Gauzy Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
August 8, 2024

There are 8 speakers on the call.

Operator

Good morning, and welcome to the Gazzi Limited Second Quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call. Today's call is being recorded, and we have allocated one hour for prepared remarks and Q and A. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Mr. Dan Scott, Investor Relations. Thank you.

Operator

You may begin.

Speaker 1

Thank you, operator, and thank you, everyone, for joining us today. Hosting the call today are Gauzy's CEO and Co Founder, Eyal Peso and CFO, Mayor Peleg. On this call, management will be making forward looking statements, not historical facts, which are based on management's current expectations, beliefs, projections and assumptions, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain. These forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from our forward looking statements if any of our key expectations, beliefs, projections or assumptions are incorrect because of other factors discussed in today's earnings news release and the comments made during this conference call or in our latest reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, each of which can be found on our website, www.gausi.com.

Speaker 1

We do not undertake any duty to update any forward looking statements. This call contains time sensitive information that is accurate only as of today, August 8, 2024. Except as required by law, Gauzy disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any information to reflect events or circumstances that occur after this call. Today's presentation will also include references to non GAAP financial measures. You should refer to the information contained in the company's Q2 press release for definitional information and reconciliations of historical non GAAP measures to the comparable financial measures.

Speaker 1

With that, let me turn the call over to Eyal.

Speaker 2

Thank you very much, Dan, and good morning, everyone. This is our first conference call since completing our initial public offering in June. And I would like to start out by thanking our team for their outstanding execution as well as our new shareholders for their tremendous support. The IPO was an important milestone for our company and we are all excited about the new opportunities that being public creates for us. Our results so far in 2024 reflects record growth attributed to new commercial opportunities and the expansion of existing programs with our strong and sticky customer base.

Speaker 2

I know that our team is just getting started on what they can achieve and we look forward for continuing to deliver on our objectives. I'm going to focus my opening remarks today on 3 topics. 1, providing a brief overview of Gauzy for those of you who are new to the story. 2, a high level summary of how we performed in the second quarter and first half. And 3, and finally, our strong backlog and pipeline of innovation driving our positive outlook for the business for the rest of the year.

Speaker 2

Following that, I will turn it over to Gauzy's Chief Financial Officer, May El Pelling, who will provide financial highlights from the Q2. So first, a brief overview of Gauzy and what we do. We are a global leader in light and vision control technologies, specializing in advanced materials and systems that enable the electronic control of light through transparent temperatures. We are headquartered in Tel Aviv with a significant global presence that includes over 6 50 employees across 14 locations worldwide. Gauzy serves more than a 1,000 customers today in over 30 countries.

Speaker 2

Through both direct sales and a network of over 95 5 certified partners, our innovation is backed by a 141 patents across multiple countries including the U. S, Germany, France, Israel, China, Japan and more. We are a deep science company that is fully integrated from developing our own IP to research and development through to production, manufacturing and delivery. Leveraging our expertise in material science and software embedded electronics, we create world leading products including smart glass and advanced driver assistance systems or ADAS serving our rapidly growing key markets including air and Outics, Automotive and Architecture. We are focused on the research, development and manufacturing of smart materials and systems that enable control of light through transparent operators.

Speaker 2

We have the most comprehensive portfolio of technologies including polymer dispersed liquid crystal or PDLC and suspended particle devices or SPD. Both PDLC and SPD technologies allows us to electronically control light through transparent materials such as glass to control privacy, reduce glare, control temperature for energy savings and comfort. Our technologies allow any window to transition from transparent to fully opaque. Our products are already widely adopted in both the interior and exterior glazing of buildings, cars and aircraft. This technology can already be found on the sunroofs of McLaren's, Mercedes, GM Cadillacs and Ferraris and is expected to be widely adopted in mass market cars in coming years.

Speaker 2

In Vision Control, we are focused on the development, manufacturing and delivery of ADAS for commercial vehicles, including buses and trucks. Our core ADAS product offerings includes our AI powered CMS or camera monitoring exterior cameras and interior display. Expanding the drivers visible range to eliminate blind spots and delivering audiovisual alerts for real time hazards enables drivers to make faster, more informed decisions that dramatically reduce accidents. By developing our proprietary AI module, we have created a self learning system that allows us to understand and resolve the most important challenges, drivers and fleets experience. One example of how AI can be experienced in our system is with automatically generated adaptive lines that resolve depth perception constraints inherent to long and changing body vehicles such as semi.

Speaker 2

Gauzy delivers our ADAS and CMS technologies both as a Tier 1 to OEM and as a retrofit solution to existing fleet. SmartVision is chosen by Ford trucks and for buses by the world's largest manufacturers such as Yutong, MAN, Scania, IRISAL and more. Gauzy is comprised of 4 distinct business divisions serving 4 key end markets. In Aeronautics, Gauzy operates as a Tier 1 supplier of cockpit and cabin shading systems for commercial and business aviation. We are involved in production programs with major aircraft manufacturers like Boeing, Air Embraer and Bombardier.

Speaker 2

Our well established OEM relationships resulted in newly awarded programs for various aircraft this year, which increased our share in cockpit shading to a staggering 95% market share. We have also leveraged this leadership position to move beyond coffee shading into cabin shading, where we have been selected by airlines to utilize both our light controlled glass and electromechanical shade. The addressable market for shading and lighting systems in commercial and business jets is estimated at $600,000,000 annually and we currently have very few competitors. This division is already profitable and generates cash. In May of this year, we showcased our innovative cabin shading systems and transparent display technologies with an emphasis on the commercial industry in Hamburg at AIX, the world's largest aircraft and interior exhibition.

Speaker 2

In architecture, we operate as a Tier 2 supplier serving various architectural applications, including interior partitions, exterior facades and skylights. We have an extensive distribution network, which includes more than 95 certified and trained glass fabrication partners in more than 30 countries that deliver our products to their local market. We have a strong and growing presence with the world's best architectural firms, designers and builders. In automotive, Gauzy operates as a Tier 2 supplier working with both OEMs and auto glass manufacturers. We have initiated serial production programs with 6 different OEMs such as Daimler and continue to add new OEMs and models at a rapid pace.

Speaker 2

Our technologies are highly relevant for electric vehicles, which typically have large glass roofs. Shifting now to our Safety Tech business, where we are a Tier 1 supplier of our ADAS products to commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks. Our SmartVision product line is already replacing mirrors in more than 80 cities around the world. Last month, we announced our deployment in Paris ahead of the Olympics, adding to our successful deployment in London, where we are installed on over 3,000 buses and growing. Each of our 4 business divisions has its own unique growth drivers.

Speaker 2

I'll make 2 important points. First, we address both OEM and aftermarket retrofit, which dramatically expands our addressable market across segments. 2nd, sustainability tailwinds are driving regulations such as the U. S. Inflation Reduction Act or the IRA that are promoting the adoption of our product, our business model typically involves long term supply agreements with minimum annual commitments from our customers allowing for stronger visibility.

Speaker 2

Next, allow me to provide some high level thoughts on our strong performance in the quarter and the first half. We grew our total revenues 22.4% in the 2nd quarter and 31.5% in the first half of twenty twenty four. Our second quarter strength was highly impressive considering the significant pull forward of sales we saw in the Q1 due to accelerated demand from some of our customers. Our results for both the quarter and the first 6 months featured particular strength in Safety Tech, Aerospace and Automotive. The impressive increase in revenues was the primary driver of significantly higher gross profit in both periods.

Speaker 2

When you look at our performance on a trailing 12 month basis or TTM, our revenue is up an impressive 43%. Our backlog is strong and growing with a number of exciting project wins year to date across multiple segments that support our favorable outlook. We have been busy since our IPO. Our end markets are growing fast. Our backlog is ramping.

Speaker 2

Our products are winning market share and we're executing well on our plan. Backed by a strong balance sheet and liquidity position, we are confident we will deliver on our goals. With that, I will turn it over to May for an update on Gauzy's financial results.

Speaker 3

Thank you, Eyal. For the Q2, we generated revenues of $24,400,000 which was up 22.4% from the prior year period and ahead of our expectations. Demand for our products across aeronautics, safety tech and automotive were strong. This more than offset a decline in architecture that reflected the timing of deliveries in a full year contract. As Yael mentioned, it's important to note that our typical contracts involve full year orders quantities and there can be a variability in those shipments across the quarters based on our customers' demand.

Speaker 3

This was evident in the Q1 of 2024. We saw several of our customers pull forward deliveries to meet faster than expected demand. As such, quarter to quarter results can vary, but when you look at us on a full year basis, the strength of our model becomes far more apparent. Gross profit for the Q2 was $6,600,000 an increase of 64% from the prior year period. This equated to gross margins in the Q2 of 27%, a 6 80 basis points improvement from the prior year period.

Speaker 3

This was mainly due to the higher revenues and favorable product mix. SG and A for the quarter was 9,400,000 dollars up to 24.7 percent mainly to support higher revenues as well as one time expenses related to company's initial public offering. R and D expenses in the quarter were $4,100,000 up 7.7% and reflective of our strong commitment to innovation. Net loss for the quarter was $19,000,000 compared to a net loss of $18,300,000 in the prior year period. Adjusted net loss for the quarter was $7,800,000 compared to adjusted net loss of $8,900,000 in the prior year period.

Speaker 3

Adjusted net income excludes amortization of intangibles, stock based compensation and other non core items. Please see the adjusted net income table presented in our Q2 press release and earnings presentation. Now turning to our segment results starting with Aeronautics. Revenue in the segment was $10,000,000 in the quarter, up 28.5 percent versus the prior year quarter's $7,800,000 The increase was mainly driven by strong demand broadly across our suite of product offerings. Gross profit in our Noronics was 3,900,000 dollars an increase of 82.9 percent year over year.

Speaker 3

This equated to a gross profit margin of 39%, up from 27.4% in the year ago quarter. Higher gross margin was a result of higher revenues across a fixed cost base. Now turning to our architecture segment results. Revenue in the segment was $2,600,000 in the quarter compared to 3,300,000 dollars in the prior year quarter. The decrease mainly reflected the timing of certain deliveries, which clients nominate on a full year basis, but as we said can vary from quarter to quarter.

Speaker 3

Gross profit in architecture was $900,000 a decline of 11.8% year over year. This equated to a gross profit margin of 36.3 percent up from 31.2% in the year ago quarter. The higher gross margin reflected a favorable product mix and operating efficiency. Now turning to our Automotive segment. Revenue in the Automotive segment was $900,000 in the quarter, up 79.5%.

Speaker 3

The increase mainly reflects the start of cereal production in the Q2 of 2023 supported by our strong contracting activities and expansions of existing orders. Ross Larsen Automotive was approximately $900,000 in both periods. In our Safety Tech segment, revenue was $10,800,000 in the quarter, up 30.7 percent versus the prior year quarter's $8,300,000 The increase was largely driven by strong demand across our pseudo product offering. Gross profit in SafetyTac was $2,200,000 an increase of 80% year over year. They equated to gross profit margin of 20.6 percent up 560 basis points as a result of having more revenues to absorb fixed cost and favorable product mix.

Speaker 3

Moving to our balance sheet. We are well funded for the future. In June, we completed our IPO raising gross profit of $75,000,000 We closed out the quarter with total liquidity of nearly 100,000,000 dollars Since that time, we have completed a number of actions to simplify our balance sheet and capital resources for the long term. First, the provider of our original $60,000,000 trade line of which $25,000,000 was recently drawn chose to participate in our IPO while reducing total availability of their credit lines to the undrawn $35,000,000 amounts. As a result, we use the portion of our IPO process to repay what we had drawn plus fees.

Speaker 3

From a liquidity perspective, support from our lending group has been strong and we expect to replace a like amount of net borrowing capacity under better terms in the near future. Finally, let me give you some color on our expectation for the rest of the year. We are off to a strong start and our internal expectations for the full year are largely unchanged. I would point out that revenue is usually seasonally consistent from Q2 to Q3 due to the timing of vacation impacted shipments in Europe in August. In 2024, we expect that trend to continue.

Speaker 3

Based on our anticipated geographic mix, we expect Q3 revenue to be modestly higher sequentially followed by a bigger increase in Q4. We expect gross margin in the second half to be higher as compared to the first half based on the timing of revenues and associated operating leverage. Finally, we expect adjusted net loss to narrow in 2024 as compared to 2023. Now I will turn it back over to Eyal for closing remarks.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Mayur. These are exciting times for Gauzy. We have demonstrated a very strong initial quarter as a public company, which is on track with our plan. We have grown revenues 43% over the past 12 months, while significantly expanding our gross margin. As we look to the back half of twenty twenty four, we are on pace to dramatically accelerate our revenue and profitability.

Speaker 2

The demand catalysts that we discussed today are poised to continue the wide adoption of our innovative product to an expanding customer base. In the upcoming quarters, we plan to introduce exciting new products that we expect will further accelerate our growth expand our share in our key markets. We are well funded following our successful IPO. We look forward to achieving our goals of growing the business becoming adjusted EBITDA positive followed by EPS and cash flow generation. I am confident in our strategy, our team and our bright future.

Speaker 2

Thank you for your time today. Operator, could you please open up the line for further questions?

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the question and answer Our first question comes from the line of Mr. Dan Leddy from Barclays. Please go ahead.

Speaker 4

Hi, good morning and thank you for taking the questions. Wanted to start with a question on the backlog and maybe you can understand help us understand how to interpret or read this figure of $36,000,000 And maybe how this gives us some confidence on the visibility of forward revenue for you?

Speaker 2

Hi, Dan. Good morning and thanks for the question. So our backlog is really what we have booked and we need to ship. It's booked in our system and we need to ship. Usually, this number is the nature of our 4 businesses is such that these POs that are committed hard commitments from customers in the likes of a PO that we need to ship usually between a quarter to 2 quarters ahead.

Speaker 2

So this gives us very good visibility on top of our annual commitments and most of our customers sign annual commitments. This backlog also provides us 100% on this number, it's 100% going to be shipped in a quarter or 2 ahead. So that's where this number is coming from.

Speaker 4

Okay, great. Thank you. And the second question, I wanted to ask about the free cash flow. Maybe you can help us understand, appreciate the commentary you provided improved revenue in the back half, gross margins narrowing, gross margins improving as well. But maybe you could just talk about the free cash flow, which was negative $20,000,000 in the first half.

Speaker 4

There was some working capital. And maybe you can just provide us some comments on sort of the cadence to expect on free cash flow. How much was the first half maybe negatively impacted by some one time items on working capital or just negative seasonality?

Speaker 3

Thank you, Dan. So per your question, the net free cash flow was affected in Q2 and for the whole half, the first half of twenty twenty four by CapEx investments, okay? We invested BRL4,500,000 for the first half and BRL3 out of it in Q2. And also we had one time payments in Q2, which are not going to be this kind of expense. Of course, we might have some one time, but won't be in the coming quarters for the rest of the year related to the IPO of course.

Speaker 4

So one time expenses, I'd like to

Speaker 2

add just that. I mean there were quite a lot of one time expenses related to the IPO of course in Q2. So that's something that we're not going to see in the back half of the year.

Speaker 4

Okay. So how much of that negative $20,000,000 of free cash in the first half, how much of that was maybe sort of not above normal CapEx or the one time expenses? Just trying to get a sense of how much substantially the free cash flow should improve in the back half of the year?

Speaker 3

So for the first half, including IPO and other one time expenses, it's about $4,000,000 to $5,000,000 in the first half.

Speaker 4

Okay. So $4,000,000 to $5,000,000 of sort of one time expenses. Okay. Thank you. Maybe just if I could squeeze in one last one and maybe you could just give us a sense on the relative segment dynamics that are feeding into the backlog.

Speaker 4

Appreciate there's strong, I would say, demand on air right now. That's what's being produced. But our understanding was that SafetyTek was the one where there was a very robust stream of programs coming on of retrofits, etcetera. So how do you expect the backlog to shift from a segment perspective Thanks, Jan. So,

Speaker 2

Thanks, Jan. So I'll start with the second half of the question. It's not I'm not sure that we're going to see the backlog of automotive substantially increasing on POs in the system that we still need to ship when we're looking at the end of a period. Because usually once we get the order from an OEM in the automotive segment, unlike other segments, we ship it rather quickly. So many, many times you'd see the backlog going up and then going down because we just shipped it.

Speaker 2

So it is going to

Speaker 3

be it is going to

Speaker 2

increase, but it's not going to go to the numbers of Aeronautics where you get the purchase order and the backlog is purchase orders committed, whether we are committed to ship in the short very short term. So you'd see bigger orders for a little bit more time, so we can be even 2 quarters in Aero. So the number in Aero is kind of naturally bigger because it just we get the POs are bigger when we have more time to ship it. In automotive, it tends to be shipped quite quickly we receive the PO. So you won't see the purchase order on the book.

Speaker 2

But on an annual basis, this gives you a lot of information for the next quarter or 2. But again, it doesn't take away from our annual minimum commitments in these segments. And in Safety Tech, it's a little bit the same. So I'm coming back to the first half of the question. We you see the big number in aeronautics a lot because there is really there's record traveling in the last year where the cycles that the regulatory regulation mandates the operators, the airlines to replace for instance a cockpit shade shortens a lot.

Speaker 2

And once they foresee a lot of travel and more time in the air, they're picking up the orders to be ready for these replacements in the short term. So it's a lot because of that and we expect that to kind of settle down a little bit. It's still going to grow very nicely and even we're going to expect accelerated growth on this. But the backlog or the orders that we need to ship, the time for shipment from minute we get a PO is going to shorten. So you see you're going to see a balance on that.

Speaker 2

And I want to say it's kind of the same in SafetyTek. When we had to ship systems in to the Paris Olympics, we got the order and we had to ship it almost immediately. So it didn't live much in the backlog. So it's kind of the same like automotive. You get the order and you ship it quite immediately.

Speaker 2

So it doesn't live a long time in this hard committed pile, we call it backlog.

Speaker 4

Great. I'll leave it there. Thank you. Thanks, Dan.

Operator

Thank you, Mr. Dan Levy from Barclays. Our next question comes from the line of Mr. Joshua Nichols from B. Riley.

Operator

Please go ahead, sir.

Speaker 5

Thanks for taking my questions. I wanted to ask a little bit on the gross margin. You saw a nice sequential improvement in margins up to 27%. You talked about expecting very good sales growth for this year. Can you elaborate a little bit about gross margin expansion opportunities in the second half of the year, given the revenue trajectory that you expect to increase as well?

Speaker 3

Thank you, Josh. So in general, which this as we have quite a infrastructure, which can support much higher revenue. So the higher the revenue, the fixed cost will remain mostly the same and all the variable costs will increase. So as we expect that the H2 revenue top line will be higher than H1, this will considering that the fixed cost will remain mostly the same, it will enable us to increase the gross margins in H2 compared to H1 and for the whole year in general compared to 2023. Maybe

Speaker 2

just I'd like to add, May with your permission, it's also that we see a positive change in the mix of products with every division, you see less legacy and more of the new product lines being sold for instance in SafetyTech, hence improving our gross profit in that measure because we have different gross profits for different product lines. And of course, the same way we demonstrated this in age 1 and we did well on our plans and our gross profit in age 1, we're expecting the same and accelerated even accelerated performance into H2 also due to of course to scale, but also due to a better product mix.

Speaker 5

Thanks for the detail there. And then I know automotive, we've talked about that as a big long term opportunity. You're working with, I think, 6 or so OEMs, including Daimler already. I'm kind of curious about the expectations for adding new customers to the company's platform potential announcements on that front in the second half? And then how long it takes from customer addition to ramp up and actually start delivering some of these products?

Speaker 2

So thanks, Josh. I'll say that we have quite a few that are in line to initiate serial production. So the market and of course, doesn't know, but we have some that we've been working on for a few years that are expected to announce the commence of 0 production soon. So you should expect announcements in that respect with new OEMs, but also with new models. And that takes me to the second half of your question.

Speaker 2

If an OEM needs to homologate our SVD or our LC on the rooftop, it can take some time. It depends. It varies between EVs, I have to say. It depends if it's more a traditional OEM. It can vary between months and even years.

Speaker 2

But once you homologated that product within an OEM, the next model and the next model and the next one and usually the next models are those who are more massive production, that is only a discussion about price. So you can see a very steep acceleration in volume after you had one OEM to one model that same OEM can do many more because it's already homologated. So that's how you kind of need to view the automotive business.

Speaker 5

Thanks. And then last question just to pivot back about profitability and cash flow a little bit. I know you mentioned that you expect the net income loss to narrow. I'm curious on an EBITDA basis the company's expectation is in terms of getting to kind of like breakeven profitability level and how long that may take? [SPEAKER

Speaker 3

JOSE RAFAEL FERNANDEZ:] Sure. So we are very happy with our top line revenue and gross margin for Q2 and H1 and we are on the way to be profitable and on track with our plan

Speaker 2

Yes. For the rest of the year, yes. So the EBITDA measure for Gauzy as we say often is something that we like to see on an annual basis. There is sometimes pull forward on, I give you an example, R and D expenses that are not considering the specific top line of that quarter, but we're very accurate on an annual basis, same as we say on the revenue on which we base the budget that we provide for R and D, for example, which is an EBITDA expense. So I think that while we're in line and with the top line and gross profit, we're on track with the EBITDA measure as well for the full year.

Speaker 5

Thanks guys.

Speaker 3

Thanks Josh.

Speaker 2

Thanks Josh.

Operator

Thank you, Mr. Josh Nichols from B. Riley. Your next question comes from the line of Mr. Jeff Osborne from TD Cowen.

Operator

Please go ahead.

Speaker 6

Great. Thank you. Just maybe following up on that question. You mentioned to Dan that $4,000,000 to $5,000,000 I think of the cash consumption was sort of one time in nature. Is there a way of thinking about for 2Q in particular, how much of the OpEx was associated with the IPO or others that that figure did come in above our expectations?

Speaker 6

And I heard you just say you budget things on an annual basis, but if you could just articulate in further detail any one time items that might have been flowing through the OpEx lines in 2Q, that would be helpful.

Speaker 3

Thank you, Jeff. So first, regarding the IPO, I said it's not just IPO expenses in H1. There are one time expenses which were included in H1, but we expect and project H2 to be much better because of the top line and gross margin will be increased and that will back up our better free cash flow in that period.

Speaker 2

And maybe a comment. Jeff, I think that you're looking at if there are any kind of one time I think question that one time expenses which are not IPO related or more like OpEx related in H1 that we're not going to see in H2. I'd say that's rather minor. There are some, but the main way the way to look at H2 with Gauzy is we're going to see, as we always do years back, an accelerated growth into age 2, providing us more cash to stabilize the EBITDA measure. Of course, removing all the one time expenses that we had in H1 unrelated to OpEx, like IPO.

Speaker 2

But you should view this mainly because of more cash we have left because of accelerated growth in H2.

Speaker 6

Got it. And then maybe switching gears, but can you just touch on the SV3 product cycle for SafetyTek? I think you were going to start introducing that in Q4 and then ramp that up in 2025. I just want to ensure that that's on track.

Speaker 2

Yes. Thanks, Jeff. It's 100% on track. I think we even mentioned this that we're going to announce the product out in Q3. We're going to do that in the IAA show in Germany, which is this year all about trucks, bus and coach.

Speaker 2

It's going to be a big, big event for us and that's where we're going to announce it. Inviting anyone who wants to come and see us there is going to be a big event for us. So it's on track, very soon to be announced commercial and on track to be launched commercially towards the end of this year as you mentioned.

Speaker 6

Great to hear. And then maybe just the last question on SafetyTek. I think you prepared remarks 80 cities and you mentioned Paris, which you had put a press release out about. I think during the IPO process, most of the focus was on Melbourne, Lyon and London, I believe. But is there any other notable cities that have hundreds of units that have been ordered that you can articulate or the bulk of the 80 just sort of in the testing phase?

Speaker 2

So it's a good question, Jeff. It's Brisbane in Australia. It's also a major metropolitan, but it's Brisbane, not Melbourne yet. But we're working on that as well. I'd like to say that when we say it's already running the streets on buses with no mirrors at all, collecting great statistics.

Speaker 2

It's very important to be big and be first in these cases. We're in many cases, so there are cities that I am not able to mention right now and we have a pipeline of this for the full for a year or 2 from now. But I can give you color on this. When we say 80 cities, it's not only demos. We are embedded on you can find us in Bilbao in Spain on Irisal because Irisal has sells its bus with an option and the local city doesn't have to sign a whole agreement with us for.

Speaker 2

So it's a small operator in one part of the city using Israel and they already run it with our ADAS because they're using that. So when I'm saying that we're deployed commercially in 80 cities or more, it's really not demos. It's really many times coming from the OEM and then being used by local municipalities or local fleet like VIP buses and things like

Speaker 6

that. Great to hear. That's all I had. Thanks so much.

Operator

Thank you, Mr. Jeff Osborne from TD Cowen. Ladies and gentlemen, we are still in our question and answer session. Our next question comes from the line of Mr. Matthew Sheerin from Stifel.

Operator

Please go ahead.

Speaker 7

Yes. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Lots of good data points here and information. I did have a couple of modeling questions.

Speaker 7

Just regarding interest expense, I know you raised a lot of money on the IPO and I know your debt has come down. So could you talk us through expectations for interest expense for the rest of the

Speaker 4

year?

Speaker 3

Thank you, Max. So as you said, part of the financial expenses came from interest expenses as some came from valuation, fair value valuation. We did repay part of our debts in Q3, but we have enough liquidity to get to profitability. So we're still on track. And we were offered by the way with the new facility with better churns and we are considering it

Speaker 2

right now. So maybe, I think that you're going to expect, Matt, the interest expenses into the second half to be reduced because we have repaid some of the debt with the IPO proceeds. We're also as May mentioned, we have a few offers right now on the table to potentially replace existing debt with better terms and we're exploring it right now. Does that answer your question? Yes.

Speaker 7

I mean, directionally, it does. But are we talking about like getting that cut in half? I mean, you were at $13,000,000 last year and you were $7,000,000 or $7,000,000 whatever $1,000,000 in the first half of this year. So do you expect that to be down dramatically like the $1,000,000 or $2,000,000 a quarter?

Speaker 3

It should be down dramatically in H2, yes.

Speaker 7

Okay. And then thanks for all the commentary around the backlog and opportunities within the end markets. But one potential concern that we're getting from investors is in the slowdown of EV across the globe and still growing, but still slower or seeing push outs of model years. And I know a lot of your growth opportunity within auto is tied to EV, particularly on the sunroof. Are you seeing any concerns with customers?

Speaker 7

Are you sort of small enough and niche enough where you're focusing on sort of the high end and that's not a concern near term?

Speaker 2

Thanks, Matt. I'll take that. It's a great question. I'd like to say that we're not experiencing any slowdown ourselves. And I think that in many cases, slowdown is interpreted at least from what we see.

Speaker 2

It's still growing, but only the acceleration is not as expected, but it's still growing. And that change in acceleration of the adoption of EV, is really so much so far from what we're doing right now with what we're experiencing. We're working with numerous OEMs on programs and not even one has either stopped or delayed plans. So on the big, big numbers, you're right and it's a good point. But the matter of the fact is that it is still growing and we are still in the very, very beginning.

Speaker 2

We're talking about 6 OEMs today. We have way more than 6 in the pipeline. A lot of them are also EV. No one has indicated anything like stopping anything or whatnot. And again, the need in our product, we think and we have OEMs agreeing with us is in every EV that has a glass roof.

Speaker 2

And that number is so big and so far for what we're doing right now. And I have to say you're going to you should expect us to be not only on niche and high end. That's always how it starts in automotive. If I'm if you're going to go in Daimler, you're going to start with the S Class and go take your way down to the E Class and C Class. That's how it goes.

Speaker 2

But these OEMs negotiate terms and annual contract with us taking into consideration the next models within every OEM. So you should expect this also on say more regular passenger cars soon.

Speaker 7

Okay. That's very helpful. Thank you very

Speaker 2

much. Thank you, Matt.

Operator

Thank you, Mr. Matthew Shearing. There are no further questions at this time. I'd now like to turn the call back over to Mr. Eyal Peso, Chief Executive Officer for final closing comments.

Speaker 2

Thank you for joining us today. We look forward to future discussions and announcements to update you on our progress. Have a great rest of your day. Thanks.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes your conference call for today. Thank you for participating and ask that you please disconnect your lines. I hope you all have a great day.

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Earnings Conference Call
Gauzy Q2 2024
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