Specialist software group SciSys has signalled more acquisitions after it reported interim pre-tax profits up by 86% and a strong order book.
The profits rise to £1.3m at the Chippenham-headquartered international business was achieved despite revenues for the six months to June 30 dipping by 1% to £21.1m.
Chairman Mike Love, pictured, said the results demonstrated solid performances across all its divisions, which span the space, defence and media sectors, and confirmed the positive outlook he had expressed earlier in the year. 
Highlights of the period included winning a €1.2m robotics contract with the European Space Agency, additional work worth £600,000 on the ongoing Warrior armoured fighting vehicle fleet upgrade project for the British Army, a total of €2m new contracts won from Hamburg-based broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk, and the successful delivery of a new BBC Radio Scotland system in time for the Commonwealth Games.
Dr Love added: “Our strategy is to continue to develop our core competences and products and to provide solutions in our existing markets while seeking out new opportunities in adjacent markets.
“The results for the first half year together with the post-period order intake provide a solid foundation for achievement of board expectations for the full year. The June order book was 2% higher than the 2014 opening position, which provides additional underpinning for the second half.
“Alongside investment into organic growth opportunities in existing and new markets, more acquisitions will remain a core tenet of corporate strategy. Accordingly, the company remains committed to its strategic targets.”
Since June 30 SciSys has delivered a project with the BBC for the corporation’s Virtual Local Radio (ViLoR) scheme which has equipped an initial four local radio stations with the latest in-studio capabilities and a ‘private cloud’ software platform.
It was also contracted to supply the System and Information Management (SIMS) system for the next 12 vessels in the RNLI’s latest class of lifeboat, the Shannon, with a further 12 boats to be supplied over two years, starting in the final quarter of this year.
The firm employs around 430 staff across its bases in Chippenham, Bristol, Reading and two offices in Germany.
Clients are predominantly blue chip and public sector organisations such as the Environment Agency, the Ministry of Defence, Airbus, the European Space Agency, the BBC and the National Trust.
Last week SciSys secured a €2m (£1.59m) order to develop software for the next Mars rover as part of the European Space Agency’s 2018 mission to the red planet.
