Special Devices’ Profit Jumps in 1st Quarter

Special Devices Inc., a Newhall maker of parts that trigger automotive air bags and missile systems, reported a surge in its fiscal first-quarter profit on a near doubling of revenue.

For the three months ended Jan. 31, the company posted a profit of $468,000, compared with a profit of $88,000 a year earlier. Its latest quarterly revenue jumped to $12.3 million, from $6.6 million a year earlier, the result of sharp gains in its automotive division. Sales of electrical initiators that ignite air bags reached $10.4 million in the latest quarter, up from $4.8 million a year earlier.