Phillip Eyler
Analyst · Luke Junk from Baird
Thank you, Yijing. Good morning everyone and thank you for joining us today. The second quarter presented one of the toughest operating environments for the Automotive industry as well as for Gentherm. We faced the highest inflation in 40 years in the United States; lingering COVID shutdowns especially in China; continued military conflict in Europe; and semiconductor shortages and other supply chain challenges. I am proud of the Gentherm team for the ongoing progress in stringent cost management and negotiating appropriate cost recoveries from customers while maximizing performance towards customer needs. We outperformed actual light vehicle production in our key markets by approximately 600 basis points in Automotive, and we achieved 9% growth in Medical as customer demand for our products continues to grow. I'm also pleased to share that we recently closed 2 transactions that will expand Gentherm's value proposition in both Automotive and Medical. The acquisition of Alfmeier's Automotive business makes Gentherm the largest global supplier of thermal and pneumatic seating comfort for the automotive industry. In addition, the acquisition of Dacheng Medical expands Gentherm Medical's access to large and rapidly growing markets, including private label opportunities through Dacheng's innovative and complementary patient temperature management devices. I'd like to welcome the colleagues from Alfmeier and Dacheng to the Gentherm family. Now, turning to the Automotive highlights on Slide 4. In the second quarter, we launched our automotive solutions on 29 different vehicles across 15 OEMs, including Acura, Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Great Wall, Honda and Mercedes-Benz. This represented one of the highest number of vehicle and program launches in recent years. We continue to see momentum for our CCS solution on both ICE and electric vehicles. In the second quarter, our CCS solutions were launched on the Alfa Romeo Tonale, BMW X5 China; Cadillac LYRIQ Luxury EV also in China, the Ford Ranger and Everest, Mazda CX-50 and Range Rover Sport. In Battery Performance Solutions, we achieved an important milestone and launched our first proprietary cell connecting solution that utilizes the mechanical structuring process for the new plug-in hybrid BMW 7 Series. This innovative thin foil solution enables more design flexibility, weight reduction and added functionality to cell connecting ports while simultaneously lowering costs. In addition, our unique manufacturing process is more environmentally friendly than competitive alternatives. In fact, the Fraunhoffer Institute conducted an independent study recently that estimates an over 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when comparing the mechanical structuring process with the chemically etched solution. In addition, we are proud to be honored by Honda as a top North American supplier for the third consecutive year. This recognition reflects our commitment to developing innovative solutions and our team's dedication and commitment to the quality and operational excellence. Now on to Slide 5, where you can see that in the second quarter, we secured $600 million in new program awards on a pro forma basis, including $190 million secured by Alfmeier in the second quarter prior to acquisition closing. Since the announcement of the Alfmeier acquisition, our customers have resoundingly expressed support and excitement to see Gentherm further expand our value proposition beyond thermal in comfort, health, wellness and energy efficiency. The pipeline of opportunities for the combined company remains strong. I'm also pleased to announce that we recently received our second ClimateSense award from a global OEM for our software-driven microclimate platform using an algorithm based on thermal physiology. This award will be on a battery electric version of a popular SUV launching in 2025 and is a strong validation of the progress we're making with this OEM. I'd like to take this time to congratulate our global team for winning this important follow-on award. ClimateSense is a critical part of our long-term strategy and continues to gain interest from global OEMs for significantly reducing power consumption and increasing range in extreme temperatures, all while providing best-in-class passenger comfort. We won multiple CCS awards in the quarter, including platform wins on the next-generation Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Jeep Cherokee, The Great Wall WEY, XPao Pickup and Salon Mecha Dragon EV, the Honda Passport, Nissan Murano, Toyota Camry, Sequoia and Tundra as well as the XPeng EV. In the second quarter, we also received 17 steering wheel heater awards across 12 OEMs, 5 of which were hands-on detection enabled. These included a new EV crossover coming from Buick, 2 models from Great Wall, 4 models from Volkswagen, a new EV crossover coming from Ford, as well as multiple models from one of the largest global electric vehicle manufacturers. Importantly, in the second quarter, we won several conquest CCS and seat heat awards from a large Tier 1 seat manufacturer, displacing the competition, validating our strong position as the leading independent provider of thermal solutions. We continue to transform our product lines, including our Cable business to create value for electric vehicle applications. I'm pleased to share that we won a high-voltage cable award for a Porsche EV and a follow-on high-voltage cable award for a hydrogen fuel cell electric semi-truck in the second quarter. Also in the second quarter, the Alfmeier team won a significant pneumatic comfort award with BMW on several new EV-based in-car vehicle models. Alfmeier was also awarded a significant regional volume expansion by one of the largest global electric vehicle manufacturers. In addition to this long-time EV customer, Alfmeier has secured their position as a pneumatic comfort supplier of choice for European OEMs for their EV platforms, including the BMW, i20 and i3, the Mercedes-Benz EQE and EQS platforms and the Volkswagen ID5 to name a few. We're excited to offer more compelling and high-value solutions across complementary customer relationships, leveraging the combined technologies, teams and capabilities. Gentherm sees an opportunity to integrate the highest-performing comfort and wellness solutions in the most space efficient manner, which is especially important for electric vehicles that demand compact integrated designs. As we continue to bring innovative solutions to our customers, Gentherm is well positioned to significantly increase content per vehicle as electric vehicles expand in the market. Now, let's turn to Slide 6 for a discussion of our Medical business. Earlier this morning, we announced that we closed the acquisition of Dacheng Medical, a developer and manufacturer of patient temperature management solutions for numerous Chinese and international customers. Dacheng is an existing supplier for Gentherm Medical, with whom we have developed a strong relationship over many years. This acquisition provides enhanced access to high-growth markets, including private label opportunities through Dacheng's innovative and complementary patient temperature management devices. Dacheng products have regulatory approvals in many countries, including China, the United States and Brazil. Now, let me share some highlights for the second quarter. Medical revenue grew 9% ex-FX year-over-year. During the quarter, Gentherm delivered Warm Air and Filtered Flo patient warming systems to the United Nations Development Program. The United Nations Development Program in conjunction with the World Bank provides humanitarian aid to developing countries. We also continue to see solid demand for our flagship product, Blanketrol, winning a large award from Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. Now let me summarize. Our results for the quarter reflect the extremely challenging operating environment our industry is facing. I would like to thank our global team for diligently adjusting our business operations to minimize the impact of supply chain disruptions and inflationary pressure while continuing to deliver for our customers. In Automotive, we outperformed actual light vehicle production in our key markets by approximately 600 basis points, and we secured $600 million of new awards on a pro forma basis from automakers around the world as the largest global supplier of thermal and pneumatic comfort. With that, I'll turn the call over to Matteo, for a little more color on the financial results, and I'll come back to wrap up before Q&A.