Kimball Posts Q2 Fiscal 2022 Results; Announces Facility Expansion in Poland

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Kimball Electronics, Inc. announced financial results for the second quarter ended December 31, 2021.

Donald D. Charron, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Q2 was another hard fought quarter for our company, as global supply chain issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic persisted and adversely impacted our results. Component shortages continued to make it extremely challenging to obtain the materials needed to support customer demand. While conditions improved modestly in December with sales accelerating, the lost absorption was significant once again this quarter, as we remained committed to retaining our highly skilled workforce in anticipation of a strong second half to the fiscal year. We continue to be well positioned with record levels of backlog, and we are reiterating our sales guidance for fiscal 2022, although we expect to finish the year at the lower end of the range. We are revising our operating income margin guidance to reflect the difficult first half and our outlook for the balance of the fiscal year.”

Charron continued, “We are also excited to announce our plans to expand the facility in Poznan, Poland. This is our third facility expansion in the last 15 months, and representative of the high level of success we’ve experienced in winning new business. Similar to Thailand and Mexico, the additional capacity is needed for programs with new and existing customers. We expect the expansion in Poznan to add approximately 40% to existing production square footage, and will leverage our team in Poland to support our customers based in Europe when the expansion is complete in early fiscal 2024. We are updating our guidance for capital expenditures for fiscal 2022, which will include the early investments in Poznan and additional capital related to a major win in the next generation of electronic braking systems for a longstanding customer.”

Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2022 Overview 

• Net sales decreased 2% compared to the second quarter of fiscal year 2021. Foreign currency had a negligible impact on net sales in the quarter compared to the same period a year ago.
• Cash flow used for operating activities of $48.3 million during the second quarter of fiscal 2022.
• Cash conversion days (“CCD”) for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 were 81 days, up from 75 days in the second quarter of fiscal year 2021. CCD is calculated as the sum of days sales outstanding plus contract asset days plus production days supply on hand less accounts payable days.
• Investments in capital expenditures were $15.1 million during the quarter.
• Cash and cash equivalents were $56.7 million and borrowings outstanding on credit facilities were $103.0 million at December 31, 2021, including $40.0 million classified as long term.

Facility Expansion in Poznan, Poland

The company also announced its intent to expand the facility in Poznan, Poland. The additional capacity is needed for programs with new and existing customers. The expansion is expected to require approximately $8 million of capital investment, adding approximately 40% to the facility’s existing production square footage, and will leverage the team in Poland to support customers based in Europe when complete in early fiscal 2024.

Fiscal Year 2022 Guidance

The company is reiterating its sales guidance for fiscal year 2022 with net sales in the range of $1.4 - $1.5 billion, an 8% to 16% increase year-over-year, although the final result is expected to be at the lower end of the range. Operating income is estimated to be 3.75% - 4.25% of net sales, compared to the original guidance of 4.5% - 5.0% of net sales. The change in the operating income estimate reflects a difficult first half due to the unavailability of material. Under normal operating conditions, the company expects an annual run rate for operating income in the range of 4.5% - 5.0% of net sales. The second half of fiscal 2022 is expected to ramp up significantly throughout the period, with a very strong finish to the fiscal year and operating income above that range, as the backlog of open orders is worked down. Capital expenditures for fiscal year 2022 are now expected to be in the range of $70 - $80 million compared to the original guidance of $60 - $70 million. This update includes the facility expansions in Thailand, Mexico, and the early investments associated with today’s announcement of the facility expansion in Poland.