x-ray technology company Bede plc has recorded its first profits thanks to a bulging order book.

The record number of orders has led to an increase in turnover to £3.2m in the past nine months, it said yesterday, and September was a profitable month.

The Durham company said there was growing demand for its x-ray tools in the global semi-conductor industry, which had seen a downturn last year but was experiencing a revival.

Record levels of orders for the nine-month period to the end of September reached £8.9m - up from £3.5m last year - and the company moved into profitable trading in that month.

Neil Loxley, chief executive of Bede, said: "We continue to see a growing demand for x-ray metrology tools.

"X-ray metrology is becoming more important to measure the nature of materials at the atomic scale now being introduced.

"We therefore anticipate that demand for Bede's products will continue to be largely technology driven and that significant revenue growth can be achieved, in line with current expectations.

"The company has created significant value during the year and while challenges remain, it is now well-positioned to further benefit from the opportunities it has created and drive future revenue and earnings growth."

The semi-conductor industry was increasingly adopting x-ray methods to develop and control manufacturing pro-cesses and this was driving strong orders from major semi-conductor makers, Bede said.

It said the company continued to move towards profitable trading as the company's manufacturing capability began to meet customer demand.

Bede raised £1.5m during the past nine months with the issue of 5.6 million shares.

These funds provided it with working capital to fund the growth in orders.

In a statement to the Stock Exchange, the company said: "(Bede) has focused on developing an organisation capable of successfully servicing a customer base and sales line significantly greater than the current levels."

Last month, Bede appointed Stuart McIntosh, of ASML, as chairman of the board.

Bede is expecting revenues to double by next year with an anticipated $5bn growth in the semiconductor market.