McDonnell Douglas Information Systems Ltd, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire has reported its first interim results since the management buyout that was completed in March (CI No 2,144). The company, which brought in Baring Capital Investors Ltd and some European banks to help management fund the buyout from St Louis, Missouri-based planemaker McDonnell Douglas Corp, reported pre-tax profit for the six months to June 30 of UKP5.2m on an unaudited turnover of UKP66.5m. Chief executive Jerry Causley defended the figures, which if mirrored in the second half would show a yearly turnover down 16.7%; business in its computer markets is traditionally better in the second half, he said. The company spent UKP12.5m on research and development in the first half, which was 4.2% up on last time. The company now has worldwide rights to all the old McDonnell hardware and software products, and the UK is now its biggest market, where its Pick and Pick-under-Unix Reality systems are a mainstay of many a local authority’s computing operations.
