OLATHE, KS -- Elecsys Corp. reported a fiscal first-quarter loss of $396,000, down from a profit of $109,000 a year ago on a 35% drop in sales.

For the quarter that ended July 31, the firm reported sales of $3.62 million.

Elecsys' EMS sales were about $2 million, down 39% from the prior year.

The company expects slightly higher sales next quarter with sales increasing during the second half of the year as its adds several new significant EMS customers and ramps several projects into production. The company said it experienced some improvement in orders from existing EMS customers during the quarter.