Computer Systems Supplier Reports 1st-Quarter Profit

General Automation Inc.: The supplier of business computer systems reported a profit for its first quarter, contrasted with a loss of $290,000 in the comparable period the year before. The Anaheim-based company said it had a net income of $109,000, or 1 cent per share, on sales of $8.2 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31. This compares with a loss of $290,000, or 3 cents per share, on sales of $11.1 million in the comparable quarter of the previous year. “These results . . . indicate that the plans we put into place a year ago are indeed driving the company to profitability,” said Len Mackenzie, company president. An element of that plan is the concentration of sales and marketing efforts on the company’s Zebra 2000 computer system for libraries and its Maxial 2000 computer system for the hospitality industry.