Group revenue for the six months was up 50%, from $13.5 million last year to $20.3 million, prompting a "strong positive cashflow" of $1.6 million for the period, managing director Chris Hopkins and chairman Stuart McLauchlan said in a joint statement yesterday.
Mr Hopkins said in the six-months to February Scott was successful in securing "significant system sales" in its three niche markets - manufacturing assembly lines, the mining sector and robotic meat processing markets.
"The improved performance in trading conditions that we saw in the second half of 2009 continued into the first half of 2010.
"The past six months has seen an uplift in the global appliance market with inquiries increasing towards normal levels," he said.
He said contracts for new projects being commissioned in Australia, Brazil, China, Chile and the United Stated was "stretching our capacity" and up to 30 temporary contract staff were bought in for design and manufacturing positions in Dunedin and Christchurch.
"In addition to these new projects, we have been working on, and completing, production lines for customers in Australia, Turkey, the United States and Spain," Mr Hopkins said.
Scott's Dunedin operations focus on a meat-industry robotics in a joint venture with Silver Fern Farms, while in Christchurch it manufacturers automated assembly lines which are sold around the world.
Its Auckland-based Rocklabs mine engineering division also exports globally.
Shares in Scott, which had risen from $1 in early December to peak twice above $1.40 in December and January, had since eased to $1.20 and yesterday remained trading around that level.
Craigs Investment Partners broker Peter McIntyre said the positive half-year result was well signalled to the market.
"The RockLabs division was likely a major driver of [increased] earnings as global demand for precious metals is up.
"That would have added straight to the bottom-line," Mr McIntyre said.
Last October, Scott, which has been battling the high New Zealand dollar in recent years, reported a return to full-year profitability, transforming a $1.1 million loss in the previous year into an after-tax profit of $390,000, for the year to August.
Yesterday's $973,000 after tax profit follows a $474,000 loss for the same period a year ago.
Scott management cautioned that, having just been through one of the most turbulent economic downturns, concerns were still held for the present financial year.
Mr Hopkins said yesterday he remained "cautiously optimistic" about the second half trading position.
"We're unsure if the orders are pent-up demand [delayed during the global recession] or will become ongoing work.
"We are cautious at present but perceiving [increased orders] as sustainable," he said.
In late March, Scott paid an interim 1.25c dividend, plus a 1-for-10 non-taxable share bonus issue to shareholders.
Mr Hopkins said commercialisation of its robotics was gaining traction, with another sale of its x-ray primal system and establishment of Scott Technology Australia Pty Ltd in Sydney.
He said an Australian general manager had been appointed to run the Sydney office, and further development work was being carried out in New Zealand to extend its range of robotics products.
