Cambi ASA

OSE:CAMBI

Earnings Call Transcript 2023-Q2

[Ashish Sahu, executive]

Dear attendees, welcome to the presentation of Cambi's second quarter and half yearly results for 2023. I'm Ashish Sahu, Marketing Manager at the Cambi headquarters in Norway. This meeting will be recorded, and the recording will be available in the days to come on our Reports and Presentations page on the Cambi website.

In the next few minutes, you will be hearing from our Cambi CEO, Eirik Fadnes; and Cambi CFO, Mats Tjemsland. They will walk you through the developments that took place in the second quarter and the first half of the year. All questions will be addressed at the end of the presentation. Please feel free to submit your queries at any time to [e-mail].

Before we proceed, please note that in this presentation, we may make forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could potentially result in material differences between our actual results and expressed and implied information.

Now without further ado, I will give the floor to Cambi's CEO, Eirik Fadnes.

[Eirik Fadnes, executive]

Thank you, Ashish, and good morning, everyone, and thanks for joining our second quarter results presentation. I'm accompanied by Mats Tristan Tjemsland today, who will take you through the financial performance in more detail later on.

Before we dive into the quarterly update, let us first spend a few minutes on what Cambi is all about. Collection and treatment of urban wastewater is essential to protect human health and the environment. It's easy to take water for granted. Clean water will come out the tap, you will use it and dirty water goes down the drain. So the water that leaves your home and your offices is contaminated. And much has been done to collect and treat wastewater, especially in the developed world.

But new pressures, such as adapting to climate change, providing facilities in urban areas and tackling pollutants, all require substantial investments in addition to maintaining existing infrastructure. For most cities in the developed countries, as I mentioned, such wastewater is collected and transported then treated at an urban wastewater treatment plant that you can see on this picture. After treatment, you are left with a byproduct called sludge.

The volume of sludge is a small percentage of the total volume that comes into the wastewater treatment plants. But handling the sludge account for 50% of the operating costs at a wastewater treatment plant. And this is where Cambi comes in. We have a pretreatment step that reduces the volume of biosolids, the end product, by up to 50%. It increases the biogas yield by up to 50%, and it reduces the need for digester volume down to 1/3. In many cases, our solution results in the lowest life-cycle cost and the lowest carbon footprint irrespective of handling route of the biosolids.

We have been around for 30 years. We introduced the thermal hydrolysis solution to our industry as a disruptive technology back then. We have since grown to become a truly a global company with a global presence. We have reference plants in 27 countries across 6 continents with a combined capacity to serve 115 million people equivalents. Although we have the capability to execute projects anywhere in the world, we have a higher concentration of plants in certain regions.

For example, we have a significant number of plants in the U.K., which is the only privatized market in the world. We have the capacity there to treat half the sludge generated in the United Kingdom. This is reflecting a very strong position in our market there. In Norway, we have 10 references and a pipeline of several more, which, when considering the size of the population, is a sign of tremendous potential for our solution globally.

In the U.S., we signed our first contract in Washington, D.C. in 2011. But in the last 3 years alone, we have delivered and signed contracts for 7 more projects. So we're really gaining traction and have good momentum in the U.S. market, which has a huge potential for Cambi. We will go into more depth in -- of our business, our strategy, our prospects in our Capital Markets Update on the 27th of September.

So now let's turn to the second quarter highlights. Following the record results in the first quarter, the performance achieved during the second quarter is once again very strong and a new all-time high. As you saw in this morning's press release, revenue increased by 127% to NOK 238 million, and EBITDA ended at NOK 64 million, up NOK 66 million compared to the same period last year. The EBITDA margin ended at 27%, in line with what we delivered in the first quarter.

Our order backlog remained above NOK 1 billion. And the cherry on top is the fact that after a busy summer, we have now secured new equipment orders so far this year of about NOK 1 billion. Our balance sheet remains strong. We have a strong cash position, and we paid a dividend of NOK 0.15 in the second quarter.

Overall, we really have excellent business momentum, and our efforts over several years are starting to pay off both on the top and bottom line. Notably, projects that face delays last year have now regained their positive momentum. The ongoing projects spanning various phases of execution are all proceeding according to plan.

We're proud to report that engineering work on newer projects is being effectively delivered. Some projects have already advanced to the manufacturing stage in this quarter, while others have successfully reached their designated sites. Our Damhusåen project in Copenhagen is making good progress. And as you can see from the pictures on this slide, we took delivery of the container-sized B2 system and ancillary equipment in the second quarter and started installation.

While supply chain disruptions experienced in the past year and, as we've talked about before, it started to ease, we still experience longer lead time of our deliveries than before the disruptions. And it's also important to acknowledge the persistent presence of inflationary pressure. This is not only affecting our ongoing projects, but also our customers' budgets, which, in some cases, are delaying awards in the market. We have seen projects that's being canceled and re-tendered, but we are yet to see projects that's removed from the market.

For ongoing projects, we have managed to safeguard our margins by implementing index regulation on larger contracts and strategically adjusting our market offers. Grønn Vekst was awarded a biosolids handling contract in Trondheim in the quarter with an estimated total value of NOK 120 million, including options. We also had a ramp-up of the peat-free soil packaging line that started in the first quarter, but successfully ramped up to full production during the second quarter. In sum, the current trajectory of our business is undeniably positive. We have had tangible achievements in the quarter in all segments.

Let's now move on to the recent developments. After closing the quarter, as I mentioned, we had an eventful summer where we signed some exciting new contracts. As you can see on the map, we have successfully secured contracts for 4 major projects across the globe. Let's dive into the details of each project.

The first project started as a collaboration phase with Veas more than 1 year ago. And we're proud to have designed an energy-efficient facility that utilizes THP. The planned solution will increase renewable energy production, enhance nutrient recovery and reduce treatment costs. This project aligns with Veas' commitment to sustainability and carbon neutrality while strengthening its role in the local circular economy. The operations utilizing THP are set to begin in early 2026.

Our second project takes us to Singapore where we have been awarded a major contract by the national water agency, PUB. We will deliver 2 thermal hydrolysis process trains for the Tuas Water Reclamation Plant, a critical part of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System project. Our THP technology will enhance biogas production, reduce sludge volume and contribute to Singapore's sustainable water management goals. The THP trains at Tuas are scheduled for delivery in 2025 and start of operation from 2026.

Our third project brings us to Israel where Cambi has been awarded its first project in the country. We will be implementing a thermal hydrolysis process system to treat solids from a wastewater treatment facility in the city of Be'er Sheva. The selective solution is reliable, cost-effective and aligned with the urban growth needs for the region. This project enables Mei Sheva, their local water utility company, to address the wastewater challenges of a rapidly growing population. By converting solids into renewable energy and high-quality biosolids, this project showcases our commitment to sustainability and responsible wastewater management.

Our final project takes us to Wellington, New Zealand, where Cambi has been awarded a contract for 2 thermal hydrolysis systems as part of the sludge minimization facility at the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant. This project is a game-changer in wastewater solids management, significantly reducing anaerobic digester volume, increasing green electricity production and improving dewatering. It aligns perfectly with Wellington City Council's commitment to innovative and sustainable solution. The volume of biosolids going to landfill will be reduced by up to 80%, and the carbon footprint associated with sludge management will be reduced by up to 60%.

So let's take a look at the outlook. Our growth opportunity is very exciting. It's driven by urbanization, the need for investment in critical infrastructure, tighter regulations and the push for our industry to be more sustainable. Over the coming decade, wastewater treatment plants need significant investments to transition to net zero, and sludge management has a critical role to play. To meet the target set by an increasing number of utilities and cities, plants need to adopt new solutions and rethink the sludge strategy. This makes our thermal hydrolysis solutions well positioned.

The second quarter and half year results are a testimony to Cambi's scalable business model. With a solid balance sheet, strong order backlog and a positive business momentum, we are aiming to pay a dividend of 60% to 80% of net results in the next 2 years.

I will now hand it over to Mats Tjemsland, who will go through our results in more detail.

[Mats Tjemsl, executive]

Thank you, Eirik, and good morning, everyone. I will now be taking you through the financials for the second quarter.

We are pleased to report yet another quarter with a strong financial performance for Cambi. Revenues in Q2 came in at a solid NOK 238 million. This is up NOK 133 million versus the same quarter last year and up NOK 28 million versus the previous quarter. A key driver for this is the continued strong momentum in project execution of our order backlog. Also a weak Norwegian krone has, in Q2, provided an additional uplift in revenue from projects denominated in foreign currencies.

EBITDA came in at a strong NOK 64 million for the second quarter. This is up NOK 66 million versus the same quarter last year and NOK 7 million higher than the previous quarter. This increase is primarily driven by the margin contribution from project revenues, which are offset by an expected increase in sales, general and admin expenses needed to support a growing Cambi organization. All in all, we are very pleased to see an EBITDA margin of 27% in this quarter, in line with the previous quarter.

Now looking at the Cambi Group segment, which consists of the subsegments Equipment and Services, where Equipment is related to delivery of THP systems; and Services is related to site maintenance, upgrades, spare parts and other after-sale activities. Revenues in the second quarter came in at NOK 199 million for this segment. This is up NOK 129 million versus the same quarter last year and slightly up versus the previous quarter. We are very pleased with this development, and it is primarily driven by good momentum on several on the [ 15 ] ongoing equipment construction projects.

We saw a solid uplift in revenue from the Services subsegment for the quarter, driven by the delivery of upgrade systems. The Services subsegment revenue is reported at NOK 32 million this quarter, which is up from NOK 15 million being reported in the same quarter last year. And as the installed base of plants using our technology continues to grow as small projects are being delivered, we remain focused to continue to grow the Services subsegment.

EBITDA was reported at NOK 61 million for the second quarter. This is up NOK 68 million versus the same quarter last year and in line with the previous quarter. And finally, we are happy to see EBITDA margins of 30% for this quarter in this segment.

Now looking at the Cambi Invest segment, which consists of subsegments Recycling and DBO projects, where Recycling is related to the sale of soil products; and DBO projects is where Cambi participates in plant builds and operations. The reported revenues from this segment is solely from the Recycling subsegment from our portfolio company, Grønn Vekst.

Revenues was reported at NOK 39 million for the second quarter, which is slightly up versus the same quarter last year and significantly up versus the previous quarter. The seasonality in revenues are as expected due to higher sale of soil products during the spring and summer months. The sold soil volumes for the quarter came in at 89,000 metric tons, which is slightly lower than 100,000 metric tons in the same quarter last year, mainly being due to a late spring in Norway impacting the beginning of the quarter.

EBITDA for the segment was NOK 3 million, slightly down from the same quarter last year, but up versus the previous quarter. And this result was also impacted by higher-than-expected costs during the start-up of the peat-free soil packing facility for Grønn Vekst.

Now looking at the order intake development. The order intake in the second quarter was NOK 201 million. This is NOK 43 million lower than the same quarter last year and also NOK 132 million lower than the previous quarter. And the order intake in this quarter is primarily from the announced biosolids handling contract in Trondheim for the Recycling subsegment.

And as mentioned earlier, after Q2, there has been announced the signing of 4 contracts for equipment delivery. Three of these contracts are classified as large, meaning a value between NOK 100 million and NOK 200 million; where one contract is classified as a major contract, the contract in Singapore, with a value of over NOK 200 million. And we have illustrated the combined value of the order intake from these contracts in the shaded column to the left.

And now let's take a look at our communicated target to sign new equipment contracts. In Q1, we announced that we had reached our targets of signing new equipment contracts worth NOK 1 billion over a 2-year period, 2022 and '23. The new target that we have communicated is to sign NOK 1.2 billion of new equipment contracts for a 2-year period, '23-'24. And as of end of Q2, a total of NOK 385 million of equipment contracts has been signed so far.

However, with the 4 additional contracts signed in Q3, substantial headway has been made towards reaching this target. We have illustrated this in the graph to the left with a total equipment order intake of around NOK 1 billion. And we continue to see support from strong economic, regulatory and environmental drivers for our products going forward.

Now let's have a look at the order backlog development. The order backlog remained above NOK 1 billion by the end of Q2. This level is almost 2x the size of the order backlog in the same quarter last year, and around 1/5 of the order backlog is related to Cambi Invest segment. With the inclusion of 4 new signed contracts in Q3, the order backlog is expected to significantly increase, as we have illustrated in the graph to the left. We are very pleased with this development, and this order backlog provides a solid financial foundation for Cambi going forward.

Now let's have a closer look at the order backlog distribution. We have indicated the order backlog by execution year on the left-hand side. And we believe that almost 2/3 of this order backlog will be executed before 2025. The order backlog currency distribution, viewed on the right-hand side, shows that the order backlog mainly consists of NOK, USD and euro. And since a large share of the backlog is in other currencies than NOK, we may experience fluctuations in the reported order backlog value going forward.

Let's have a quick look at our P&L. Solid operating income uplift is mainly from good progress on equipment projects. The payroll expenses increase is as expected due to a growing size and scope of the Cambi organization. And the increase in other operating expenses is driven by project-related costs.

Now let's take a look at the balance sheet. All in all, Cambi maintains a solid financial position. At the end of Q2, total assets were NOK 700 million. This is up from around NOK 500 million in the same quarter last year. Intangible assets, which include the acquired THP technologies from Veolia, are amortized. And the increase in debtors is mainly from recognized project revenues not yet billed.

We have a solid position in financial assets, being mainly money market funds and bank deposits with a total value of over NOK 270 million by the end of the quarter. And with limited noncurrent liabilities, the increase in global interest rates do not affect Cambi. Current liabilities increase is from progress on projects which have not yet been delivered.

Also, let's take a quick look at the cash flow statement. The timing of project milestone payments is impacting the cash flow from operating activities in this quarter. Also, the final installments of the investments in our peat-free soil packing facility for Grønn Vekst amounting to NOK 12 million was paid in Q2. And dividend distribution to shareholders totaling NOK 24 million was made during the quarter as well.

Before we move over to the Q&A session, I would like to remind everyone that we invite investors, analysts and media to attend a Capital Markets Update for Cambi late in September. This will be a fully digital event on the 27th of September scheduled at 10:00 a.m. Central European time. Here, we will provide a comprehensive deep-dive into our business and explain our plans for growth and value creation going forward. So please make sure to put it in your calendar.

And with that, we are ready to move over to the Q&A session. Thank you.

[Eirik Fadnes, executive]

Welcome back. We will now take your questions, and I'll have Ashish moderate the questions that's come in.

[Ashish Sahu, executive]

Thank you, Eirik. We have questions that have come in. The first question, you state that projects that were previously delayed have all regained positive momentum. Is this also the case for the project in Lviv?

[Eirik Fadnes, executive]

The project in Lviv has been on hold due to force majeure now for 1.5 years. It is still on hold, and we've had no progress on the project so far this year. If there's any changes to this situation, we will notify the market in a press release.

[Ashish Sahu, executive]

Thank you. Another question: what more can you say about the development of the conditional design-build-operate, that is DBO, contract award?

[Eirik Fadnes, executive]

There's no changes to what we communicated as part of the first quarter report. It's still a process where we are negotiating with the city or municipality. And we have a parallel process for permitting. So subject to the successful permitting process and negotiation, we still expect construction start at the end of 2024.

[Ashish Sahu, executive]

Thank you, Eirik. And we have no more questions.

[Eirik Fadnes, executive]

No more questions? Then I think we'll close off the live cast. Thank you all for joining us. If there's any questions later on, please don't hesitate to reach out.