JDSU's Santa Rosa earnings up 11%

<p>JDS Uniphase, the optical communication business, announced Thursday that earnings in its Santa Rosa operation increased by a record 11 percent during the first quarter as demand for anti-counterfeiting and gesture recognition products grew.</p><p>Total revenues of the Advanced Optical Technologies segment were $60.5 million in the quarter that ended on Oct. 2. Revenue was 12 percent higher than the same quarter in 2010.</p><p>“Those are very healthy numbers, so it's a significant contribution to our growth,” said Tom Waechter, chief executive officer.</p><p>The Santa Rosa group's increase was driven by the strength of its currency pigment and anti-counterfeiting products, the company said. There also was increased demand for security features like holograms for documents and transaction cards.</p><p>“It really bottomed out with the financial crisis, and that's starting to see a rebound,” Waechter said. “There's a lot more bank card activity than there was.”</p><p>Overall revenue was $411.3 million, up 3 percent over the previous quarter and up 38 percent from the first quarter of 2010.</p><p>The company earned a $100,000 profit, essentially breaking even, a significant accomplishment after years of losses. During the first quarter last year, the company lost $31.9 million.</p><p>But the company said revenue for the Santa Rosa operation is expected to decline by about 10 percent next quarter, due in part to delays in printing the new $100 bill.</p><p>The company produces color-shifting pigments that are used in the currencies of more than 100 countries. The special pigments make it more difficult to counterfeit bills.</p><p>“That demand has not gone away, but it has moved outward,” Waechter said.</p><p>Demand for gesture recognition components for entertainment products also grew as the company worked on an electronic game product that will enable players to interact with a screen without holding a device. JDSU has not yet released the name of the customer.</p><p>The Santa Rosa group is playing a major role in that product's development, Waechter said.</p><p>The local facility is currently hiring for 40 positions, most of which are part-time jobs.</p><p>In October the company opened a manufacturing facility in China to meet growing overseas demand for its products.</p>