The Elmet Group Co. (ELMT) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us. Welcome to The Elmet Group Company's Business Update Call. Joining us for today's presentation are the company's Chairman and CEO, Peter Anania; Executive Vice President, Scott Knoll; and Chief Financial Officer, Mike Lee. [Operator Instructions] Please note that this call will be recorded and made available for replay via a link available in the Investor Relations section of the company's website at investors.theelmetgroup.com. Before we begin, I also would like to remind listeners that today's remarks may include statements that are not historical facts and are considered to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, performance, including our long-term financial targets for gross margin, expected run rate revenue, run rate gross margin and other metrics. These statements are based on the company's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections -- about our -- assumptions about our business and the industry in which we operate as well as the management's belief and assumptions. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Participants on this call are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management's beliefs only as of the date hereof. The company expressly disclaims any duty to update or correct any forward-looking statements. Please refer to the cautionary language in today's press release and investor's presentation as well as the company's SEC filings for a discussion of the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those statements. I'll now turn the call over to Elmet's Chairman and CEO, Peter Anania, for his comments. Please go ahead, sir.

Thank you, operator, and good morning, everyone. In conjunction with today's announcements, we have prepared a supplementary presentation we plan to reference in today's call. Please refer to our Investor Relations website for a copy of the presentation. Let's begin on Slide 3. Today, we are pleased to discuss 4 important updates. First, a landmark investment from the U.S. Department of War or DoW; second, a planned strategic deployment of capital intended to expand and strengthen the U.S. and allied tungsten supply chain; third, a new framework agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency, or DLA; and fourth, our recently announced agreement to acquire ams OSRAM's metal production operations in Schwabmunchen, Germany. These announcements represent a transformational moment in Elmet's evolution, building on a nearly century of experience in high-performance refractory metals and positioning us to support a more secure U.S. critical mineral supply chain. The DoW's $450 million committed investment, the additional investments we are making and our new DLA framework will potentially enable us to accelerate the expansion of the U.S. tungsten manufacturing, build our independent conversion capacity, and support a more resilient non-China supply chain for critical defense and industrial applications. We believe these investments will also further solidify our company's already strong competitive positioning and expanding our manufacturing base, adding midstream capabilities and strengthening our ability to serve as a differentiated strategic partner to both government and commercial customers. This is only possible because of the strong foundation our team has built, and we have just begun to show what we can accomplish. Let's turn to Slide 4 for an overview of our business and some additional context on today's announcement. For background, Elmet is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-performance refractory metals and the only U.S.-owned U.S.-based manufacturer of highly engineered pure tungsten and molybdenum critical material components. In addition, we maintain a difficult-to-replicate asset base, strong supply chain network, and a U.S.-centric manufacturing capabilities. We believe we are well positioned to address the growing need to secure resilient and trusted tungsten supply chains. Our Critical Materials Components division, or CMC, is our core refractory metals division. We manufacture tungsten, molybdenum, and specialized alloys for demanding applications across defense, aerospace, semiconductors, medical, and energy and industrial markets. We have further enhanced the business through expanded U.S. and European capacity, including our recently announced acquisition of ams OSRAM's Schwabmunchen metal production operations in Germany, which I will discuss momentarily. We have also established a proven track record of continuously introducing new and innovative products to our customers across key end markets. Our Engineered Microwave Products division, or EMP, provides highly engineered radio frequency systems, components, and engineering services and is continually looking to leverage this technology across new programs and platforms. Today, we announced we are adding a third division, Elmet Refining & Trading, or ERT, which is operationally separate from CMC, but strategically aligned with the business. ERT will manage our ammonium paratungstate, or APT conversion capacity and mine offtake agreements, coordinating sourcing, refining, trading, and delivery across our tungsten supply chain. I will discuss the specifics of this more in a moment. APT conversion for those unfamiliar with our business, is a critical chemical refining process that transforms raw tungsten concentrate into the standard industrial intermediates required for advanced metal powders and carbides. To close out our brief overview of these 3 divisions, I will note Elmet's capabilities now span material supply, processing, precision engineering, and finished components. Each are intended to play an important role in supporting our customers and long term -- in our long-term growth. Turning to Slide 5. As I mentioned, last Tuesday, we announced our entry into an agreement to acquire ams OSRAM's metal production operations. The OSRAM acquisition is another important step in Elmet's global expansion strategy intended to establish a strategically integrated tungsten and molybdenum manufacturing base in Europe and is our first refractory metals production footprint in the European Union. This is a goal we have had for long articulated since before our IPO. Through this, we plan to create a European production platform for tungsten and molybdenum, powders, rods, wire, electrodes, and machine components, enhancing our ability to serve customers across key end markets while strengthening supply chain resilience. The facility in Germany will only fully -- the facility is Germany's only fully integrated producer spanning powder through finished components, is one of a limited number of European facilities capable of producing pure tungsten powders. When this transaction is closed, the Schwabmunchen facility will be integrated into our CMC division and is anticipated to bring a fully integrated manufacturing operation covering the entire production process from powder production, through pressing, sintering, swaging/drawing, and finishing. This site also includes an advanced materials laboratory specializing in chemical and physical analysis that has been recognized as a leader in manufacturing innovation, receiving Germany's 2024 Smart Digitization Factory 4.0 award. We expect the acquisition to close the first quarter of 2027. Under the transaction, Elmet will continue supplying OSRAM through a 2-year framework agreement and will operate the site under a 15-year lease arrangement. Once acquired, these capabilities will help expand our manufacturing footprint, enhance our vertical integration, and strengthen our position as a leading supplier of tungsten and molybdenum products across North America and Europe. This is also another example of how we have positioned ourselves as the acquirer of choice over the years. Building on this foundation, today's announcements meaningfully expand Elmet's capacity to support a secure and resilient U.S. tungsten supply chain. On Slide 6, I will dig in further into the details. The Department of War has committed $450 million to expand our tungsten processing and manufacturing capability -- capacity across the U.S. This transaction is the first initiative launched under the DoW's, the Department of War's new economic defense unit, aligning public and private capital to strengthen America's tungsten supply chain. The investment begins with a $200 million draw on this commitment at closing with the remaining capital in future draws tied to project spending need and execution. In connection with the investment, the DoW will receive redeemable preferred equity, warrants representing up to 19.9% of Elmet's common stock on a post-exercise basis and the right to appoint 1 independent director and 1 nonvoting Board observer. This preferred equity structure also includes a redemption adjustment, also known as netting feature, which provides Elmet capital structure flexibility as the warrants are exercised. We believe this structure aligns the interest of, and creates long-term value for, Elmet, the Department of War and U.S. taxpayers. Now I'd like to turn the call over to our EVP of Business Development, Scott Knoll.

Thank you, Peter. With the critical use cases across various key markets, tungsten and molybdenum -- and this is on Slide 7, various key markets, tungsten molybdenum remain of significant strategic importance with global demand projected to increase significantly by 2030. As you can see on this slide, from 2024 to 2030, the global tungsten and molybdenum markets are expected to grow by 7% and 4%, respectively, representing what we see as a meaningful opportunity to solidify our position in the development of these raw materials. On Slide 8, please. There is a compelling and urgent national security issue at hand. China has a strong grasp over the global tungsten market for the past several decades and currently controls more than 85% of the world's global tungsten supply, imposing restrictions that have led to tightening supply and price volatility. Throughout much of the 20th century, the U.S. has had an integrated supply chain for tungsten. And through this investment, we plan to rebuild that vertical integration in the U.S. from the mine to the finished product ready for end-use application. Elmet is the only U.S.-owned vertically integrated producer of pure tungsten and pure molybdenum serving the full range of critical end markets. The DoW's investment, coupled with our strategic allocation across key initiatives are designed to allow the U.S. and its allies to reduce reliance on the China supply. With that, please turn to Slide 9 for more on how Elmet plans to utilize the DoW's investment across the business to fortify this global supply chain. We expect to deploy the $450 million across several clearly defined priorities. You saw several of those in the press release this morning. First, approximately $165 million is designated to support upgrades on our existing CMC facilities in Maine, Michigan and Ohio. We also intend to deploy approximately $100 million across the ERT division to coordinate sourcing, refining, and delivery activities across a diversified non-China supply chain. In addition to these initial funds as part of ERT, we intend to allocate approximately $150 million to Blue Moon's Springer Tungsten Complex in Imlay, Nevada, forming and operating an Elmet-controlled joint venture with Blue Moon Metals and EQ Resources of Australia to restart and expand APT conversion capacity at the Springer facility. This investment provides a direct bridge from Elmet's traditionally disciplined capital investment model to the large-scale capacity needed for the widely anticipated missile and defense replenishment cycle. While our core businesses can grow with comparatively modest capital investment, we believe this program positions Elmet to be prepared for a materially larger defense demand opportunity. The objective with this capital deployment is to fortify Elmet's existing operations while establishing a domestic supply chain infrastructure needed to serve growing demand for tungsten and molybdenum products. Now to Slide 10, please. Separate from the DoW investment, Elmet has also been awarded an IDIQ contract from the DLA to support the rebuilding of the U.S. National Defense stockpile and strengthen the long-term resiliency of the nation's tungsten supply chain. The contract has a ceiling value of $2 billion, including a guaranteed minimum funded commitment of $150 million and covers the supply of tungsten concentrates and sodium tungstate to DLA strategic materials. The contract has a 5-year base ordering period through August 2031 with a 2-year extension option through August 2033. We believe this framework creates a long-term pathway for demand within ERT, strengthens our government relationship and can help backstop ERT refining production. Based on DLA planning, the goal of this framework is to support the DLA in rebuilding the stockpile without disrupting existing American manufacturers or disadvantage our current customers. Importantly, deliveries to the U.S. National Defense Stockpile will likely not begin until significant incremental supply becomes available through the mining investments, offtake agreements, and processing capacity expansions announced today. On Slide 11, please. Turning now to our first use of proceeds, expanding our U.S. existing platform. Our facilities in Maine, Michigan, and Ohio are already well-established manufacturing and processing facilities for tungsten, molybdenum, and other advanced critical materials and components, and the planned investment is slated to add capacity for current defense programs, future opportunities and a broader range of commercial applications. The investment is meant to support capacity for key programs such as the Patriot PAC-3, PrSM, Next Generation Interceptor, THAAD, and other rocket components plus the Phalanx and SLAP and F-35 plus numerous other applications. Also intended to increase capacity for tungsten heavy balance weights for aircraft and expand powder production capabilities as well as modernize infrastructure across all 3 of our facilities. Importantly, this investment is designed to allow us to serve our current customers more effectively while preparing Elmet for future defense and industrial demand. On to Slide 12, please. As you can see on Slide 12, we are planning meaningful capacity expansion across our CMC operations. Currently, we have approximately 520,000 square feet of manufacturing space across these 3 facilities, supporting more than 125 key U.S. defense programs and 90 national lab programs. We expect to increase tungsten powder production capacity by approximately 5x. Powder is a foundational input for downstream CMC products. So this capacity expansion can support a broad range of applications and markets. We also plan to expand capacity for missile and munitions components, tungsten wire, heavy alloy balance weights, and dedicated F-35 and Navy program requirements. The time line is staged and initial funding is expected at closing. Equipment procurement, installation and modernization are expected during 2027. Expanded capacity is expected to begin coming online for defense programs in the second half of 2028 with full run rate across the upgraded facilities targeted by 2031. On Slide 13, as Peter mentioned at the beginning of our call today, today's announcement also creates a new Elmet division, ERT, which you can see on Slide 13. ERT is designed to extend Elmet's capabilities beyond downstream manufacturing and create a more integrated platform across the tungsten supply chain to support a broader segment of the U.S. tungsten industry that is currently supply constrained. Its role will be to secure tungsten from trusted non-China suppliers, manage APT conversion capacity, mine offtake agreements, and coordinate material delivery into the U.S. plus for Elmet's manufacturing operations and customer base. ERT is also intended to support the DLA framework to create a stronger connection between feedstock supply, processing capability and downstream manufacturing. We believe this expansion will complement the capabilities Elmet already has in powder production, pressing and sintering, forming, machining and fabrication, resulting in greater control over material availability, conversion capacity, input costs, and supply chain reliability. Turning to Slide 14. The first major project under ERT is to support the Blue Moon Springer Complex in Nevada. The complex includes a historic tungsten mine, a flotation mill and an existing APT circuit originally developed by GE. We believe the site creates an opportunity to establish the first independent APT facility in the U.S., not tied to captive tungsten carbide. The Elmet expects to invest approximately $75 million in a majority-owned APT joint venture with Blue Moon Metals and EQ Resources. In return, Elmet will own 70% of the joint venture and will operate the APT plant. By combining domestic mining and conversion capacity with Elmet's component manufacturing capabilities, the project is expected to shorten the typical mine to finish component cycle for critical defense applications by approximately 3 months. This is a key reason that DoW supported the investment. Separately, Elmet expects to invest approximately $75 million in Blue Moon through a combination of a $25 million equity investment plus $50 million prepayment for tungsten in exchange for a perpetual offtake from the Springer mine in Nevada. Elmet will also receive issued warrants with an aggregate exercise price of $25 million and have rights to appoint a Board member to Blue Moon board. Additionally, as part of this agreement, Blue Moon will be issued warrants in Elmet with an aggregate exercise price of $25 million. The planned APT restart is targeted for the first half of 2029 or sooner, subject to engineering, permitting, construction and other customary conditions. As production ramps, the Springer mine and offtake agreements are expected to provide long-term offtake of approximately 1,000 to 3,000 tonnes per year of tungsten concentrate. The goal is to have Springer and the site at Springer provide independent U.S. APT conversion capacity and serve as a hub for other Western U.S. tungsten mine supply and support the incremental material needed for future DLA stockpile deliveries. Now I would like to turn the call back over to our CEO, Peter Anania.

Thank you, Scott. Slide 15 illustrates the breadth of Elmet's vertically integrated critical materials platform. Across the value chain, we bring together mining and raw material supply, APT refining, powder and thermal mechanical processing, machining, fabrication and quality control. Our established commercial relationships support APT conversion capability today, while the planned Nevada APT facility will add an independent and redundant U.S. conversion capacity over time. We believe the DoW investment enables us to build on this existing formation -- foundation, strengthening U.S. manufacturing capacity, expanding access to non-China supply and connecting material availability with the finished components our defense and industrial customers require. Let us move to Slide 16. As U.S. defense sourcing requirements become more stringent, we believe investment positions -- this investment positions Elmet to play an increasingly important role in strengthening the resilience and security of the U.S. and allied tungsten supply chain. We are already a trusted supplier to many of the nation's most important defense programs, including Patriot, Javelin, AEGIS, Trident II, THAAD, and the Virginia and Columbia class submarine programs. Our new -- in our view, Elmet is well positioned to support this effort as the only U.S.-owned vertically integrated tungsten producer serving the full range of critical end markets. These investments are expected to expand domestic and allied capabilities across mining, processing, and advanced manufacturing, helping to secure the materials needed for missile systems, munitions, naval platforms, and other critical defense applications. By strengthening domestic and allied capabilities from mine to missile, we intend to help build a more secure, resilient and compliant national security supply chain for strategically important materials relied upon by the United States and its allies. The timing from our perspective is particularly compelling. The U.S. already restricts sourcing of certain tungsten materials from specific countries. And beginning January 1, 2027, those recent restrictions will extend further across the tungsten and molybdenum supply chain for key military applications. We believe Elmet is well positioned to help customers navigate these evolving requirements. With this investment, we expect to have the capital and capacity to expand support for critical defense programs while helping customers meet increasingly rigorous sourcing, compliance, and supply chain security standards. I would like to now turn it over to Mike Lee, our CFO, to discuss the operational framework.

Thank you, Peter. On Slide 17, you can see the projected time line for these investments, which will roll out over several years. The CMC facility upgrades will begin with initial funding at closing, followed by procurement and modernization work in 2027. Expanded defense capacity begins coming online in the second half of 2028 with full run rate targeted for 2031. We believe once ramped, CMC will deliver revenues between $625 million and $675 million with gross margins consistent with our existing long-range targets of 26% to 29%. Our long-term outlook for EMP remains consistent. And when combined with our updated CMC outlook, we continue to believe steady-state gross margins in the 30% range is attainable in the 2030 to 2031 time frame. Looking at our new ERT division, the trading side is expected to begin fulfilling the DLA contract during the first half of 2028, subject to mine ramps related to our strategic offtake agreements. The refining side of our ERT division and the associated Springer APT facility restart is targeted for the first half of 2029 or sooner, subject to customary conditions. We believe the facility will be fully operational and expect to be running at capacity in 2031. ERT combined refining and trading run rate is expected to be between $850 million and $950 million of revenue with a gross margin range of 10% to 15%. Collectively, this is a multiyear execution program with the goal of being fully operational in 2031 and generating a combined revenue range of $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion at 18% to 22% gross margin. As we work towards completion, we will remain focused on delivering measurable program -- progress for customers, shareholders and U.S. industrial base. I'll now turn it back to Peter for some additional commentary.

Let me close with highlights of today's announcement on Slide 18. First, the DoW's $450 million committed investment provides capital intended to strengthen the U.S. tungsten supply chain. Second, approximately $165 million will be allocated to expand and modernize Elmet's existing U.S. manufacturing capacity across Maine, Michigan and Ohio. Third, Elmet Refining & Trading and the Springer Complex project create a potential path towards independent U.S. APT conversion capacity and a more integrated mine-to-missile platform. Fourth, the DLA framework can provide a long-term path to support the rebuilding of the national defense stockpile as incremental new supply becomes available. Fifth, independent from the DoW investment, as announced today, we have entered into an agreement to acquire ams OSRAM metal production operations in Germany, which we expect to close in the first quarter of 2027. Finally, we believe Elmet is well positioned as a sole U.S. vertically integrated tungsten supplier serving the U.S. and allied nations. To wrap things up on Slide 19, we see Elmet's investment case as resting on a durable foundation. We have vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities, an experienced engineering organization, and a difficult-to-replicate U.S. asset base. Today's announcements are intended to provide the capital and commercial framework to accelerate a strategy strengthening both Elmet's long-term growth and U.S. supply chain resiliency. On our final slide, in a few weeks, we will be further discussing Elmet's strategy, operating plan, updated financial framework, and long-term opportunities as part of a comprehensive investment -- investor business update on Thursday, September 24. We will be providing additional logistical details in the coming days. Thank you for your time and your interest in the Elmet Group. Operator, we are now ready to open the line for questions.

[Operator Instructions] Our first question comes from the line of Jim Ricchiuti with Needham & Company.

Congratulations, by the way, first off, on the agreement. And obviously, a lot of information here. So maybe first off, just on that $165 million of direct investments that are going to be deployed, I guess, in Maine and Michigan and Ohio. Will these be mainly to support your existing capabilities or any -- for any new manufacturing capabilities? I'm also wondering how we might think about the time line for these investments.

Sure. As you know, Jim, in the past, we've talked about the last mile and some of these programs, we need specialized equipment for some of the specific end components. So there's some of that. There's some of putting in additional capacity for tungsten furnaces and molybdenum furnaces. And then there's some just to upgrade the infrastructure at each of the plants, which are long in the tooth and need a little upgrading of electrical and other mechanical services. So it's to really cover all 3 of those aspects in those plants.

Got it. And then a follow-up question, and I know there will be a bunch of other questions, and I'll jump back in the queue. But as you build out the new ERT division, I'm wondering if you could talk about the upfront investments you're going to need to make operating, financial, leadership investments. I mean, I think you've given us a framework to think about the long-term revenue and margin opportunity. I'm also wondering in the early days, how we might think about the upfront investments and the potential that there could be some drag as it relates to those upfront investments.

Mike, do you want to handle that question for Jim?

Yes. Sure. And Jim, I'm going to -- you're going to hear me say this a few times. The Investor Day, we're going to have on the 24th, we're going to go much deeper into what we expect to take place here over the time horizon. There will be some drag in the near future. It won't be -- we don't anticipate it to be too dramatic. The ERT division we're standing up is, by design, a low G&A structure. So -- and a lot of our investment upfront is going to be focused in and around that APT facility and that capital investment and engineering design and getting the facility back and running. So yes, there will be some, we don't see it as something that will be dramatic, and we'll go into much more detail, again, when we get together on the 24th.

[Operator Instructions] Our next question comes from the line of Chip Moore with ROTH Capital Partners.

Congrats as well. I wanted to ask, it might be -- we might wait for the 24th, it sounds like, but the CMC, I guess, upgrades first, just you outlined sort of thoughts on timing but any potential for downtime or disruptions as you think about some of those upgrades over 2027 maybe?

We don't have any significant expectation of that. Going back to Peter's commentary, a big piece of the investment is going to be that last mile capital, new installation. And we have a full team operating these factories that know how to implement new equipment and infrastructure without being disruptive. So anything that would take place, we would see is nominal, and it wouldn't really -- we don't expect it to show up in the financials in simple terms. So yes, in real world, of course, there's always some kind of disruption, but switching over things like switchgear, if you do it properly, is you're down a day. So -- and usually, you do that on weekends and so forth. So it won't be significant of taking a factory offline for an extended period of time.

Perfect. Got it. And maybe my follow-up, the new ERT division, I think I read you expect to deploy an additional $100 million, right? That's incremental to the -- I think it's $150 million total going into Blue Moon. Is that right? And how should we think about potential additional deals or where that could go?

Yes. So yes, there's $75 million going into Blue Moon, $25 million is an equity investment, $50 million will be structured prepayments for future offtake and then the $75 million going into the APT facility itself planned. The additional $100 million is going to be used for solidifying our supply chain. That will manifest in a few different ways, but we really -- we're holding back on talking too much of what can happen until we get closer to having those investments clearly defined. So right now, those are to be determined.

And one other point on the Blue Moon investments in equity and the offtake, those are also going to support the site, the electrical, the infrastructure, the mill that would supply the APT plant. So those are all going into capital investments to support Blue Moon and getting ready to support the APT plant.