Shoals Technologies Group Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
August 1, 2023

There are 15 speakers on the call.

Operator

Afternoon, and welcome to Shoals Technologies Group Second Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call. Today's call is being recorded and we have allocated 1 hour for prepared remarks and Q and A. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Megan Peetz, Chief Legal Counsel for Shoals Technologies Group. Thank you. You may begin.

Speaker 1

Thank you, operator, and thank you, everyone, for joining us today. Hosting the call with me are CEO, Brandon Mas President, Jeff Tolnar CFO, Dominic Bartos and VP of Investor Relations, Doble Cattell. On this call, management will be making projections or other forward looking statements is based on current expectations and assumptions, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. As you listen and consider these comments, you should understand that these statements, including the guidance regarding full year 2023, are not guarantees of performance or results. Actual results could differ materially comes from our forward looking statements if any of our assumptions are incorrect or because of other factors.

Speaker 1

These factors include, among other things, the risk factors described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as economic and market circumstances decreased demand for our products, policy and regulatory changes, industry conditions, current macroeconomic events, defects or performance problems in our products or their parts, including those manufactured by third parties and related warranty and product liability claims, supply chain disruptions and availability and price of our components and materials. Although we may indicate and believe results contemplated in the forward looking statements will be realized. We caution that any forward looking statement included in this discussion is made as of the date of this discussion and do not undertake any duty to update any forward looking statements. Today's presentation also includes references to non GAAP financial measures. Is to refer to the information contained in the company's 2nd quarter press release for definitional information and reconciliations of historical non GAAP measures is for the comparable financial measures.

Speaker 1

With that, let me turn the call over to Schulz' new CEO, Brandon Moss.

Speaker 2

Thank you very much, Megan, and good afternoon, everyone. I'm excited to join you this afternoon on my first earnings call as Shoals' CEO. I want to thank everyone on the team for being so welcoming, helpful and open. Prior to taking the position here, I was most recently at Southwire Company. Southwire, as many of you may know, is a global leader in the wire and cable space.

Speaker 2

My last position there was President of Tools, Components and Assembled Solutions Business. During my tenure, we built an adjacent product strategy into a large business supporting 3 product platforms With domestic and international manufacturing as well as a global supply chain. I've always admired Shoals for its innovative and entrepreneurial approach to creating simple solutions and a terrific value proposition. Over the past few weeks here, I have become even more impressed with the company as I have met with the team. I appreciate the mission driven culture at Shoals.

Speaker 2

Our employees have immense dedication to each other, the company, the community and to enabling the green energy transition. I think you will recognize this in our recently released 2022 ESG report. Before we move on today, I I want to take a moment to recognize Jeff Tonar, who has helped guide the organization by serving as Interim CEO since March. I look forward to working with Jeff in his role as President. As Shoals moves to its next chapter, I'm honored to lead the company and partner with the extraordinary team This hard work has delivered fantastic growth.

Speaker 2

And with that, I'll turn it over to Jeff.

Speaker 3

Thanks, Brandon. We're very excited to have you on board. Shoals had another outstanding quarter, and I'd like to thank our employees, partners and customers for their support and contributions to our is a very strong quarter of success. I'm especially grateful to the Shoals team for supporting me over the last several months in my role as Interim CEO. I'm now excited to turn the reins over to Brandon, who I know will do a great job leading the company in its next phase of growth.

Speaker 3

I'll start with some key highlights from our 2nd quarter results, followed by an update on new product introductions and other growth initiatives and an overview of the Blattner Master Supply Agreement. I'll then review current solar market conditions before turning it over to Dominic, will discuss our financial results in more detail for the Q2. Scholl set new records for revenue, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income in the 2nd quarter. Compared to the prior year period, 2nd quarter revenue grew 62%, Driven by increased demand for domestic solar eBOS generally and our combined as you go system solutions specifically. 2nd quarter gross margin grew 3 50 basis points to 42.4 percent and adjusted EBITDA margin expanded is 550 basis points to 32.4%.

Speaker 3

The margin growth we achieved in the 2nd quarter was driven by a higher mix of System Solutions revenue, continued leverage on fixed costs and enhanced operating efficiency resulting from the operational initiatives implemented earlier this year. Demand for Shoals products remains very strong and we ended the quarter with record backlog and awarded orders of 500 and $46,100,000 an increase of 67% year over year. Distance Solutions revenue grew 80% compared was recorded in the quarter, reflecting strong growth in U. S. Utility scale solar demand and continued share gains by our products.

Speaker 3

During the quarter, we converted 1 additional customer to our combined as you go system, bringing the total number of BLA customers to 43, with an additional 14 in transition. We are progressing as planned with new product introductions for 2023. In the Q2, we began shipping our BLA plus system solution and recorded first revenues on schedule. Quotes for our BLA plus system continue to grow after our global commercial launch earlier this year. We recently announced the commercial launch of Snapshot IV, formerly known as IV Curvedrace.

Speaker 3

Snapshot IV is an ecosystem of products that integrates seamlessly into solar asset management systems. The solution remotely monitors the health and performance of PV modules at a very granular level over the life of the system. I'm very excited about Snapshot IZ. The technology has applications in existing solar fields in addition to our typical market of new deployments. Moving on to other products.

Speaker 3

We remain on track to commercially launch high capacity plug and play harnesses and connectors in the second half of 2023. In battery energy storage, we continued to ship and fulfill the 1 gigawatt DC best project. EV Solutions is gaining further traction in the market with some very exciting projects deployed, others awarded and a continued launch of new products is to build out the portfolio. I'm excited to say that our international revenue backlog in awarded orders continues to grow. To fulfill our international demand, we're exploring international production options.

Speaker 3

Now I would like to discuss the landmark 10 Gigawatt MSA signed with Blattner Company, which we announced in the Q2. We are very excited about the agreement, which ensures mutual needs are met. For Shoals, the MSA further strengthens project visibility, enabling us to optimize capital allocation and invest is to best support our customers and their needs. At the same time, Blattner benefits from surety of supply, which allows better project planning to ensure timelines are met. I want to clarify that a majority of the agreement was already reflected in backlog and awarded orders at the time of the announcement.

Speaker 3

Additional projects were added in the Q2 and the balance will be added as projects are won by the customer. The most compelling reward of this agreement reflects a strengthening of our relationship with this very important customer. Turning to the solar market backdrop, Conditions remain favorable for the industry as a whole and for Shoals specifically. Project visibility continues to be strong, is supported by quoting activity and order flow. Now I'll take a moment to provide a brief update on the patent infringement complaints filed by Shoals in May is with the U.

Speaker 3

S. International Trade Commission or ITC. The ITC accepted our initial complaints in June and we most recently announced is the issuance of a third key patent within our group of already filed claims. I would like to take a moment to say it was an honor is to serve as Interim CEO, while the Board searched for the ideal candidate to lead Shoals in its next phase of growth. Having worked alongside Brandon for the last few weeks, I can say he is that person.

Speaker 3

And I'm excited about what we can achieve under his leadership in the coming years. I'll now turn it over to Dominic, who will discuss Q2 2023 financial results.

Speaker 4

Thanks, Jeff, and good afternoon to everyone on the call. 2nd quarter revenue grew 62% versus the prior year period to $119,200,000 Similar to prior quarters, our higher sales volume was primarily driven by strong demand for our combined as you go e BOS system solutions, which comprised 86% of our revenue versus 77% in the prior year period. Gross profit increased 77% to $50,500,000 compared to $28,600,000 in the prior year period. Gross profit as a percentage of net revenue Grew 350 basis points to 42.4% compared to 38.9% in the prior year period. The increase was driven primarily by higher proportion of revenue from the company's combined as you go system solutions, which carry a higher margin than our other products, slightly lower raw materials input costs, increased leverage on fixed costs and efficiencies gained in operations.

Speaker 4

These gains were partially offset by a $9,400,000 charge for warranty expense predominantly due to a previously disclosed wire issue with the supplier. We recorded a non cash charge in the quarter to remediate known issues. We have not booked any offsetting recovery from the supplier. 2nd quarter general and administrative expenses were $16,700,000 compared to $13,300,000 during the same period in the prior year. Our growth initiatives and requirements for being a public company.

Speaker 4

Net income was $18,900,000 in the 2nd quarter compared to $7,300,000 in the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA increased 96% Adjusted net income grew 105 percent to $24,000,000 in the 2nd quarter compared to $11,800,000 in the prior period. During the quarter, we generated cash from operations of nearly $27,900,000 In the quarter, we used excess cash to pay down $25,000,000 of the revolver. We will continue to prioritize growing the business And driving shareholder value. As of June 30, 2023, we had 546 $100,000 in backlog and awarded orders, an increase of 67% year over year, reflecting continued robust demand for our products.

Speaker 4

Turning now to our full year outlook. Based on current market conditions and input from our customers, we continue to expect Revenues to be in the range of $480,000,000 to $510,000,000 adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $145,000,000 $160,000,000 adjusted net income to be in the range of $92,000,000 to $102,000,000 Interest expense to be in the range of $22,000,000 to $26,000,000 and capital expenditures for the full year in the range of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000 Now back to Brandon for closing remarks.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Dominic. I'd like to close by thanking all of our customers for their confidence in Shoals, our employees for enabling us to effectively serve our customers and our shareholders for their continuous support. And with that, thank you everyone. I appreciate your time today. We will now open the line for questions.

Operator

We ask that you limit yourself to one question with a single follow-up. To withdraw your question. The first question comes from Philip Shen with ROTH MKM. Please go ahead.

Speaker 5

Hi, everyone. Thanks for taking my questions. In the recent utility scale solar survey we conducted, a number of your customers said that you might be a little bit expensive. Just wanted to hear you talk about your thoughts on that. How do you deal with that as you're winning business?

Speaker 5

And do you expect to lower price anytime soon? Thanks.

Speaker 3

We get pushback from Procurement officers all the time. It's normal status quo business for us. But I would say that we continue to focus on Our value proposition, which is driven by total cost of deployment and ownership over time. So that's the initial capital, the labor to deploy, ongoing maintenance. We're going to continue to look at our product offerings.

Speaker 3

We'll continue to look at the market and our customers. And one of the things that we're doing more strategically is aligning our view of the future with the customer view of the future towards signing MSAs. You saw that with Blattner that gives them certainty and Scholes certainty and we expect to continue to do that with others.

Speaker 5

That's great. I was wondering if you might be able to talk through those MSAs. Specifically, Do you expect to announce something near term or do you think it might be more in 2024? It sounds like with the Blattner announcement that put some other EPCs on notice in terms of needing to lock up supply. Thanks.

Speaker 3

Yes, I think that's fair. We're reaching out to all of our EPC and developer customers and partners And exploring their desires and needs for MSAs going forward. We're actively discussing with many, and we're

Operator

the next question comes from Mark Stross with JPMorgan. Please go ahead.

Speaker 6

Hi, yes. This is Drew on for Mark. Congrats on the strong quarter. First question just on The solid mix here again in System Solutions, I mean, it looks like that's the Q3 in a row in the mid-80s. Is that kind of a new run rate to think about?

Speaker 6

And then how do we think about that corresponding to the higher level of gross margin?

Speaker 4

Yes, Mark, actually, John, thank you so much. It's Dominic. Yes, the mix as we kind of talked about last quarter, A lot of our growth is coming from our full system solutions. And so we expect, I would say that as we've talked about it, the component business, while it's still That are valuable going forward and likely to be the right level for us. In terms of its impact on margin, We'll start lapping that level of mix again.

Speaker 4

These are the same types of margins that we ran back a couple of years ago. As you recall in 2022, we did have some input cost challenges that we've now overcome the first half of the year. And as we lap that, we should continue to see a very high mix of the system solutions going forward.

Speaker 6

Got it. Thank you. And then just an unrelated follow-up here. Exciting to hear about the Snapshot products there and the monitoring capabilities. Jeff, I believe you hinted that in your prepared remarks There is an ability to go back and upsell to prior sales there.

Speaker 6

Can you just talk a little bit about what that opportunity looks like and how you see that going forward? Thank you.

Speaker 3

Yes, correct. You're spot on. The product what I'm excited really excited about the product is two things. It gives the developer deeper insight into their solar field performance Than we believe they have today, and it can also be sold to net incremental customers and net incremental Projects, but also any deployed solar field, we believe is an opportunity for us to sell that product into. So very excited about the offering and we feel that it has broad applicability for improving maintenance and field performance.

Operator

The next question comes from Jordan Levy with Truist Securities. Please go ahead.

Speaker 7

Good afternoon, all, and thanks for taking my questions. Just maybe to start out, Wanted to see if I could get your updated thoughts on sort of the outlook on the international front and the progress you've made there.

Speaker 3

Yes. Hi, Jordan. We're I think I mentioned in the prepared remarks, we're really Excited about where the backlog awarded orders and quoting activity is going with international. We're staying on track with our targeted markets that we've announced in prior quarters, Australia, countries in Europe and Latin America are the primary focus areas. We're looking at More regionalization of production so that we can improve deliverable time frames and also cost to those customer sets.

Speaker 3

So overall, we're at a point where we're very, very excited about the growth and prospects of the international markets and we're going to continue to look more deeply.

Speaker 7

And you all might have talked to this before, but just on that same line of thought, Are the dynamics internationally sort of the same that they are in the U. S. And that it's just teaching the customers of Value proposition and that sort of thing, are there more dynamics that we need to think about there?

Speaker 3

That's a part of it, Jordan, for sure. It's market education. I would say and I if you look at each of those regions specifically, Europe tends to have smaller fields that have fewer and smaller block sizes, which lends better to a component type solution, which Shoals has and Shoals enjoys, whereas Australia has a very large land mass and has growing and more substantial sized solar fields with larger blocks, is placed very well into our BLA solution. In Latin America, it tends to be a mix based on country and based on location. The best thing I would say is that we believe Shoals has the products to cover all those markets and we feel that we can compete very, very well in each of those segments.

Operator

The next question comes from Joseph Osha with Guggenheim. Please go ahead.

Speaker 8

Hello. This is actually Hillary on for Joe.

Operator

And I was just hoping we

Speaker 8

could first touch on the EV charging and just kind of how that's has been going relative to expectations. Any color there would be great. Thank you.

Speaker 3

Yes. Hi, Akshay. How are you? We're still really excited about the market. We feel that the products that we've launched have differentiation and the solution is resonating with our customers.

Speaker 3

The focus areas that we've mentioned in the past of fleet, school bus electrification and now workplace multiunit dwelling, those are still resonating. We've got a fantastic list of customer prospects and we're hoping to announce some soon. And Like I said, we remain very, very excited about the EV application and e mobility market and feel we've got the right product at the right time to help that market

Operator

Okay, great. And then just following up on

Speaker 8

the earlier question around gross margin, understanding the system is kind of pulling up that overall, but I was wondering if you could just kind of speak to some of these other offerings. There's been a lot of things kind of coming up and just any detail on what the margin

Speaker 4

What we've talked about is that we really have a 40% target for all the products where we can truly drive value for our customers. And the margins that we've seen and delivered in the eMobility International have met that corporate standard. So we'd like to say it's just on par with our corporate averages and we continue to look for products that can drive that. So that's really the most can say we're not breaking up those segments yet as you know.

Operator

The next question comes from Brian Lee with Goldman Sachs. Please go ahead.

Speaker 9

Hey, guys. Good afternoon. Thanks for taking the questions. Maybe just as a follow-up to that one, Dominic. I think last quarter, you had sort of telegraphed that we should maybe not get too out over our skis in terms of Gross margin cadence after the really strong results in Q1.

Speaker 9

I mean Q2 is still pretty strong here in the 42s. Do we hang out here at this level for the rest of the year? Or is there incremental investment that you called out early in the year that still hasn't played through the numbers? And maybe you'd expect even further excuse me moderation from here and then I had a follow-up.

Speaker 4

Sure, Brian. So a couple of things. One is, as you know, we don't really provide specific quarterly guidance, but we have talked about investments that were being made mid We haven't announced anything from any new facilities, which a new rent, for example, was one of the things I was talking about that may impact gross margin in the back half of the year. And this quarter, we did have to take that other charge. So in terms of where the margins are, we do expect to be this target where we are now is very good for us.

Speaker 4

We have an implied EBITDA guide, Where we are now is very good for us. We have an implied EBITDA guide that's still very strong for the overall margin for the year And our guidance really contemplates all the investments that we've talked about. So I don't see I can't give you specifics in terms of are we north 42% or slightly below that, but we do expect our guidance range to fully allow us to get the EBITDA target that we've laid out.

Speaker 9

Okay, fair enough. And then with respect to the guidance range, there's clearly Been a lot of focus from investors around kind of the top line view, and you've had solid bookings Two straight quarters, good backlog coverage seemingly here. So curious what would be the gating factor to maybe have a more bullish view on revenue for the year? And then maybe what you're anticipating for bookings and backlog growth in the next few quarters. Any reason to not expect better bookings in the second half versus 1st half given typical utility scale seasonality in the U.

Speaker 9

S? Thank you.

Speaker 4

Yes. So the first part in the guidance about Topside is one thing has been very consistent for us and we really do look at our internal bottoms up view as we build our guidance for the revenue side. We are looking at our backlog and awarded orders and we know generally the timelines early in the year as to when things should be expected to be delivered. So in terms of where we are now, we're sitting here on August 1, talking about our Q2 results. I would say that from a revenue We really feel comfortable in the guidance range that we provided.

Speaker 4

We still have good visibility. Now there's always uncertainty in the market. You may have heard that from others about What's going on? Things may shift a quarter or a project might move in or out, but we feel very comfortable with that revenue range that we've given

Operator

question comes from Colin Rusch with Oppenheimer. Please go ahead.

Speaker 10

Thanks so much guys. Can you talk a little bit about the wire issue, what the nature of the technical problem was and how sensitive it was in terms of the number of

Speaker 4

So a couple of things. Let me take that one on first, Collin. So this is an open investigation and we've The charge that we booked in the quarter, we believe is adequate and to do the remediation required, that's why we booked it. And we continue to explore this issue further. It is an ongoing open item for us and we will continue to work with the supplier.

Speaker 4

We really can't disclose much about that. We certainly want to be very respectful of the supplier and we're really taking our customer care, 1st and foremost at heart. We are going to stand behind these products first, take care of our customers first and we'll deal with the supplier after that. Okay.

Speaker 10

And then as we think about Brandon, as you get into the season and look at the opportunity to expand Geographically, can you talk about some of the key levers you're seeing as available to the company to start driving accelerated Sales into both Europe and Latin America.

Speaker 2

Yes, Colin, I appreciate the question and great to meet you. Look, we're day 12 with me and the job here. So admittedly, probably a little early to provide some comments Around strategy at this point. Look, what I would say, number 1, I'm excited to be here. It's a fantastic opportunity.

Speaker 2

Shoals, as you know, has a tremendous reputation in the market. We've got a Tier 1 customer base. What I've seen here is Incredible culture and I think there's a lot of opportunity ahead of us. Again, as you've seen with the numbers this quarter, the team has delivered Again, tremendous results. So, I would ask maybe check back with me next quarter, And I think I'll be able to give some more specifics around strategy.

Operator

The next question comes from Kashy Harris with Piper Sandler. Please go ahead.

Speaker 11

Hey, this is Luke Tillkins on for Kashy. I understand you're in the seat for 12 days, Brandon, and congrats on the new role. I guess Kind of bigger picture, what are your kind of objectives for the 1st 6 months in the seat and things you're looking to learn about and accomplish?

Speaker 2

Yes, Luke. Thanks for the question. Great to meet you as well. Look, Again, my goal here initially is to listen and learn before I act, learning a lot about the solar market, learning a lot about The company in general. I've admired this business.

Speaker 2

The company has been able to really create Tremendous innovative approaches, create simple solutions for our customers. And the plan is to continue to really drive the business that way initially. I bring experience to the job and rapidly growing a business platform. I did that at Southwire Company in our Tools Components and Assembly Solutions business, stood up A few product platforms in an international manufacturing global supply chain. So really it's that simple.

Speaker 2

Look forward to leveraging that experience And continue to help scale the Shoals business to $1,000,000,000 plus organization. And what's vitally important to me is to really continue what has made this company special at this point and it's the culture, it's the mission driven values around here That has been really the cornerstone of this company's success. So excited to be part of the team here and Really the mission thus far is listening and learning.

Speaker 11

Great. Thank you for that. And then I've got a Follow-up question kind of on the discussion on the new Snapshot IV product. Wondering what kind of the revenue strategy is with that, it seems like it could possibly be more of a software recurring revenue model or are you guys just thinking about this from a one time hardware sale? Thanks.

Speaker 11

I

Speaker 3

appreciate the question. We are not getting into that amount of detail. It is a product ecosystem, and we expect to have this as are first of many within that ecosystem. So more to come, extremely excited about it. And what I would also add and emphasize is that the products that we've launched provide immediate and tangible value to the operators.

Speaker 3

So very excited about that and the future that the Snapshot ID ecosystem can provide.

Operator

The next question comes from Derek Soderbergh with Cantor Fitzgerald. Please go ahead.

Speaker 12

Yes. Hey, guys. Thanks for taking my questions. I also wanted to ask about the Snapchat or the Snapshot Wireless Gateway. If I'm not mistaken, that's the 1st gateway product that you guys have had.

Speaker 12

But I'm curious, Was this something that was developed at the request of the customer? Can you kind of walk me through where this came from? And Maybe what's differentiated about the product on the hardware or software side?

Speaker 3

I appreciate the question, Derek. Thank you. This was a Shoals Innovation based on our just looking into the solar fields and what's needed. As you know, the inverters provide a certain amount of data. The other electronics in a solar field provide a certain amount of data.

Speaker 3

But what's lacking other than test tools that are manually carried into a field is string level data. So this product can provide deeper penetration and visibility in the solar fields than we believe is available today. And we feel it provides a very nice differentiator for Shoals and it does take us into the gateway space And it does take us into the monitoring space, where we've not been traditionally. So it is an adjacency for us, which I'm also excited about.

Speaker 12

Yes, got it. That's helpful. And then just on international growth, I think in the prepared remarks you mentioned, I think talked a bit about manufacturing footprint internationally. I was wondering if you can expand on that, how you might acquire that or what that might look like Getting that footprint. Thanks.

Speaker 3

Yes. We're looking at each of the 3 markets on how we can best serve the customers that we have and those that are coming, looking at all options, we're doing economic evaluations, we're Speaking to the state and federal government equivalents in each of the markets. And our goal is to make sure that we are is as competitive as we can be and meeting and exceeding our customer requirements through on time deliveries, accelerated deliveries And a very cost competitive solution. I'm not at a point where I can talk about how we fulfill that. We've got ideas, But it'd be a bit too early to talk about on an earnings call.

Operator

The next question comes from Brett Castelli with Morningstar. Please go ahead.

Speaker 13

Yes. Hi. Thank you. Just wanted to come back to the backlog and order orders, up I think 4% or so sequentially. Just curious, Would you equate that to just more seasonality and sort of overall customer activity or any changes you're seeing in terms of

Speaker 3

couple of things I would point you to. One is that we had a record revenue quarter, dollars 119,000,000 that came directly out of backlog and converted to revenue. We replaced that in backlog and awarded orders and also then grew sequentially over Q1. So we feel very good about our visibility that's being derived from that backlog in the water doors. And we also mentioned Our quoting activity, I believe in the queue, that continues at a very robust pace through Q1 into Q2.

Speaker 3

So that's also a more forward indicator that the market is strong and Shell's position within it also is strong.

Speaker 13

Thanks, Jeff. And then just curious an update on sort of solar plus storage And what you're seeing in terms of storage quoting activity relative to maybe recent history?

Speaker 3

Yes, a couple of things. One is we're continuing to fulfill the projects that have been awarded. We announced a big one last year. We're Fulfilling that one at an expected and fantastic pace from the customer's perspective. The quoting activity continues for the attached storage market.

Speaker 3

We're also seeing an increase in a request for attached storage in EV charging deployments, Which is a different footprint than utility based solar, but it is a storage opportunity. So we're looking at each of those. The market itself is still very, very large. And what we're working through right now is finalizing value proposition. We're working with those customers that are sending us quotes and we are seeing an increase in requested for attachment rates.

Operator

The next question comes from Donovan Schafer with Northland Capital Markets. Please go ahead.

Speaker 14

Hey, guys. Congratulations on the quarter. I want to first ask about, I know and you don't break out the EV as a separate segment For international, right now, the extent of breaking things out kind of comes down to more sort of like system sales versus component sales, all effectively presumably or sort of predominantly within solar. But these are important growth initiatives for you guys, International and EV. And so presumably, there will be some point in the future where you would start to break out, provide some of those Numbers either doing it as segments or you have solar segment and EV segment or you do it domestic and international, something like that.

Speaker 14

And so my question, I know and I'm very sympathetic to you don't want to say, okay, here's when we would Disclosed revenue numbers for EV. But what would be good to know is Kind of putting an outer bound on it in terms of like when do you think it would be appropriate for us as analysts for investors are to kind of actually be bugging you about it. I think it's fair to allow certain time for a business to You guys just figure things out and allow growth, but is it a year from now, 2 years from now, 3 years from now where In your view, it would be that's the point where it would be fair or appropriate for us to kind of be really bugging you guys about that. Kind of what's the outer range there?

Speaker 4

So Donovan, this is Balonik. Let me jump in on that one because from a financial reporting standpoint, there's a couple of things that will lead into that. 1st and foremost, as we've said in our Q, we are still predominantly domestic and we're still predominantly solar driven as you can tell. The growth in our company came from different ways than it was anticipated 3 years ago. And so as the company pivoted to take advantage of the Incredible domestic growth in domestic solar, some of the other things, while they're still growing and the investments are being made, it's still not at a point of significance and predictability That we want to have for you.

Speaker 4

One of the things that we're doing with Brandon joining over the next few months is we're really refining these things and hope to have an is Analyst Investor Day in the Q1 of next year and we'll be able to lay that out for you. Right now, you're right. We just are not in that position that we can really break those things out and tell you when it's going to be right, because domestic solar keeps growing. And as it keeps growing at this outpaced rate, is kind of pushing the other percentages down. So that's where we are.

Speaker 4

We look forward to being able to share that with you. They are tremendous markets and tremendous opportunities But we're just not at a point where we can tell you when that will be.

Speaker 14

Okay. That's very helpful. So I'll look forward to the Analyst Day Sort of broadly and then as a follow-up, just because you guys have such fantastic market share, I figure you're a pretty good one to check-in on. Anything you're seeing on your radar Around projects being delayed at all. I mean, your results seem to suggest that that is likely not the case, but I figure I might as well ask directly.

Speaker 14

If you're seeing projects in the U. S. Seeing delays because of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, customs detaining panels Or developers facing long interconnection queues, running into permitting issues, Anything on that front that you're seeing that's making things go slower than you're hoping for or otherwise expect in the U. S?

Speaker 3

Yes, I appreciate the question Donovan. This is Jeff. We've not seen any delays to projects Due to US LPA, general panel availability, labor market, and grid interconnections, We're watching those really closely. And depending on the market you're in, whether it's domestic solar or some of the international markets, Those factors weigh differently. So we're watching each.

Speaker 3

One of the advantages that we have at Shoals is that We are typically brought into a customer after the developer has chosen their EPC. So that typically means that number 1, the permit is either approved or well underway And that they have sourced their panels already and know where those are coming from. So there's a higher degree of certainty once we're awarded. And Slide 34 in the in our deck provides a little guidance on that. And then also, there's a complexity from trying to calculate market is that our products are typically shipped 6 to 9 months before this field goes live.

Speaker 3

So our product goes out the door. The site is then finalized, Commissioned, energized thereafter, and then they may show and then the electrons show up in the analyst reports. So there's a high degree of lead and lag built into our timeframe that gives us stronger visibility and a little bit higher certainty. We are continuing to watch because UFLPA and ADCVD impacted the entire market last year, and we want to make sure we're not impacted this year or going forward.

Operator

Concludes the question and answer session and today's conference call. You may disconnect your lines. Thank you for participating and have a

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Earnings Conference Call
Shoals Technologies Group Q2 2023
00:00 / 00:00
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