Trex sales and net surge in 1996

Acquisitions and higher product sales fed a boom in revenues andnet income for x-ray vendor Trex Medical in fiscal 1996 (end-September).A highlight for the Danbury, CT, firm was its Lorad division,which enjoyed a 35% increase in revenues thanks to strong salesof its stereotactic breast-biopsy systems.

For the year, Trex posted sales of $150.2 million, more thandouble last year's figure of $70.5 million. A good portion ofthe increase was due to the addition of revenues from BennettX-Ray, which was purchased in 1995 and contributed a full yearof revenues to Trex's fiscal 1996.

In addition to stereotactic biopsy sales, Lorad also benefitedfrom its new M-IV mammography system, which began shipping inquantity for the first time in the company's fourth quarter, accordingto Trex president and CEO Hal Kirshner.

Trex's net income figures were also impressive. The companyregistered a profit of $9.3 million for the year, compared withnet income of $3.6 million in fiscal 1995.

In addition to Lorad's growth, Bennett saw a 14% increase insales of general x-ray systems, while XRE enjoyed record bookingsfor its cardiac cath lab systems in the fourth quarter. Revenuesfrom Trex's most recent acquisition, Continental X-Ray, did notfigure significantly into Trex's fiscal 1996, as that acquisitionwas finalized in late September.