipment and high-frequency radios, said the loss included an $8-million after-tax charge related to its restructuring, which covered the merger of its Camarillo operations into its plant in Simi Valley, where Datron is headquartered.

The company also said the third-quarter declines reflected a “failure to receive certain large foreign orders that had been expected for radio products.”

For the first nine months of its fiscal year, Datron lost $8.66 million, compared with year-earlier profit of $3.05 million, and its nine-month sales fell 26%, to $40.8 million from $55.5 million.