FTC Solar Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
November 8, 2023

There are 11 speakers on the call.

Operator

Hello, and welcome to the FTC Solar Third Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode. After the speakers' presentation, there will be a question and answer session. I would now like to hand the conference over to Bill Michalek, Vice President of Investor Relations. You may begin, sir.

Speaker 1

Thank you, and welcome everyone to FCC Solar's Third Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call. Before the call, you may have Reviewed our earnings release and supplemental financial information, which were posted earlier today. If you've not yet reviewed these documents, they're available on the Investor Relations section of our website at fdcsolardot I'm joined today by Shekhar Sadasavam, Chairman of the Board and Patrick Cook, the company's Chief Commercial Officer And Kathy Beynon, the Company's Chief Financial Officer. Before we begin, I remind everyone that today's discussion contains forward looking statements based on our assumptions and beliefs in the current environment and speaks only as of the current date. As such, these forward looking statements include risks and uncertainties and actual results and events may differ materially from our current expectations.

Speaker 1

Please refer to our press release and other SEC filings for more information on the specific risk factors. We assume no obligation to update such information except as required by law. As you expect, we'll discuss both GAAP and non GAAP financial measures today. Please note that the earnings release issued this morning includes a full reconciliation of each non GAAP financial measure to the nearest applicable GAAP measure. In addition, we'll discuss our backlog and our definition of this metric is also included in our press release.

Speaker 1

With that, I'll turn it over to Shekhar.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Bill, and good morning, everyone. I felt it was important to speak with you directly On behalf of the Board of Directors about the leadership transition we have announced today, FTC Solar is a company with a great team of employees and innovative and compelling technology and services that customers enjoy. With the start of AD CBD and supply chain disruptions, our growth trajectory was interrupted And much of the last 2 years has been about repositioning the company to be in the right markets with the right technology and cost structure. We have made progress on that front and improved our positioning. The tracker market is healthy and profitable, And FTC Solar now needs to accelerate our progress and achieve and enjoy healthy profitable growth.

Speaker 2

At the Board level, As we evaluated our opportunities and growth plans ahead, the Board agreed that now is the right time to bring new leadership to Kathy Behnan, who has served as the company's Chief Accounting Officer since 2020, has been named our Chief Financial Officer On an interim basis, Kathy has more than 20 years of financial leadership experience, including CFO and accounting partner roles, and has made significant contributions to the company as Chief Accounting Officer and a member of the executive team. We are excited to have Kathy take on this expanded responsibility. The combination of Kathy and her fellow executive leadership members, Patrick Cook, our Chief Commercial Officer and Sasan Amanpour, our Chief Operating Officer will provide steady leadership of the day to day management of the company. To further ensure a smooth transition for the company and its employees and customers, during this transition, The Board will provide increased oversight of those leaders and be engaged on a regular basis. In particular, Ahmad Shatila We'll regularly assist in facilitating communication between management and the Board to monitor key activities and initiatives in an order to accelerate profitable growth.

Speaker 2

We are confident that this team and structure has the capability along with the right blend While today's news represents a change, it also represents a tremendous opportunity for us to accelerate our momentum. With that update, I thank you for your time, and I'll turn it over to Patrick to discuss the highlights from Q3 and the progress you have made.

Speaker 3

Thank you, Shaker, and good morning, everyone. As Kathy will discuss, our 3rd quarter results largely came in as expected, net of benefits to gross margin and a charge to operating expense that were not in our guidance. As we look to the Q4, our slate of projects in aggregate is getting a later start than we previously anticipated as customers continue to As a result, the guidance we are providing for the 4th quarter is down from Q3. We expect this to be followed by a much more significant revenue growth in the Q1 of 2024 as the delayed projects ramp. We continue to feel good about our future and overall long term growth prospects.

Speaker 3

Our confidence is based on our improved competitive positioning And supported by our large and growing backlog, I'll briefly review the positioning improvements that we discussed last quarter. First, we believe our manufacturing cost is now in line with our leading competitors. We're more competitive than we've ever been on that front We will continue to prove with scale. 2nd, our average new project margins put us on track to meet or exceed the targets we provided in the past. As you may recall, we have previously targeted getting to the 10% to 15% gross margin range on $100,000,000 in quarterly revenue.

Speaker 3

The fact that we were able to approach the low end of that range or about 9.5% on a normalized basis on only $30,000,000 in revenue in Q3 is an additional proof point that the cost reduction actions we've taken have borne fruit and position us to achieve profitability as we grow revenue and see additional cost absorption. 3rd, we are now in the market with our 1P solution, Pioneer. We believe the 1P market has done better in this time of restricted module availability and we didn't have a solution until recently. We have had great customer response to Pioneer and our 1P backlog is growing very nicely, including quite a few project additions Following RE Plus Trade Show in September. 4th, we continue to grow our international business.

Speaker 3

Like South Africa and now have awards in a dozen countries outside of the U. S. Our 1P solution will only enhance our prospects internationally. And 5th and lastly, our backlog has now grown to approximately $1,600,000,000 with approximately $60,000,000 added since August 9. On our last call, we outlined a number of projects that were added, which include deliveries in 2024, including in Spain, Italy and South Africa.

Speaker 3

We also announced the award of a 1 gigawatt project in Idaho. One project we didn't mention at And our goal is now to ensure we're adding more business and converting to purchase orders to support future growth. So in summary, we were pleased to do well relative to our Q3 targets and demonstrate continuous gross margin improvement. Some 4th quarter projects are starting later than anticipated, but we expect to improve revenue performance in the Q1 along with margin improvement. We're positioned with the product cost structure that will enable our gross margin expansion to continue and reach new highs as revenue grows.

Speaker 3

We'll keep a cap on operating expenses while investing for future growth and we expect to cross profitability in 2024. With that, I'll turn it over to Kathy.

Speaker 4

Thanks, Patrick, and good morning, everyone. I'll provide some additional color on our Q3 performance and our outlook. Beginning with the discussion of the Q3, revenue came in at $30,500,000 This revenue level represents a slight decline of 5.6% relative to last quarter and an increase of 84.3 percent relative to the year ago quarter. Gross profit benefited from higher project margins, A better mix of materials versus logistics and a couple of non recurring benefits. Specifically, our GAAP gross profit was $3,400,000 or 11.1 percent of revenue compared to $2,200,000 or 6.8 percent of revenue in the prior quarter.

Speaker 4

On a non GAAP basis, gross profit was $3,900,000 or 12.8 percent of revenue. That does include a couple of non recurring benefits totaling $1,000,000 that were not contemplated in our guidance and related to better than expected margins on a closed project and lower than expected inventory costs that we don't expect will reoccur in future periods. If those benefits were excluded or on the same basis as our guidance, Non GAAP gross margin would have been 9.5%, still above our guidance range of 3% to 9%, supported by mix and improved cost structure. This represents our 4th consecutive quarter of gross margin improvement and our 3rd quarter of positive margin since our IPO. These figures compare to a non GAAP gross profit of $2,600,000 or 8.2% in the prior quarter And a non GAAP gross loss of $8,200,000 in the year ago quarter, with a difference driven primarily by significant improved product direct margin and lower warranty and other indirect costs.

Speaker 4

Our GAAP operating expenses were $19,700,000 on a non GAAP basis. Excluding stock based compensation and certain other costs, operating expenses were $13,200,000 compared to $9,100,000 in the year ago quarter. The operating expenses this quarter included an approximate $4,000,000 credit loss relating to a specific customer account. Excluding this charge, our non GAAP operating expenses would have been $9,200,000 which would be below or better than our guidance range and at the low end of what we've seen over the last 2 years as we continue to look for efficiencies across the company, while continuing to invest strategically in areas that support our growth. Next, GAAP net loss of $16,900,000 or $0.14 per share compared to $10,400,000 or $0.09 per share in the prior quarter and had a net loss of $25,600,000 or $0.25 per share in the year ago quarter.

Speaker 4

Adjusted EBITDA loss, which excludes approximately $7,200,000 including stock based compensation expense and other non cash items, was $9,700,000 compared to losses of $7,200,000 in the prior quarter and $17,700,000 in the year ago quarter. Excluding the $4,000,000 charge as well as the gross margin benefit, adjusted EBITDA would have been at the high end of our guidance range. Finally, regarding liquidity, we had an operational use of cash in the quarter, offset by usage of the ATM facility, For which we received $13,400,000 of cash in the quarter and we ended the quarter with $31,500,000 cash on the balance sheet. We continue to hold no debt on the balance sheet, have a largely available credit revolver as well as $65,000,000 remaining under the ATM program at the end of the quarter. With that, let us turn our focus to the outlook.

Speaker 4

Based on our current view and including the project delays that Patrick mentioned, By a fairly substantial revenue recovery as projects ramp. As Patrick mentioned, we have a great deal of gross margin runway ahead of us and we expect the trend, particularly as the revenue growth to largely be up. Specifically, our targets for the Q4 call for the following: Revenue between $18,000,000 $28,000,000 non GAAP gross margins between negative $1,300,000 and positive $2,000,000 or between negative 7% and positive 7% of revenue. Non GAAP operating expenses between $10,000,000 11,000,000 dollars and finally, adjusted EBITDA loss between $13,000,000 $2,500,000 For the Q1 of 2024, we expect to see about a 96% sequential revenue growth at the midpoint with improvements in all categories. Specifically, revenue between $40,000,000 $50,000,000 non GAAP gross margin between $3,200,000 $6,300,000 or between 8% 13% of revenue Non GAAP operating expenses between $9,000,000 $10,000,000 and finally, adjusted EBITDA loss between $7,300,000 $3,000,000 Looking forward, we continue to feel good about the opportunity for a strong revenue recovery in 2024 and achieving profitability.

Speaker 4

With that, we conclude our prepared remarks, and I will turn it over to the operator for any questions. Operator? Thank you.

Operator

Our first question comes from the line of Philip Shen with ROTH. Your line is open.

Speaker 5

Yes, thanks for taking my questions. First one here is on the guidance for Q4 and Q1. I think it came in lighter than what the Street was looking for in a meaningful way. You talked about in your prepared remarks that You'll see a ramp up and it's been impacted by module delays. Is it fair to say that you guys have been more exposed to the Long G as opposed to Jinko, because Jinko has been flowing pretty smoothly for some time now.

Speaker 5

And then recently only Longxi was able to get their OCI poly module released. And so as that starts to Would you expect much better expectations ahead as a result of that detention

Speaker 1

Thanks. Hey, Phil. So I'll start and then I'll let Patrick So historically in our backlog, we did have a fair amount of modules from that supplier that were associated with our projects. Many of those have During the AD CBD process found different modules to move forward with. So it's fair historically, but I think that's And changing.

Speaker 1

Patrick, I don't know if you'd add anything there.

Speaker 3

Yes. And Phil, I'd say the other thing too, when you think about kind of Q4, Q1, we've had some Projects kind of move to the right in terms of the overall revenue ramp. The 1 gigawatt project that We'll be delivering here and then the 700 Megawatt project that we signed last quarter and are in process of delivering. You're going to see a lot of that baseload revenue get shifted into 2024, which is why we're so optimistic about kind of the future prospects Because we've got that 1.7 gigawatts plus already kind of in the hopper and delivering. So we're very excited about that.

Speaker 5

Great. So, we've mentioned a fair amount recently about the challenges with some project delays as a result of elevated

Speaker 6

rates for

Speaker 5

a long period of time and so forth. Can you walk through the rationale for each of those project push outs? If you touched on it earlier, sorry if I missed it, But just curious if you can give a little bit more color as to why the gigawatt and the 700 megawatt projects were pushed to the

Speaker 3

I think from a just overarching perspective, what we're seeing is a rise in financing cost obviously is Creating a little bit longer duration as projects reach kind of FNTP or LNTP. And you're seeing Those types of projects move. Interconnection has also been a little bit of a challenge. You're seeing kind of a little bit of grid issues, grid Congestion and that's having those projects ultimately pushed to the right more than what we've traditionally seen in the past. Obviously, module availability is getting better, but we're seeing increased rates and financing and interconnection is kind of the current challenges in the market.

Speaker 5

Okay, great. Thanks, Patrick. One last one for me and I'll pass it on. As it relates to working capital, you have A healthy amount of cash, dollars 30,000,000 but you have a bunch of cash tied up in accounts receivables at $71,000,000 and pretty high day accounts. Just wondering if you can talk us through balance sheet, working capital, how you expect to manage through?

Speaker 5

Thanks.

Speaker 4

Yes. Phil, this is Kathy. We feel very confident. Our cash position We'll be flat to a little improved by the end of Q4. We have some chunky receivables we expect to be coming in, in Q4.

Speaker 4

And with the ramp that we're seeing and the move to profitability, we're confident in kind of where that stands on the balance sheet.

Speaker 5

Great. Thanks, Kathy. And in terms of why are the receivables so chunky at this point? I mean or why are they so high? Are there just Are there some is this another kind of reflection of what's going on in the market where some of your customers might be trying to preserve cash?

Speaker 4

Yes. I think that's exactly what we've seen. And some of the financing changes on our customer side also making the have pushed out And the receivables that we have some that are a large receivable that we're expecting to see coming in Q4.

Speaker 1

And that was the receivable that we mentioned that we expected to come in last quarter. It actually looks like it's going to come in now this quarter 7. That's the bigger chunk

Speaker 7

of it.

Speaker 5

It

Speaker 4

moves to the right.

Speaker 2

Got it. And do you have

Speaker 5

a credit facility and can you talk about the capacity available?

Speaker 3

Yes, we have a revolving credit facility right now. It's $100,000,000 We've got about 1.5 to 2 pretty de minimis amount that's ultimately utilized. It's traditionally used for letters of credit to support projects. As we've gotten more credibility within the market, we haven't had to tap in and ultimately utilize So it's remained undrawn and untapped. So we've got more than $95,000,000 available under the line.

Speaker 1

But as of quarter end Great, good.

Speaker 5

Sorry, go ahead.

Speaker 1

I didn't say it with so we can utilize throughout the quarter, we can utilize the full amount there. And then at the quarter end, there's $5,000,000 available left on the revolver.

Speaker 5

Okay. Thanks guys. I'll pass it on.

Speaker 1

Thanks, Phil.

Speaker 4

Thank you. Please stand by for our next question.

Operator

Our next question comes from the line of Donovan Shafer with Northland Capital Markets. Your line is open.

Speaker 7

Hey, guys. So thanks for taking the questions. I first want to ask So with the transition with the CEO and the CFO, kind of wondering if Shaker is still on, maybe we can get A response from him on this, but if the issue here is kind of the way everything the way you guys are describing it and All these dynamics that are out of your control, it seems, or at least being framed that way, but also lined up For acceleration, I think the word acceleration was used a lot in the prepared remarks. If all that's lined up That way and unfolding as best as possible within what you can control, Then why replace the CEO and CFO and or otherwise, more candidly, what is the Board's view of what's Going on here and tied to that, why should we continue to put faith in Q1 guidance, guidance and even the backlog at this point. Has all that been reviewed and re reviewed by the Board?

Speaker 7

Any clarification would be helpful.

Speaker 1

In terms of the I'm going to let Kathy speak to this, but the I think the view is to de risk the guidance. That's why you saw Some lower numbers, I think the company feels comfortable with what we're putting out for Q4 and Q1. And Kathy, I don't know if you want Yes,

Speaker 4

Donovan. Yes, the answer is yes. We've gone through it project by project. And my goal is Provide guidance that I can be confident in and that's what we've done. And we have a very clear view Into the ramp in Q1.

Speaker 4

So very confident with that.

Speaker 7

Okay. And then, with the Actually, sorry, did anyone else want to comment on that question? Okay. Well then, as a follow-up, talking about if module If module imports have improved, we've talked before about that really being the hang up and The backlog being skewed for 2P projects and that those tend to be more complex sites. And so those have moved to the back of the queue.

Speaker 7

Since module supply has improved so much, it feels like Those waiting in the wings should have been able to kind of kick into gear and start going Or otherwise, that narrative is kind of broken down. If it's just interconnect and financing now, Is there a reason on those aspects why you guys would be disproportionately impacted? I mean, some peers have Yes. It's not that peers haven't been impacted at all, but it seems like you are still being disproportionately impacted. So If it's not the modules, then how is the disproportionate impact landing on you guys around financing and interconnects?

Speaker 3

So I'll talk to the module piece. We are seeing modules ultimately come in and Donovan, you're right, 2P Sites are inherently ultimately more complex. But if you think about developers and how they engage with EPCs, They're building out their kind of construction schedule. So a lot of the 1P sites are still continuing to get done. And some of the 2P sites just based on EPC availability are still kind of forecast to go mid to late 2024 and then to 2025.

Speaker 3

And those schedules are being set And Q3 and Q4 ultimately of 2023 as they build some of these 150 megawatts to 200 megawatt sites.

Speaker 1

And to that, in general, we've seen some of the same things that industry have seen around financing, panels, labor permitting, renegotiating PPAs. I mean, those are the types of things we have talked about last quarter seeing a general push out in backlog. Around the 2P, we have a number of projects That if they were scheduled to move forward with the project, but they didn't have modules, they've renegotiated now. So a project that would have been scheduled to go 6 months ago maybe is now going to go in late 2024 and 2025. So that's the new schedule for that particular project.

Speaker 1

But that's the only other thing I'd add there.

Speaker 2

Bill and Donovan, this is Sheikhar. I'm sorry, I had trouble with the audio and I can address the Question with the leadership change. And Donovan, again, thank you for the question. We talked in the prepared remarks about Repositioning the business, that we have the work that we've done in the last 2 years and essentially in a lot of the work we've done Has improved our cost structure and the competitive positioning. The organization is also a lot leaner And we have filled gaps in our product portfolio.

Speaker 2

And really, in the April, May timeframe, we were very optimistic on the business outlook. But really what was happening, we were not getting the POs. So the Board really started getting into the details And we found a lot of opportunity for improvement in just the basic blocking and tackling and execution issues. In particular, we found there were opportunities to accelerate decision making and how it was coordinated across the organization, Closing gaps with product portfolio faster and increasing customer interaction, so there's better Linkage between revenue forecast and PO attainment. So that's the reason for the change and hopefully that answers your question.

Speaker 7

Okay. Yes, that is helpful. And then just if I can get one last question one last more in on the credit charge. So with the $4,000,000 credit provision tied to 1 customer, Can you clarify, is that a case where the you guys and the customer, There's agreement or they share your understanding around the idea of what is the total amount of monies owed for Goods and services provided or is it actually and they just don't have and they're just not paying it Or is it a case where they're actually in some way disputing or they don't share your view and they don't think they Or have reasons for withholding that $4,000,000

Speaker 4

Hi, Donovan. Thanks for the question. No, there's no dispute. The customer understands the value of the receivable. It's strictly Collectibility and ability to pay issue.

Speaker 7

Okay. That's very helpful. Okay. Thank you, guys. We'll take the rest of my questions offline.

Operator

Our next question comes from the line of Amit Dayal with H. C. Wainwright. Your line is open.

Speaker 8

Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Most of my questions have already been addressed. But I was just wondering if Had any projects that have been canceled? I know backlog is a little bit higher, but are there any project cancellations that Are impacting near term results and outlook?

Speaker 3

No, we haven't seen thanks for the question. We haven't seen any projects that were that have been canceled, Just push to the right.

Speaker 8

Okay, understood. And in non UFLPA orders, I think you guys gave a number last quarter. I don't see it this time. Maybe I missed it. Could you tell us what that number looks like?

Speaker 3

Yes. I mean, in terms of the non UFLPA, for the awards that we signed up this quarter, all of those are not subject to UFLPA And all of the projects have panels.

Speaker 8

Okay. Thank you. Thank you for that. So given you have a pretty positive outlook for 2024, Do you think you potentially could see sequential improvements through the year in 2024 After the bounce back, say, relative to Q23 or do you not have any visibility at this point to kind of give us That's great. No outlook.

Speaker 1

So we haven't guided to 2020 beyond Q1 for 2024. But We had indicated in the last call that we expect the ramp to start in Q4 and now you're seeing that ramp start now here in Q1. So as these projects, particularly the Almost 700 megawatt project is one example that Patrick called out. That's one that's going to contribute here in Q4 And ramp in the next quarter. So that kind of give you an indication of how the we'd expect things to start To ramp on those projects that we talked about last quarter?

Speaker 1

And I think the

Speaker 3

one thing to kind of piggyback off that is, if you look at a gigawatt project and nearly 700 Megawatt project. Once those projects start flowing, you're getting kind of that Base load of revenue. So the project isn't having this like stop and start. So there's kind of a linear progression of revenue that's going to stretch over multiple quarters. So now that we've got some of these larger projects that are ultimately delivering, it gives us a further visibility on how much revenue that We're going to get in any given quarter from those projects.

Speaker 3

And then it's just adding new projects kind of along the way that are ultimately going to start. Converting from our current contract and award and finding new projects in conjunction with these two large projects Plus several others that are ramping at the end of Q4 or in Q4 and into 2024.

Speaker 8

Right. So we could potentially be in a situation where we see year over year improvements through all 4 quarters next year?

Speaker 1

We definitely feel good about the growth prospects in 2024 and definitely revenue growth and margin improvement for sure.

Speaker 8

Thank you. Just one last one on number 1P offering, how much of the backlog or how much backlog for that product In the overall backlog number?

Speaker 3

The majority of if you look at the kind of contract in the world, the majority of the is our 2 in portrait tracker. That really ties to the fact that the 2 in portrait tracker has been around since 2017 and we brought it to market in 2019 and we didn't bring the 1P Pioneer until Late Q3. And so we haven't had the time to build that 1P backlog that we had with that we have 2P. Now we are seeing a lot of being offered to bid on projects, a lot of activity around Pioneer and the We expect to start building out our backlog of our 1P as we kind of get through Q4 and into the coming quarters.

Speaker 2

Okay. Got it. Understood.

Speaker 8

Thank you, guys. That's all I have. Appreciate it.

Speaker 4

Thank you.

Operator

Our next question comes from the line of Pavel Molchanov With Raymond James and Associates, your line is open.

Speaker 9

Yes. Thanks for taking the question. Can we get an update on your Manufacturing joint venture, which I think is now maybe a quarter or 2 since it started operating?

Speaker 1

Yes, I'll start on that one. So all the equipment is installed and we've been doing qualification runs. We've got some revenue facility in the current quarter Here at Q4 and get larger in 2024. Sorry, Pavel, go ahead.

Speaker 2

No, please.

Speaker 1

Go ahead.

Speaker 3

No, I was going to say Bill is right. I mean that facility is up and running. We've got projects Going through it currently and if you look at the some of the projects that are in delivery or in shipment in Q4 and 2024, the anticipation is that we'll be utilizing that facility, and when we're going to market with new bids or new quotations, Use and production of that facility is kind of at the forefront right now.

Speaker 9

Is there Uplift in gross margin that you are anticipating once that is That facility is fully ramped up.

Speaker 1

So at this point, we're not making any benefit from 45x into the In our current guidance, but Kathy, is there anything else you want to add to?

Speaker 4

No. We're We do expect to see continued improvement in our margin, and that facility will support that as well.

Speaker 9

Okay. I know you're not giving formal guidance yet beyond Q1, But as you sort of zoom out on 2024 as a whole, do you anticipate being a cash user Or a cash generator?

Speaker 4

Well, we're moving we see a crossover into profitability in 20 24, so we expect to be generating cash in 2024.

Speaker 9

All right. Thanks very much.

Speaker 1

Thanks, Bob.

Operator

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of John Wyndham with UBS. Your line is open.

Speaker 6

Hey, great. Thanks for taking the questions. I guess the first one just quickly, any commentary from the Board on the status Of a CEO and CFO permanent replacements and the parameters of which it internal versus external candidates and what sort of time frame Investors should expect permanent replacements. Thanks.

Speaker 2

Hi, John. This is, Shaker. Thank you for the question. So the Board, like I said, we have been involved with details of the company over the last 3 months And for now, we feel that the best team to take us forward is Patrick, Sasan and Kathy With oversight from the Board, and we do not want to rush into a CEO succession, primarily because urgency with which we need to get things done and we need to take our time in finding a good CEO. And so for both those reasons, we will be very deliberate To make sure we have positioned the company well, we have the team that we have now has got tremendous amount of operational depth.

Speaker 2

They're also going to be guided by a Board with a lot of operational depth. And Ahmad is going to act as a facilitator and he played a similar role at Enphase Between 2017 2020. So I think we feel good about the team that we have and we want to take our time in getting the CEO in place. In terms of CFO, Kathy is a very accomplished person to take that role, And we will decide on a replacement either internal, external or to have Kathy going forward in the subsequent months. Hopefully that answers your question.

Speaker 6

Yes, it did. Appreciate it. And then on a completely separate topic, Obviously, there's, I think a healthy amount of skepticism around the $1,600,000,000 backlog. It's essentially the same size Closing specific projects, again, I think just a little bit of comfortability with just a portion of the backlog would provide a lot of peace of mind for investors.

Speaker 1

We've actually gotten that question recently and we actually did some work on that As far as doing that, we didn't present it this quarter given the changes that we announced, but that's something that over The next few months is something we'd either put out or mention on our next call, but it's definitely something that we're looking to do in some form or

Operator

Our next question comes from the line of Julien Dumoulin Smith With Bank of America, your line is open.

Speaker 10

Hey, guys. It's Alex Vrabeu on for Julian. Maybe just actually a follow on to that question on sort of the makeup of the backlog and the opportunity, I'll frame it as, I guess, To provide a little bit more transparency, I know you guys obviously talked about UFLPA or I guess non UFLPA orders, But also international as sort of being a shorter cycle, faster ramp than some of the stuff you're seeing in the U. S. Just curious, what's the status of that piece of things?

Speaker 10

Clearly, things still look a little bit challenged. And just curious, I mean, as far as these slippages, Are you seeing the same thing internationally versus the U. S. Where obviously the rates environment is still high, But a little bit more muted depending on kind of where your access?

Speaker 3

Thanks. Yes. I mean, I think if you look at thank you for the question. I mean, I think if you look in the regions in which We operate, obviously the U. S.

Speaker 3

Is the largest portion. That's where we've had the longest kind of sustained presence. And some of the new geographies that we're seeing, Certainly, there's interconnection and financing challenges. We haven't seen it to the extent that we've seen it ultimately in the U. S, But that's a function of kind of our early entrance into those markets.

Speaker 3

So we haven't been in them for 4 or 5 years where you're Working on large 500 megawatt, 600 megawatt projects. Traditionally in places like Spain and Italy, Where there's not a lot of pre use land, most of the projects are sub-one 100 megawatts. So those move forward intake to PO A little bit faster, but if you look at places like Australia, they have interconnection issues Ultimately, it is well, but it's more exacerbated here in the U. S. That we've seen.

Speaker 10

Got it. Makes sense. When you guys think, I guess, moving forward, I mean, clearly some recovery contemplated for Q1 at least. I think what's interesting is you guys obviously, to your point, Patrick, started as a 2P company, sort of shifted to doing both At this point, it also sort of broadens the commercial base outside of the U. S.

Speaker 10

It Seems to us that there's a little bit of a, I don't know what you would call it, a flight to quality, or to certain EPCs or players in the space. There's a little bit of a haves and have nots. I'm curious, I mean, as you guys look to sort of reposition the business for growth off of a higher margin base, How do you think about sort of targeting that more directly? Is it we just need

Speaker 9

to win more

Speaker 10

1P? Again, is it, hey, international looks more attractive In the U. S, how would you sort of frame the strategy from here, I guess beyond converting the existing backlog?

Speaker 3

Yes. No, it's a great question. I mean, I think, obviously, we're very excited about the U. S. Market and we're excited about the 1P pioneer that we have to offer.

Speaker 3

And Certainly, the top EPCs are the ones that are getting a majority of the business and we're penetrated with those accounts. And the one nice We're able to sit down with those top tier EPCs and ultimately developers and really design a project that's agnostic between 1P and 2P and really maximize the site based on the goals of that EPC or developer and I think that's been a differentiator for us. Continuing to expand, I mean Double Down in the U. S. Continue to win projects.

Speaker 3

That's what we're that's a big focus for us. But continuing to grow our footprint internationally as well. So if you think about How we our boots on the ground strategy for the U. S, you win several projects and then they grow and get bigger and you've developed kind of a baseload Revenue and you've got kind of a fact pattern out there. We did the same thing in Australia where we've done over 2 dozen projects I'm there and we're relatively well penetrated.

Speaker 3

We recently won awards In Spain and Italy, and we plan on delivering those in early 2024. So that gives us a stronger foothold in Europe And a proof point for us to build a base around. And then also, as Bill mentioned, continuing to And in markets like South Africa, where we've delivered several large projects and expect to continue to grow that market Ultimately as well. And the commonality amongst those are, it's markets in which our value proposition of and quality hold true and that allows for the margin expansion. We're not looking to participate in markets where We aren't able to achieve profitable growth and that's echoed by the comments that Shaker made in his opening remarks.

Speaker 10

Got it. Makes sense, guys. Appreciate the color.

Operator

Thank you. I'm showing no further questions in the queue. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.

Operator

Everyone have a wonderful day.

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Key Takeaways

  • Leadership transition: Interim CFO Kathy Beynon has been appointed while the Board ramps up oversight and a permanent CEO search is underway, with executives Patrick Cook and Sasan Amanpour managing daily operations.
  • Q3 results: Revenue was $30.5 M (–5.6% QoQ, +84.3% YoY) with GAAP gross margin at 11.1% and non-GAAP margin of 12.8% (normalized 9.5%), marking four consecutive quarters of margin improvement.
  • Backlog expansion: Order backlog reached ~$1.6 B (up $60 M since August), including key awards like a 1 GW Idaho project and a 700 MW contract, supporting a revenue ramp in early 2024.
  • Guidance & Outlook: Q4 revenue is forecast at $18–28 M due to project start delays, but Q1 2024 is expected to grow ~96% sequentially to $40–50 M, with non-GAAP margins improving to 8–13% and profitability targeted in 2024.
  • Strategic positioning: Manufacturing costs are now competitive, the 1P “Pioneer” tracker has strong customer response, international business is growing, and operational efficiencies underpin long-term margin goals of 10–15% at scale.
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