Alphameric Plc had warned in September that its first half figures would look a bit ugly, so there were no real nasty surprises, despite the company turning in interim losses of ú965,000, against ú323,000 pre-tax profits last time. The losses were after a ú650,000 rationalisation and reorganisation charge, ú521,000 of which was exceptional, which was the result of reducing the company’s cost base. The trading loss was ú291,000, against a profit of ú362,000 last time that when added to the interest paid and the one-off charge, makes a ú965,000 loss. No further charges are expected in the second half, but there is no interim. Turnover in the half was flat at ú6.3m, and was below expectations, according to chairman Rodney Hornstein. The AlphaServer Ltd division, which manufactures satellite broadcast equipment, won a number of new orders, including the installation and maintenance of Reuters Holdings Plc’s satellite-delivered MoneyView data service. Orders were also won by the electronic point-of-sale division, Alphameric Keyboards Ltd, which, as the name suggests, also manufactures keyboards. Further announcements about the other contracts are expected in the near future. The order book at the half-way stage stood at ú6.0m, against ú4.0m a year earlier. Hornstein predicted an improved performance in the second half, resulting in a break-even operatiung result for the year, after the first half charges.
