Nortech Systems Q2 2024 Earnings Report

Nortech Systems EPS Results

• Actual EPS: $0.05
• Consensus EPS: N/A
• Beat/Miss: N/A
• One Year Ago EPS: N/A

Nortech Systems Revenue Results

• Actual Revenue: $33.89 million
• Expected Revenue: N/A
• Beat/Miss: N/A
• YoY Revenue Growth: N/A

Nortech Systems Announcement Details

• Quarter: Q2 2024
• Date: 8/8/2024
• Time: N/A
• Conference Call Date: Thursday, August 8, 2024
• Conference Call Time: 8:30AM ET

Nortech Systems (NASDAQ:NSYS), Inc. is a specialized engineering and manufacturing company that designs, develops and produces custom gas distribution and control solutions. Its core offerings include cryogenic valves and regulators, gas distribution panels and manifolds, and precision instrumentation for monitoring and controlling the delivery of industrial, specialty and medical gases. The company leverages in-house engineering, machining and assembly capabilities to tailor products to the exact specifications of its customers.

In addition to its mechanical product lines, Nortech Systems provides electronic monitoring and control systems. This segment encompasses gas detection sensors, analyzers, alarm panels and programmable logic control (PLC) software, enabling real-time data acquisition, safety shutdowns and process automation. The integration of mechanical and electronic components allows Nortech to offer turnkey solutions for gas handling projects, including leak detection, flow control and remote diagnostics.

Nortech Systems serves a diverse range of end markets such as semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceutical and biotech facilities, food and beverage processing, petrochemical plants and research laboratories. Headquartered in Warminster, Pennsylvania, the company supports customers throughout North America and selectively engages in international projects through a network of representatives. Nortech’s combination of custom engineering, small-batch flexibility and specialized manufacturing positions it as a niche supplier for critical gas control applications.

Nortech Systems Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Key Takeaways

• Management noted reduced visibility to customer orders as medical and industrial clients balance inventories and delay product launches, despite continued strength in aerospace and defense.
• Q2 2024 net sales fell 3.2% year-over-year to $33.9 million and gross margin declined to 13.6% from 15.6%, driven by lower facility utilization and incremental training costs.
• The company is consolidating its Blue Earth facility into Bemidji and reducing Maple Grove lease space, targeting at least $1.6 million in annual savings beginning in 2025.
• Trailing 12-month adjusted EBITDA rose to $7.3 million from $6.8 million a year ago, underscoring progress on long-term profitability objectives.
• Nortek is investing in fiber optic technologies like EBX and AOX to capitalize on industrial IoT growth, improve sustainability and enhance competitive product performance.

Presentation

[Operator]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Nortech Systems Incorporated second quarter 2024 earnings conference call. With me on the line today are Jay Miller, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Andrew LaFrence, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance. All lines have been placed on a listen-only mode, and the call will be open for questions and comments following the management presentation. At this time, it is my pleasure to turn the call over to Mr. Andy LaFrence. Sir, the floor is yours.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Thank you, Ali. I would also like to welcome everyone to today's conference call. Jay will begin the call with a review of our operations, recent developments, and business outlook. Then I will review Nortech's second quarter 2024 financial results before turning it back to Jay for his closing comments. Then we will open up the call for your questions. Before we continue, please note that statements made during this call may be forward-looking statements regarding expected net sales, earnings, future plans, opportunities, and other company expectations. These estimates, plans, and other forward-looking statements involve unknown and known risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied on this call. These risks, including those detailed in our most recent SEC filings, may be amended or supplemented.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

The statements made during this conference call are based upon information known by Nortech as of the date and time of this call, and we assume no obligation to update the information in today's call. You can find Nortech's complete safe harbor statements in our SEC filings. With that, I'll turn it over to Jay for his opening comments. Jay?

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Thank you, Andy, and good morning, everyone. We're glad you could join us today. In the second quarter of 2024, we continued to manage operating expenses as we faced near-term customer order headwinds and incremental training and other costs to transfer customer programs between various North American facilities. Regarding revenues, we are noting in the recent months reduced visibility to customer orders as compared with order patterns in the prior year quarters, as medical and industrial customers, in particular, are balancing their inventories and therefore pushing or deferring the placement of some orders. In the case of certain medical customers, we're also seeing the timing of product launches being delayed. We continue to see strong ordering patterns from our aerospace and defense customers. We're also noting positive customer engagement as the normalization of supply chains focuses customers to further accelerate nearshoring.

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

This, combined with other shorter lead time and on-time delivery strategies and better overall customer service, results in deeper customer partnerships, which are fundamental to our long-term growth strategy. In short, in the first half of 2024, we have made conscious decisions to face into some clear market dynamics and make a number of short-term sacrifices in exchange for improved long-term growth and profitability, including the facility consolidation and investment in business development I will touch on shortly. Regarding our cost structure, we continue to be very diligent managing our operating costs. With an eye for long-term optimization of our facilities, in the second quarter, we announced the consolidation of our Blue Earth facility into our Bemidji factory by the end of the year, and a 30% reduction in our Maple Grove lease space.

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

These facility optimization activities will result in at least $1.6 million in annual savings in 2025 and beyond. Over the past several years, we have taken a number of steps to invest in core infrastructure and a world-class leadership team to drive our long-term growth strategy. We are very bullish on the future of Nortech and continue to make investments to accelerate long-term growth. For example, we have now completed staffing an industry-specific business development team. This team is performing at a very high level and driving impressive quote and new business opportunities. Further, we are taking advantage of the changes in supply chain dynamics to seamlessly restructure our operations to better serve our customers by delivering high-quality products and services on time with shorter lead times. This will also facilitate and drive our long-term growth.

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

This process is a natural evolution of our business and entails changes in organizational structure to enhance customer intimacy and not a restructuring of our employee headcount. I continue to be impressed by how our employees live out Nortech's values of teamwork, excellence, commitment, innovation, and integrity every day. Once again, the whole Nortech team deserves our sincere appreciation. Our three-tier global strategy of manufacturing in the U.S., Mexico, and China gives Nortech customers flexibility in improving our own competitiveness. We can move production around based on factors like cost, operational requirements, including ever-improving on-time delivery of high-quality products and shorter lead times, and intellectual property management. Our customer teams and engineers evaluate each customer's needs to determine the most suitable location, which may also change over the course of a product's life cycle.

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

In terms of China, as I've mentioned on past calls, much of our production work there is built in country for country, a nearshoring approach to better serve our customers in the global market, including reduced shipping costs and time. Next, I'll turn it over to Andy for a more in-depth look at our financial results. Andy?

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Thank you, Jay. In the next few minutes, I will provide certain details of our financial performance in the second quarter of 2024. But I would encourage you to also review our Form 10-Q, our Form 8-K containing our press release and non-GAAP measures issued earlier this morning with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. As a continued theme, we have historically noted that our individual quarterly performance can be affected by outside factors. These might include timing fluctuations, including seasonable fluctuations, customer shipments, supply chain issues. Any of these can materially impact a particular quarter, either positively or negatively. Consequently, we believe it is more appropriate to review the business on a 12-month basis, rather than focus on quarterly performance. This approach will help normalize these potential anomalies and offer a better gauge of our strategy's long-term success.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

So today, while I'll focus most of my comments on our second quarter and year-to-date 2024 results, I will provide some comparisons for the twelve-month period ended June 30, 2024, compared with the same period ended June 30, 2023. Net sales for the second quarter of 2024 totaled $33.9 million. This represents a 3.2% decrease from net sales of $35 million in the second quarter of 2023. For the six months ended June 30, 2024, net sales were $68.1 million, as compared to $69.9 million in the same prior year period, a decrease of 2.6%. As Jay noted, we experienced reduced sales, net sales from our medical customers as they are aggressively reducing their inventory investments.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

We have also noted several medical product introductions being pushed out to later in 2024 or into 2025. We continue to see strong revenue growth in our aerospace and defense category, as well as moderate gains in our industrial customers. Further, as Jay noted in his remarks, we have realized a reduction in customer backlog in the second quarter of 2024, as customers have changed their purchasing patterns and are requesting shorter lead times with new orders. Second quarter of 2024, gross profit totaled $4.6 million, or 13.6% of net sales, compared with gross profit of $5.5 million, or 15.6% of net sales in the same prior year quarter.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

For the first six months of 2024, we realized gross profit of $10.1 million, or 14.8% of net sales, as compared with $11 million, or 15.7% of net sales in the first six months of 2023. Reduction in gross margin percentage in the 2024 periods is largely due to lower net sales and result in reduced facility utilization, and to a lesser extent, incremental training costs related to the movement of Blue Earth production to Bemidji by the end of 2024. Operating expenses for the second quarter and the first six months of 2024 are marginally lower than the prior year periods as a result of lower incentive compensation accruals and expense management, with offsets increased payroll costs.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Further, the 2024 periods reflect $91,000 of restructuring costs related to retention bonuses and other costs associated with the upcoming Blue Earth closure. The closure of our Blue Earth facility in the second half of 2024 is on schedule and going well. We now estimate the Blue Earth closing will result in a restructuring cash charge of between $750,000 and $850,000 in 2024. We currently do not anticipate any significant non-cash impairment charges related to this closure. We expect to pay substantially all of the restructuring costs in 2024. As we previously disclosed, we expect to realize annual savings starting in 2025 of at least $1.6 million annually related to the optimization of our Minnesota facilities. Moving to the cash flow statement.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

For the first six months ended June 30, 2024, net cash used in operating activities totaled $1.5 million, as compared with cash provided of $281,000 in the same period in 2023. While the timing of customer and vendor payments impacting operating cash flow for the period, we have purposely increased inventory levels in anticipation of the Blue Earth facility transition to Bemidji. As noted in our press release distributed this morning, we use earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or EBITDA, as a key performance indicator to manage our business. In the press release, we have provided a reconciliation of our financial performance, determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and EBITDA.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

For the quarter ended June 30, 2024, and as adjusted for restructuring charges, EBITDA was $919,000, as compared with $1.6 million for the same period in 2023. Year-to-date, 2024, adjusted EBITDA is $2.6 million, as compared with $3.2 million in the first six months of 2023. The decreased adjusted EBITDA is a result of lower net sales and related gross profit. Turning to the balance sheet. As of June 30, 2024, cash and cash equivalents totaled $1.5 million, down from $1.7 million as of December 31, 2023. The fluctuation in cash balances reflects timing of cash receipts, expenditures, and line of credit borrowings. We ended the second quarter of 2024 with $6.6 million of borrowing capacity under our line of credit.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Accounts receivable as of June 30, 2024, were $17.6 million, down from $19.3 million as of December 31, 2023. This is in line with our strong fourth quarter sales and the expected timing of customer payments. Inventories were $22.8 million as of June 30, 2024, as compared with $21.7 million as of December 31, 2023. The increase in inventory reflects the buildup of inventory balances in anticipation of completing our movement of Blue Earth production to our Bemidji facility. Our contract asset, which represents revenue earned but not yet billed to customers, increased slightly to $15 million as of June 30, 2024, as compared with $14.5 million at the end of 2023. The increase reflects the timing of customer shipments.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

As we disclosed in our press release issued earlier today, we have presented non-GAAP results, including trailing twelve-month financial data and EBITDA. For the trailing twelve-month period ended June 30, 2024, net sales were $137.5 million, as compared with $148.8 million in the same twelve-month period ended June 30, 2023. In addition, adjusted EBITDA for the twelve-month period ended June 30, 2024, was $7.3 million, as compared with $6.8 million for the twelve-month period ended June 30, 2023. As we stated in May, our top priorities in 2024 remain unchanged. First, we are extremely focused on continuing to strengthen our balance sheet.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Next, we will take further advantage of opportunities to align our operations and infrastructure with market demand that we are seeing to deliver sustainable long-term EBITDA growth, as well as driving improvements in free cash flow. Coupled with disciplined lean operations, execution, expense management, and R&D innovation, we believe Nortech can deliver on our objectives. With that, I will turn it back to Jay for his closing comments. Jay?

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Thanks, Andy. Before we open the call to your questions, I want to touch on three related areas that together serve our customers and help advance Nortech.

[Operator]

Apologies, we appear to have lost our speaker's audio. One moment, please.

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Ali, can you hear me?

[Operator]

Yes, indeed, sir. Your line is back.

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Okay, all right.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Why don't we start, Jay, with

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Thanks, Andy. All right.

[Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Yep, there we go.

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Okay. Apologize if this is redundant. Thanks, Andy. We'll open the call to your question. Before we open the call to your questions, I want to touch on three related areas that together serve our customers and help advance Nortech's corporate stewardship: our engineering expertise, product innovation, and sustainability plans. For engineering expertise, we have a dedicated engineering services team that is focused on enhancing manufacturability and serviceability, supply chain risk mitigation, and cost efficiency for our customers. Earlier on this call, I mentioned the benefits of our three-tier cost structure across the US, Mexico, and China, and how we can quickly adopt our global resources to fit our customers' changing needs. Nortech's engineering capabilities also further our research and development activities, with advancements like the Expanded Beam, Beam Xtreme Fiber Optic Technology, or EBX, that we announced in January.

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

EBX is designed for digital data transmission and offers improved speed, reliability, and security when compared to traditional copper. We're also excited about our Active Optical Xtreme technology that works in sophisticated magnetic environments, a testament to our team's dedication to innovation, hard work, and excellence in the field of digital connectivity solutions. AOX represents a significant advancement in our product offerings and underscores our commitment to providing state-of-the-art solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients, to deliver products that offer lighter weight, lower cost, and ruggedized solutions sustainably. At the simplest level, the vast majority of Nortech's products provide digital connectivity solutions that transmit data and power in various applications. As you may know, the Internet of Things, or IoT, integrates a variety of electronic components like microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, and connectivity modules.

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

These components, in turn, enable IoT-connected devices to collect, parse, transmit, and receive data. More and more today, that data is being evaluated and analyzed using human intelligence and combined artificial and human intelligence for improved performance and data management for our customers, as well as for their customers. More data needs better data pipelines, and that's where Nortech comes in. Technology like our EBX smart cables helps collect and distribute this data faster, more cost-effectively, and more securely across those, these sophisticated networks. We see strong opportunities for growth. For example, industrial IoT applications are expected to experience impressive double-digit growth, annual growth from 2023 to 2030, according to Fortune Business Insights. Our pivot to more fiber optic technology improves product performance for our customers by offering unparalleled speed and reliability. It also aligns with sustainability goals we share with many of those customers....

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

When compared with traditional copper, fiber optics offer significant environmental benefits during both production and operation, including improved energy efficiency and less material usage, while decreasing the carbon footprint of the complex cables we manufacture. For example, aerospace and defense customers are adopting fiber optic technology due to these key advantages: reduced size, weight, and power requirements, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and greater ruggedization in harsh environments. Harsh environments, of course, are very common in aerospace and defense applications. Nortech has a proud history of serving these customers' unique needs, dating back roughly 30 years. It's the smallest of our 3 core markets by net sales, but very important for our diversification and future growth. Our contributions to our national defense are also a great source of pride for Nortech employees.

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

The majority of our aerospace and defense cables are still the traditional black, rounded, and molded type, common in legacy defense systems, such as shipboard missile launchers for the Navy. But we are looking to the future with ruggedized fiber optics and evolving along with our customers. In closing, we are excited about technological developments across all our markets and expect them to support our continued sales momentum in 2024, aided by stabilization in supply chain and customer orders. Last month, IPC cited improving outlook among global electronics manufacturers with stronger demand and shipments reported in January. Our progress over recent quarters confirms that outlook. We will now open up the call for your questions. Ali, please open the lines.

[Operator]

Thank you. At this time, we'll be conducting our question-and-answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone keypad. A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press star two if you would like to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys. Once again, if you have any questions, please press star one at this time. Okay, we currently have no questions in queue at this time, so I'll hand it back to Mr. Miller.

[Jay Miller, President and CEO at Nortech Systems Incorporated]

Thank you, Ali, and thanks to everyone for joining us today. We look forward to talking with you in November when we report our third quarter 2024 results. Again, thank you and goodbye.

[Operator]

Thank you. This concludes today's call, and you may disconnect your lines at this time, and we thank you for your participation.

Participants

Executives

• Andrew LaFrence, CFO and Senior VP of Finance
• Jay Miller, President and CEO