Clarence L. Granger
Analyst
Thanks, Casey. The second quarter of 2013 was an exciting quarter for Ultra Clean from an operational execution perspective. During the quarter, we saw improvement in all key areas and record performance in some of them. We, once again, saw additional recovery in the semiconductor capital equipment industry. Total revenue coming from semiconductor equipment sales increased greater than $9 million quarter-over-quarter, while other served markets stayed relatively flat. As Casey previously stated, our revenue for Q2 was $110.1 million and our adjusted earnings per share was $0.12, excluding merger and amortization charges. On our previous earnings call, we had guided to Q2 revenue of $106 million to $111 million, and $0.07 to $0.11 adjusted earnings per share. We are pleased that we were able to achieve revenue near the top end of our guidance and to exceed our earnings per share guidance for the quarter. Along with increased revenue and outstanding EPS, we were able to increase our margins by almost a full percentage point from 13.8% in Q1 to 14.6% in Q2, and we were able to achieve an all-time high cash balance for the second quarter in a row. I'll now review highlights of our activities for the second quarter. Our cash balance achievement for the quarter is one of our most significant accomplishments. This is the second quarter in a row that we've been able to achieve record cash balances. In the second quarter, we increased our cash to a level of $71.3 million, while at the same time, reducing our debt by nearly $2.4 million. As mentioned last quarter, one of the main reasons that we've been able to generate such cash levels is that we've concentrated heavily on operational execution. Among other accomplishments, operations continues to increase our gross margins, while at the same time driving down inventory. Over the last 4 quarters, we have achieved gross inventory reductions of approximately $13 million, and we believe there are still opportunities for further reductions. We are very confident that as a result of our operational execution, we will continue to generate cash, reduce our debt, and reduce our inventory balances. In Q2, the percent of revenue coming from our Asian operations rose significantly. The second quarter saw 30% of our total revenue come from our Asian manufacturing operations, an increase from 21% of total revenue in Q1. As mentioned in previous calls, AIT's heavily U.S.-based manufacturing led to an increase in the percentage of our overall U.S. manufacturing shortly after the acquisition. We are now starting to see increased manufacturing as a percentage of total sales within Asia. We anticipate this to continue having a favorable impact on UCT's margins and profitability. Another major accomplishment for the quarter was our gross margin achievement. During the second quarter, we achieved a gross margin of 14.6% compared to 13.8% in Q1. Such margin levels have not been achieved since Q2 of fiscal 2007. As mentioned previously, these margins were achieved through our continued focus on operational efficiency, as well as our mix of revenue being shipped from outside of the U.S. Our long-term goal remains to achieve gross margins in the 15% to 18% range and we are pleased that we are, once again, moving closer toward that goal. On the new business front, during the quarter, UCT realized an expansion of our partnership with DWFritz Automation, a leader in precision automation based in Portland, Oregon. Over the last several quarters, our recently acquired AIT facility in Chandler, Arizona, has engaged with DWFritz in projects involving electromechanical systems integration for assembly and metrology. We have recently received a new business award from them that will represent approximately $2 million worth of business for UCT during Q3. This product will be manufactured at UCT's facility in Shanghai, and will be our first manufacturing effort for this customer in Asia. We're excited about the collaboration with DWFritz and look forward to continue assisting them with their growth. Elsewhere, our new business pipeline remains strong and we continue to work on several new business opportunities with other customers. The second quarter marks the 1-year anniversary of our announcement to purchase AIT. While there is still a long way to go to achieve our ultimate goals, we view this as a very successful combination. A number of cost synergies have already been realized and we are continuing to implement new cost savings identified by the 2 entities. We anticipate seeing further savings during the second half of 2013, both in our operations and our operating expense categories. We continue to be very excited about the potential of the addition of AIT brings to UCT. I'd now like to shift to our guidance for the third quarter of 2013. We anticipate revenue being flat to slightly down during the quarter. Our revenue guidance for the third quarter is $103 million to $110 million, and our Q3 earnings guidance is for earnings per share to be in the range of $0.06 to $0.12, excluding amortization charges. As Casey discussed earlier, the tax rate for the third quarter should be modeled at 24%. In summary, during the second quarter of 2013, we had several major achievements. For the second quarter in a row, our cash balance was at an all-time high, while reducing debt by nearly $2.4 million. Our gross margins improved by almost a full percentage point quarter-over-quarter, and our inventory levels continued to decline with increased operational focus. UCT also realized an expanded partnership with DWFritz, and we continued integration activities related to combining AIT into UCT. In closing, we remain confident that UCT's future is very bright, both from a long-term growth and operational execution perspective. With that, operator, we would now like to open the call for questions.