Earnings Shoot Up at Pyrotechnics Firm

Special Devices Inc., a Newhall-based maker of pyrotechnic devices, said its earnings doubled for the fiscal first quarter that ended Jan. 29, to $1.04 million, up from $468,000 in the same period a year ago. Revenues for the quarter were $22.2 million, up 80% from $12.3 million last year.

The company attributed the increased profits to higher sales of devices it makes for use in automobile air bags, which are becoming more prevalent, and also to increased efforts to market its aerospace products.