Peachtree City's Crown Andersen Inc. has laid off

six workers as a result of third-quarter losses, but the company's

finance officer says he believes that the situation is temporary.

Net losses in the first nine months of the fiscal year also

related strongly to settlement of a $900,000 lawsuit concerning

contaminated land at a Kansas subsidiary of the company,

said Milton Emmanueli. The company employs about 60 people.

The company, manufacturers of custom-designed equipment

for air pollution and emissions control, moved to Dividend Drive

in Peachtree City from College Park some 10 years ago, according

to Emmanueli. An "abrupt slowdown" in orders from

Asian markets recently, resulting from currency fluctuations, caused

a drop of about 33 percent in revenues for the nine-month

period ending June 30 ($5.6 lower than the same period in

1997), Emmanueli said.

Emmanueli noted that new markets in South America and

efforts to increase market share in the U.S. are paying off, with $4

million in equipment on order at present and another $4

million anticipated in the next few months.

Chairman and CEO Jack D. Brady says the company

maintains "a strong balance sheet to enable rapid recovery from

this temporary setback," and that cost-cutting measures and the

eventual return of Asian markets will keep the company profitable.

At the end of the third quarter, the company reported a net

worth of $13,012,279, which translates to a book value per share of

$8.59, the finance officer said.

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