Foraco International Q2 2024 Earnings Report

Foraco International EPS Results

• Actual EPS: C$0.11
• Consensus EPS: C$0.12
• Beat/Miss: Missed by -C$0.01
• One Year Ago EPS: N/A

Foraco International Revenue Results

• Actual Revenue: $106.56 million
• Expected Revenue: N/A
• Beat/Miss: N/A
• YoY Revenue Growth: N/A

Foraco International Announcement Details

• Quarter: Q2 2024
• Date: 8/2/2024
• Time: N/A
• Conference Call Date: Friday, August 2, 2024
• Conference Call Time: 10:00AM ET

Foraco International (TSE:FAR) is the business of providing mineral and water drilling services and hydraulic drilling. It specializes in drilling in harsh environments and isolated locations including desert, and mountainous regions. The principal sources of revenue consist of drilling contracts for companies involved in mining and water exploration. The group has its operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, North America, South America and the Asia Pacific.

Foraco International Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Key Takeaways

• Q2 revenue was $77.9 million (down from $100.1 million in Q2 2023) with an IFRS EBITDA of $16.3 million (21% of revenue) despite record quarterly performance in North America (+3% to $32.1 million) and Asia Pacific (+33% to $22.2 million).
• The company has exited Russia and parts of West Africa and now derives 92% of its business from long-term contracts with Tier 1 customers in stable mining jurisdictions.
• EV metals remain core (copper at 49% of revenue) while water services accounted for 11% of Q2 revenue, and two new BF 800 automated rotary rigs are set to deploy later this year.
• Under full IFRS, gross margin in Q2 was 23% of revenue and SG&A decreased 18% year-over-year, with net debt at $78.9 million as of June 30, 2024.
• Management expects the recent revenue dip to be temporary, reiterates a strong metal price outlook, and is focused on rapid redeployment of rigs and innovative drilling solutions to drive future growth.

Presentation

[Operator]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Foraco International S.A. Second Quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all lines are in a listen-only mode. Following the presentation, we will conduct a question-and-answer session. If at any time during this call you require immediate assistance, please press star zero for the operator. This call is being recorded on Friday, August 2nd, 2024. I would now like to turn the conference over to Mr. Tim Bremner, CEO. Please go ahead, sir.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Thank you, Lara. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us on our Q2 2024 results conference. I am Tim Bremner, CEO of Foraco International, and with me today is Fabien Sylvestre, CFO. The news release of our results was issued this morning prior to the opening of the TSX through CNW Newswire. If for some reason you didn't receive a copy of the release, please visit our website at www.foraco.com. After the overview of the results and our comments on the quarter, we'll open the call for questions operated by, moderated by our operator, Lara.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

As we reported in our press release, revenue for Q2 2024 was $77.9 million, compared to a record $100.1 million in Q2 2023, with an EBITDA of $16.3 million, 21% of revenue, compared to $23.8 million in Q2 2023, or 23.8% of revenue. Really important to note, however, that two dominant regions, North America and Asia Pacific, both achieved new record performance for the quarter of $32.1 million, up 3% and for 2023, and $22.2 million, up 33% for Q2 2023, respectively, and both with solid gross margin performance.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

This is important because it supports our strategy of focusing on long-term contracts for tier one customers in prime mining jurisdictions as we pivot the company away from unstable regions, including Russia, which we have now exited, and some countries in West Africa. We continue to work with tier one customers, which now represent 92% of our business. EV metals remain the dominant commodity, led by copper at 49% of our revenue. Our water business continues to be strong and performed well, representing 11% of our revenue for the quarter, 12% the quarter last year. And we continue with our plans to deploy the second and third new generation BF 800 rotary drills later this year, both complete with automated rod handling, remote control, and data acquisition capabilities, making them state-of-the-art rotary rigs.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

I'll now turn the call over to Fabien, who'll provide a complete overview of our financial performance for the quarter. Fabien?

[Fabien Sylvestre, CFO at Foraco International]

Thank you, Tim. First of all, and as a reminder, Foraco reports in full IFRS and in U.S. dollar. Revenue for Q2 2024 amounted to $78 million, compared to $100 million for the same quarter last year. By reporting segment, the mining segment represented 89% of Q2 2024 revenue, and water represented 11%. In North America, revenue increased by 3% in U.S. dollar or 5% in Canadian, to $32.1 million for the quarter from $31.2 million in Q2 2023. This increase is attributed to solid operational performance on ongoing long-term contracts. In Asia Pacific, Q2 2024 revenue amounted to $22.2 million, making the best quarter ever with a 33% increase compared to Q2 2023. This growth is primarily attributed to increased demand and the acquisition and commissioning of new rigs.

[Fabien Sylvestre, CFO at Foraco International]

Revenue in South America amounted to $18.3 million in Q2 2024, from $39 million in Q2 2023. The region was affected by an early winter season for our high altitude project and junior company financing. In the EMEA regions, revenue for the quarter was $5.3 million, compared to $13 million in Q2 2023. This change is due to the company's exit from Russia and the reduction of its exposure in West Africa. In Q2 2024, the geographical activity split was: North America, 41%, Asia Pacific, 29%, South America, 23%, EMEA, 7%. During this quarter, the gross margin, including depreciation within cost of sale, was 23% of revenue, or $18 million, versus 26% of revenue, or $26 million, for the same quarter last year.

[Fabien Sylvestre, CFO at Foraco International]

Most projects generated solid operating performance, which mostly offset the under absorption of its cost. SG&A decreased by 18% to $5.8 million, compared to $7.1 million for the same period last year. The operating result was 16% or $12.1 million versus 19% or $19 million in Q2 2023. The EBITDA amounted to 21% of revenue, equal to $16.4 million, compared to 23.8%, or $23.8 million in Q2 2023. I would like to take the opportunity to stress that we do not report adjusted EBITDA or any other adjustment to IFRS figures.

[Fabien Sylvestre, CFO at Foraco International]

The net results amounted to $7.8 million, or 10% of revenue, compared to $11 million in Q2 2023 or 11%. On a six-month basis, revenue amounted to $155 million, compared to $188 million in H1 2023. The year-to-date 2024 gross profit was 22.2% versus 25% in H1 2023. The year-to-date 2024 EBIT was $24.7 million, or 16% of revenue, compared to 17.5% or $33 million in the same period last year. As a percentage of revenue, the year-to-date 2024 EBITDA was 22%, compared to 23% in the same period last year. In H1 2024, the working capital requirement was $23.5 million, compared to $14 million for the same period last year. This increase is the result of increased activity in North America and Asia Pacific.

[Fabien Sylvestre, CFO at Foraco International]

CapEx amounted to $10 million in cash, compared to $14 million in cash in H1 2023. This CapEx is related to the acquisition of three large rotary rigs. At June 30, 2024, our net debt, including lease obligation, amounted to $78.9 million, versus $85 million at March 31, 2024, and $65.2 million at December 31, 2023. I will now hand the call back to Tim for his closing remarks. Tim?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Thank you, Fabien. The outlook for our industry remains strong, supported by the vision of our customers and strong metal prices. Our strategy is to focus on Tier one customers, copper, related heavy metals, and water, while we pivot the company towards more stable jurisdictions and maintain good financial performance. We'll achieve this good financial performance by continuing to be a service provider of choice, particularly on technically challenging projects that require innovative and efficient drilling solutions, first-class equipment, and top personnel. And finally, we are well-positioned to react rapidly to changes in market conditions, especially in Latin America, without the restraints of a tight labor market or supply chain issues, as was experienced in the past. Thank you for listening, and I'll now turn the call over to Lara, who will take the first question from our listening audience. Lara?

[Operator]

Thank you, sir. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the question and answer session. Should you have a question, please press star followed by the number one on your touchtone phone. You will hear a prompt that your hand has been raised. Should you wish to decline from the polling process, please press star followed by the number two. If you're using a speakerphone, please lift the handset before pressing any key. Again, for questions, please press star followed by the number one on your touchtone phone. One moment, please, for your first question. Our first question comes from the line of Gordon Lawson from Paradigm Capital. Go ahead, please.

[Gordon Lawson, Analyst Specializing in Mining Sector Research at Paradigm Capital]

Hey, good morning, everyone. Can you please elaborate on the pivot in terms of the timeframe expected to remobilize these drill rigs? And what's how far up the ladder you're moving in terms of juniors versus seniors?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Sorry, and how far up the ladder we are to what, Gordon?

[Gordon Lawson, Analyst Specializing in Mining Sector Research at Paradigm Capital]

Well, you're talking about more stable jurisdictions. Does this also include, say, more stable clients in terms of juniors versus seniors?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

So let's deal with the first part of your question and where we are in the pivot. As we've mentioned before, we've exited Russia, so that is complete. We've also exited some of the West African nations that we're not permitted to work anymore. Those assets are being moved, both from countries in West Africa and elsewhere. It takes time to mobilize drills via ocean freight into the new jurisdictions. When they get to the new jurisdictions, they need to be readied for the work in that area. So that can mean a total refurbishment in our shop.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

It can mean changing the power requirements on electrical drills and, you know, returning them to prime condition and making them certified for work in the field. That takes time. Then we need to look for the correct opportunity that suits the rigs that we have available in the application. So the repivot is underway. It has been underway for, you know, since Q1, and the equipment has been moved, and it is being repaired. We're looking for opportunities to redeploy those assets absolutely as quickly as we can. Now, with respect to your question about the seniors versus the juniors, the senior customers provide the opportunities for long-term contracts at the pre-feasibility, feasibility, or life of mine stage.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

You know, we can't. This is right in the sweet spot of our strategy, and that is something that unfortunately, the juniors cannot offer. And it's been our strategy to focus on that part of the mine life cycle for a considerable period of time. We're not stratifying any customer as a preferred customer, one over the other, not at all. We look at every project on its own merits, be it a senior customer or a junior. And listen, there's been lots of great junior opportunities in the past for Foraco, which we've responded to and done well. So, but that's where we're at.

[Gordon Lawson, Analyst Specializing in Mining Sector Research at Paradigm Capital]

Well, for these stable jurisdictions, I mean, we still have within South America, Chile, Peru, Argentina, with billions expected in drilling in the coming decade. Is that a large part of your focus, or are we talking about a complete remobilization here?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

No, Latin America is by definition for us, a stable jurisdiction. And it's a great jurisdiction. And the reasons for the changes in the top line for the company in those jurisdictions, as has already been stated. The customers that we were working for on high altitude projects opted to suspend those operations, and that's their choice. It's their schedule when they did. That may not have happened for others. I don't know. And certainly the junior sector, especially in the lithium market, went through some changes beginning late last year, and we've been affected by that. But as we stated in the press release, you know, we anticipate and expect, fully expect that this change in revenue to be temporary.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

So Latin America is absolutely filled with, you know, top-tier customers with long-term projects, and it is not a jurisdiction that we are leaving. Not at all. And as I mentioned in my comments, we've got a lot of capacity in that region, ready to go, crewed, and we can ramp up very, very quickly in all three jurisdictions that we work for in Latin America.

[Gordon Lawson, Analyst Specializing in Mining Sector Research at Paradigm Capital]

Okay, thank you very much.

[Operator]

Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of Steven Green from Ordnance Capital LP. Go ahead, please.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Hi, Steven.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

Yeah. Hi, how are you? How are you doing?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

I'm well, thanks.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

I guess-

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Well, thanks.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

I understand that this is a pivot, and I hope it's purposeful and as a result of... I mean, when do we think that we're gonna start growing revenues again? And the 40% utilization rate, I mean, that's significant. That's, like, that's quite low compared to where, you know, the mid- to high 50s. I mean, I know, you say you're moving rigs to different jurisdictions. Are these rigs gonna get employed quickly in these new jurisdictions? And I know you were concentrating, you said, on South America. Have we identified business there that we're gonna, that we were trying to... New business we're getting there? I just don't understand how we're gonna get from the pivot, and hopefully, this doesn't mean we're pivoting to a smaller company. I hope we're pivoting so we can start recognizing, seeing growth again.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

We're certainly not pivoting towards a smaller company. Absolutely not. You know, if we look at the utilization rate, which is running at 40%, and if we look at the utilization by segment of rig distribution, it varies considerably. The rotary rigs, for example, are running at 80% utilization rate, which is, you know, the theoretical maximum. They continue to be in high demand. In Latin America, when we're working for some of the juniors, it's relatively short hauls. You know, they've acquired multiple rigs to get the work done as quickly as they can. The same in high altitude projects that were shut down early. These are multiwell projects that take advantage of the limited window to get the work done.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

And then those were suspended early. So it's really just a combination of the mix of customers and the work. It's not a function of a difficult market in Latin America. It's not a function of our performance. Not at all. The tender pipeline is robust. The outlook for all regions is very good, so I'm not concerned about that.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

So you think that having the capacity in Latin America now, the business is there? It's not like the market is weak, but you just haven't taken advantage of that market yet?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

No, it's it. And again, I need to stress, Steven, that the early winter was the biggest impact. I – and we've got. We had some pretty big projects in Chile and Argentina, that you know, when you shut down two months earlier than expected, and last year we didn't have that at all, that has an impact. And it's just unfortunately, kind of a one-off. The market in all three areas is very good. The tender pipeline is there. And you know, as we emerge from the winter season back into drilling season, I'm very confident that the rigs will go back to work. It's the rigs are not broken, the people aren't gone.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

It's a matter of us, you know, remobilizing and getting back to work.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

All right. Do you foresee—I know we got the dividend. Thank you very much. Do you foresee another special dividend, or will this... Do you think the company will be buying shares back to return shareholder capital versus a dividend? What do you see for some capital strategy going forward?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

... So as we've stated in the past, we apply the company's policy, share capital policy as determined by the board, which aims to distribute 3% of market cap, provided that there are certain conditions met. Number one is that we're always gonna maintain a minimum $30 million in cash. We're gonna make certain that our gross debt does not exceed next year's EBITDA. And the dividend distribution is going to be not more than one third of the remaining free cash after CapEx and interest. So what that all means is that end of year, and we apply the capital allocation test, the board will, at that time, reevaluate the opportunity to pay a dividend, you know, in the following year.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

So we need to wait till the year-end, apply the capital allocation policy, and see where we're at. But it is strictly a matter of applying that policy.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

Okay. I just wanna go back one time to this pivot strategy, because, well, I mean, when do you see... We were doing, we're doing, I mean, our run rate is down, I don't know what percentage, but, I mean, when do you see that we're getting back to growth, not just from these quarters, but from where we started? I know there are record revenues in 2023, so maybe it's hard to starting, the comparisons are hard. But, I mean, when do you see us turning back to profitability or to revenue growth? I know we'll be profitable.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

That's a tough question to answer. What I can say is we're not seeing anything that from our customers that is giving us concern going forward. In other words, the market in the good jurisdictions, North America, Latin America, Australia, Asia Pacific, and parts of West Africa, is good. I mean, it's fine. We are putting two more rotary rigs to work this year, which will significantly, you know, add to our capacity in water. When the junior market is breathing fresh oxygen, that is going to mop up a lot of the capacity in some of our smaller rigs, which are, you know, pretty much single purpose for that type of work.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

You know, I don't have a crystal ball into what the markets are going to do with the juniors. But you know, with gold where it is, and EV and copper where it is, one would think that you know, they would be well funded and extremely busy. So it depends to an extent on that. We continue to look and develop relationships with new Tier one customers. I've mentioned that in the past. Pardon me. That is very much in our focus because they are providing the stability that we see in North America and Australia. So we are actively working on new relationships with new Tier one customers.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

I've mentioned in the past that gold is a sector that we need to be a little bit heavier weighted in. So, you know, I'm confident in our strategy, Steven, that you know, despite this adjustment in top line, that our strategy is sound. We've maintained our profitability, so that means that the company's not broken, the performance is not broken, pricing is good, we're doing well. It's really just a matter of market and then some of the interruption because of our pivoting. And it's the right thing to do.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

Right. In the past, in the past years, you've you always, you had... You were concentrating these large contracts, you know, I think like the last couple of years, like a $60 million contract over three, whatever, three years. And are those the kind of contracts you're looking for, those long-term deals? And are they out there?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Yes, they are. It's, it's, it's pretty tough to announce a $60 million contract every year, because once you've announced it, you've got 3 years to work through it. So there's, you know, tends to be not so many announcements. But yes, that's very much the focus that we've got. We have an excellent reputation. We are, you know, we're well known in the Tier One sector. We are known to be able to give a predictable result. And, when those opportunities come along, and they are out there, we will respond to them, and put our best foot forward and, you know, hopefully, retain that work.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

In South America, what is the, like, is... Who's down there besides you? Is it mostly independents, or is it the big companies like you, Major, Boart?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

It's a very fragmented landscape with respect to drillers. There are the main providers, Foraco, Major, Boart Longyear, and there are some local national companies in each country which work in each you know exclusive to those countries. And then there's a whole host of smaller operators, owner-operators, that have you know got two, three, and four rigs just like in North America and also in Asia Pacific. So it's a pretty fragmented landscape. Generally speaking, the smaller owner-operators are not qualified to participate in the tier one space that we go after. One reason is they don't have the available rigs.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

They may have five or six rigs, and they would all be occupied on one project. They don't have the sophisticated operating profile with respect to health and safety, so they can't meet the standard that some of our customers, in fact, all the senior customers now require. And they don't have the high caliber people that necessarily have the training and the qualifications to be able to work for tier ones. So if you look at who's eligible for that, that narrows down the field considerably to three or four suppliers in each region that we would compete with.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

Right. So you're gonna take business from, hopefully, by consolidating or taking business from some of these smaller ones, or you still pretty much when you go head-to-head, you're going against the big ones, the other two?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

I think, Steven, the best place to get new business is to go after new opportunities. Those are always prime. I mean, there's no incumbent on site. It's a wide open opportunity. Those are the ones that we train our sights on the most. The second strategy that we have is look at customers that are having their work done but perhaps are falling behind. And we offer the opportunity to add rigs and help them catch up on schedule. Not necessarily displacing the incumbent, but helping them get back on track. And in doing so, we have an opportunity to demonstrate how we perform.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

When we have that opportunity to demonstrate our ability, more often than not, you know, we end up taking more and more market share on that particular project. So there's a little bit of creep. We are not low-cost leaders. We don't go in and steal jobs. That is not a good strategy and is completely out of line with our profitability model. So we are not in that end of the market.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

Okay. Well, I just... I mean, I can... I don't wanna, I don't wanna come across like I'm. This is a great company, but we've had two quarters, and I thought after the last quarter that we might resume growth. I didn't really... I guess I didn't understand the pivot strategy was to get smaller, to grow. So I'm not sure-

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

And again, I don't wanna belabor the point, but the pivot strategy is temporary. You can't pivot the company and not be affected. But that's not the biggest influence here. The biggest influence, again, as I pointed out, was the tough winter that we had on particular projects. These didn't affect some of our competitors. It didn't. I'm not gonna, you know, generalize that winter was horrible down there because not everybody was affected. And then we had a number of junior customers that we were working for that paused. You know, that means that combined with the pivot, there was that adjustment in the top line. Will we recover from that? Absolutely.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

Do these junior miners-

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Underlying all... Hmm?

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

Go ahead. I'm sorry.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

No, go ahead.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

The junior miners, do they need? I mean, is it a matter of they, they run out of financing, or they, because the markets have been strong in gold and stuff and, and other, and copper. It is. They don't have. They can't afford the financing rates? That means because interest rates are up, or what, what stops them from doing their projects?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

So let's talk about lithium. I mean, lithium prices were down. Lithium was in the news. We have some exposure to lithium in Latin America. So those customers, no, they didn't run out of money. They saw the uncertainty going forward with metal prices, and I think they did the responsible decision and put you know the burn rate of free cash through drilling on pause and said, "Whoa, let's just slow down a bit. You know, there's no rush to the finish line on this thing. Let's just pause." I think that was the responsible thing to do. We're already seeing the recovery in the lithium. Lithium has got a great future. The world needs lithium.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

There's no question about that. So for them, it was. It wasn't a matter of running out of money. It was a matter of them, and in my opinion, doing the responsible thing with the price and the, not to say, but just... I don't want to call it uncertainty because that's not the case, but adjustment of the lithium market temporarily.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

Right. All right, well, hopefully you can leave us with some optimism. Hopefully, in your closing comments, you can leave us with some optimism. Because I really feel like sometimes when the companies... You know, nothing's worse than no growth, you know?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Yeah. So, by comparison to when the market really did change, and we had the senior mining companies. We had a number of rigs on, you know, long-term projects, and they suspended it. This absolutely is not happening. Absolutely not, and I've got tremendous amount of confidence in our business going forward. I think that we are on the cusp of, you know, a much better market going forward.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

I'm only repeating what our senior customers are telling us that they say the outlook, based on everything that we all read in the news, the forecasted copper deficits, you know, the need for copper, the demand, not only for electric vehicles, but also for AI and whatever, is real. So we're not in a metals crisis, no.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

Okay. All right. Well, thank you for all your hard work, and of course, I appreciate it. I just, I wasn't expecting two quarters, but hopefully the next quarter will, will return to where we expect Foraco to be.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Yep. Well, I look forward to talking to you in October.

[Operator]

Thank you.

[Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP]

Thank you.

[Operator]

Our next question comes from the line of Donangelo Volpe from Beacon Securities. Go ahead, please.

[Donangelo Volpe, Equity Research Analyst at Beacon Securities]

Hey, good morning, guys, and thank you for taking my question.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Hi, Donangelo.

[Donangelo Volpe, Equity Research Analyst at Beacon Securities]

Oh, hey, how's it going? Yeah, so just first question from me. I just wanna point towards North America. Congratulations on the record revenue there. But last quarter, you guys indicated that you were in active discussions or final steps with a Tier One client to drill for gold there. Was this added, and that was, was that contributing to the revenue increase for the quarter? Or are you guys still in discussions, and kind of when, when can we see that come through?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

So, the revenue does not include any new gold customer. That is very much still on my as part of my North American strategy. We are continuing to pursue that relationship going forward. So no, it is not included in that.

[Donangelo Volpe, Equity Research Analyst at Beacon Securities]

Okay. Are we still-

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

It's still an opportunity for us.

[Donangelo Volpe, Equity Research Analyst at Beacon Securities]

Are we hopeful for contribution in the second half of this year, or it's just kind of, it's a wait-and-see approach?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Look, it's the... What we're going after is a large technical project. And, you know, I'm not gonna speculate on the decision that the customer is going to make, but that's only one project. So, and there's many other senior gold customers. And, you know, when we're moving into... We're moving assets, and we're getting ready to respond to new tenders that we know are gonna come out from senior gold miners that we will respond to.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

So what I can say is that I am very confident that based on our track record, the quality of the work that we do and the reputation that we have around the tier one table customer, or tier one customers table, that it's only gonna be a matter of time before we enter into that space in a meaningful way. I'm very confident of that.

[Donangelo Volpe, Equity Research Analyst at Beacon Securities]

Okay. Thank you. And then just moving over to the water-

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Sorry. Yep. Go ahead.

[Donangelo Volpe, Equity Research Analyst at Beacon Securities]

Okay. I was just gonna move over to the water segment. Just saw good margin, gross margin improvement. I think you guys were at, like, 17% last quarter. Are we expecting to remain around these levels, or are we expecting it to kind of normalize back to, call it, like, the 25% mark? And can you talk about the pipeline for water activity?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

So with respect to margins, we are very focused on margin, not only maintaining margins, but improving margins. We work on long-term projects, and we have an opportunity to optimize productivity, in other words, increase it, and manage our costs. And when you're on a long-term project, you don't have to remobilize. There's a lot of opportunity to do that. Everybody can do a little bit better, you know, if you put your mind to it and put some effort into it. So that's our plan, and it's an ongoing one.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

With respect to the water market, this is a market that we are almost at full capacity in, in certain jurisdictions, and as we have rigs come available, they are going to go to work. So we have a third and a fourth rig that we are mobilizing in the second half of this year, which are already booked. And as I mentioned earlier in the call, that rotary fleet is at about 80% utilization. And the rotary rigs give us the largest revenue per rig of anything in the fleet. So I'm quite bullish on the water market.

[Donangelo Volpe, Equity Research Analyst at Beacon Securities]

Okay, great. Thank you for taking my questions, and I'll hop back in the queue.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Great. Thank you.

[Operator]

Thank you. Just a reminder for everyone, should you have a question, please press star followed by the number one on your touchtone phone. You will hear a prompt that your hand has been raised. Our next question comes from the line of Steve Kramer from Polaris Securities. Go ahead, please.

[Analyst at Polaris Securities]

Good morning, guys.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Hi, Steve. Hi.

[Analyst at Polaris Securities]

Just on the utilization here, so running at 40% through Q2. You said most of the rigs out of the unstable jurisdictions have now been moved. Just curious if that 40% utilization we saw in Q2 is an absolute floor that we should see going forward, and if you can comment on where utilization is now and where you expect it for the rest of the year?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

... Sure. So the utilization rate is a change, is a combination of our repivot, and it's also a combination of the adjustments that we've had in certain markets, Virginia market, for example, if you will. So we're in the midst of transporting rigs now, between jurisdictions, and we're optimistic that those rigs will be back to work before the end of the year. We're moving to areas. Some are already spoken for. We know they're gonna go to work. It's only a matter of time. The other idle rigs, the ones that were locked up for the winter, we know they will restart in Q3 and Q4, because we have signed contracts and commitments for our customers to do so. So those will recover.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

You know, notwithstanding a catastrophe for the industry, I don't see the utilization rate decreasing. No. You know, it's but I, you know, I don't have a crystal ball for what's forward, but no, I don't see it getting any lower. And again, as we put two more rotary rigs to work, that will have a big impact on the top line, but it'll barely move the needle on the utilization. Remind everybody that utilization rate is one metric, but not always the most meaningful.

[Analyst at Polaris Securities]

Okay, great. Just on the Latin America, the delays due to the early winter, is there any costs associated with that that will be borne by yourselves, or are there any? Are those costs pushed through to the ultimate customer?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

No, I mean, and again, there was always planned to be a winter shutdown. That was the intention. You know, when is it gonna snow? Nobody knows. But our agreements provide for the change in operating to standby. And it's just a matter of, you know, implementing those terms and conditions, which are spelled out in the contract, and we're compensated. So it's not like we got a surprise, you know, cost. Absolutely not. We put together a fair and comprehensive agreement that's in the best interest of both parties and protects the profitability of our company. And that's evidenced by the margins, which are only affected by some unabsorbed costs due to the utilization.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Because remember, depreciation is included in our margins. If you looked at an adjusted gross margin, you'd see that they're virtually identical to where they were. So there's been no margin erosion.

[Analyst at Polaris Securities]

Good. Okay, just, just one more for me on the third and fourth, rigs coming, later on this year. Are they expected to head to Australia?

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

One's on its way. I'm not sure where it is on the boat, but it's on its way, and it will be outfitted in Australia and will be at work before the end of the year. What I'm really pleased to report is the first one that we sent to Australia, which is... Australia is a particularly particular jurisdiction in that the requirements for equipment are very rigid and specific. Our first new generation rig that went in was extremely well accepted by the crew. They absolutely love it. It's a much smaller package. It's 30% more powerful than any rig that we've been using. It can drill a much larger diameter hole, and our customer loves it.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Everybody's looking over the fence and saying, "We want one." So I'm really excited to get number two and number three down there as quickly as we can.

[Analyst at Polaris Securities]

Great. That's all I had, guys. Thanks.

[Operator]

Thank you. There seems to be no further questions at this time. I'd now like to turn the call back over to Mr. Bremner for any final closing comments.

[Tim Bremner, CEO at Foraco International]

Thanks very much, Lara. No, I just want to remind everyone that Foraco's strategy is quite deliberate and planned. And we are very focused on the tier-one jurisdictions and the senior customers and, you know, improving the top line. We're very much focused on that. And as I mentioned earlier, the combination of the pivot of the company, the winter conditions and the change in drilling activity with some of our customers, as we said in the headline of our press release, we believe is temporary. So I appreciate all of the interest and have no further comments, appreciate it, and thank you very much for your attention, everyone.

[Operator]

Thank you, sir.

Participants

Executives

• Fabien Sylvestre, CFO
• Tim Bremner, CEO

Analysts

• Donangelo Volpe, Equity Research Analyst at Beacon Securities
• Gordon Lawson, Analyst Specializing in Mining Sector Research at Paradigm Capital
• Steven Green, General Partner at Ordnance Capital LP
• Analyst at Polaris Securities