Gross profit was $45.9m, up from $35m in the corresponding stretch of the 2010 fiscal year.

The US company's first-quarter revenue also rose to $135.2m, compared to $71.8m in 2010.

In the fourth quarter of the last financial year, the US company recorded net income of $33.3m, gross profit of $73.1m and revenue of $194.7m.

Tom Gutierrez, president and chief executive officer of the solar manufacturing equipment provider, says: “The increase in business activity that we saw in the latter half of fiscal year 2010 continued to build throughout the first quarter of our new fiscal year, leading to a very strong performance.

“We