RB Global, Inc.
Q4 2020 Earnings Call Transcript

Published: 19 Feb 2021

[Sameer Rathod:]

Hello, and good morning, and thank you for joining us on today's call to discuss our Fourth Quarter 2020 Results. Joining me today are Ann Fandozzi, our Chief Executive Officer; and Sharon Driscoll, our Chief Financial Officer, along with other members of the management team who will be available for the Q&A portion of the call. The following discussion will include forward-looking statements. Comments that are not a statement of fact, including projections of future earnings, revenue, gross transaction value and other items are considered forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. The risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual financial and operating results to differ significantly from our forward-looking statements are detailed in our SEC and Canadian securities filings and are available on our Investor Relations website at investor.ritchiebros.com. We encourage you to review our earnings release and Form 10-Q, which are available on our website as well as EDGAR and SEDAR.

[Ann Fandozzi:]

Thank you, Sameer, and good morning to everyone joining our call today. It has been close to a year since the pandemic started. And we hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy, as COVID-19 continues to impact all parts of our daily lives. Ritchie Brothers delivered solid full-year results with an 8% growth in service revenue, and 24% growth in adjusted operating income, and 5% GTV growth despite operating in a COVID environment, which is inherently plagued with uncertainty. I think these numbers underscore the leverage in our model, and Sharon will walk you through the financial shortly. Our top priority is the health and safety of our employees and customers. And to that end, we continue to stay vigilant on all our COVID protocols that you have heard me discuss for the past year. To keep our employees and customers safe, we made the difficult decision to move our flagship Orlando auction to 100% virtual. Over the past year, we have proven that our omni-channel models deliver great results. Like many of our customers, I sorely miss going to Orlando this year, because it brings together an amazing community. We do not want to lose that aspect of our business and post-COVID we are planning to have live customer appreciation events and bigger and better preview days when it is safe to do so. The way I think about the world is normally through two main factors

[Sharon Driscoll:]

Thank you, Ann, and good morning, everyone. Despite continued uncertainty posed by the pandemic, we reported a solid 5% growth in GTV, 15% growth in total revenue, and 6% increase in service revenue in the fourth quarter. Our GTV was driven by high teens growth in Canada, in part due to a large dispersal of pipeline equipment and single-digit growth in our international business despite the cancellation of our Narita Auction Event due to COVID concerns in that market. I am also pleased to say GovPlanet positively contributed to GTV growth in the quarter as inventory flow has returned to near normal levels after some of the COVID-driven disruptions we saw earlier in 2020. Despite the solid contribution of our strategic accounts group, the U.S. business was down slightly in the quarter compared to last year, driven by tightening used equipment supply, as well as the team’s cycling over non-recurring sales events in Chehalis, Washington and Anthony, New Mexico.

[Ann Fandozzi:]

Thank you, Sharon. As many of you know, we rolled out our new strategy to become the trusted global marketplace for insights, services and transaction solutions for commercial assets at our Investor Day in December. A foundational part of our strategy is that we are a learning organization and we are committed to communicating as we learn. Every quarter you can expect us to share how we are moving this strategy forward. Although early days, I am very pleased with the progress we made against the new strategy. We are driving digital innovations across our ecosystem. To help us accelerate end-to-end customer experience initiatives, we are moving to a new nimbler product management organization. I am also very proud of the technological innovations around our flagship Orlando events, with virtual tour videos of over 4,000 items, and the introduction of a remote concierge service for our customers.

[Operator:]

Certainly. Your first question comes from the line of Cherilyn Radbourne from TD Securities. Your line is open.

[Cherilyn Radbourne:]

Thanks very much and good morning. In terms of the tightening used equipment supply that emerged in the fourth quarter, could you sort of speak to the cadence of how that developed during the quarter? You seem to be fairly upbeat when we last spoke at the December analyst meeting. So just curious if that was something that emerged later in the quarter?

[Ann Fandozzi:]

Hi, Cherilyn, Ann Fandozzi here. So basically, we first noticed it early days around the elections. I apologize, and I think we spoke about that all as well. But in the U.S., there was kind of an election-based kind of a bit of a pause. And candidly, when we had our call, we had thought, okay, one selection was behind us, but of course, the - what we could not have anticipated was everything that ensued post-election, and kind of the longer-term implications of that uncertainty as well as the new strains of COVID and the continued lock downs despite the vaccine a lot. So that's a little bit of kind of how we saw it unfold. But – or at the same time, let's just focus on the things that we are driving, right? So these types of things election, everything, the craziness that ensued, new strains of COVID, these are out of our control. However, in our control, right, what do buyers want from us, the most selection they can get anywhere else. And unquestionably, they continue to get it. And what does sellers want? The highest price realization possible. And as we alluded to, as we saw throughout last year, the way we were driving demand, pricing was very strong, continues to be that way. And as we take a look at our outlook, we see the things that you guys are seeing, right? OEMs have announced and they are coming back with production after the four shutdowns last year. We were all aware that banks were not acting like banks all around the world, but we believe that they will and we are - that is part of why we built out the bankruptcy and insolvency vertical to be ready for that eventuality. And whatever stimulus will come we know will be goodness as well. So that's a little bit of a context for how that played out in Q4 and what we're seeing right now and moving forward.

[Cherilyn Radbourne:]

Okay, that's helpful color. Second question, I wanted to ask about the legacy systems that were mentioned in the context of the internal control environment. In addition to some process revamping, is there also a plan to revitalize those systems over time?

[Sharon Driscoll:]

Yes, so, good question. Cherilyn, it’s Sharon here. Clearly, this aligns right with our modern architecture pillar. The legacy systems and it's really more the interface environment between the various disparate systems that operate are different types of events. The plan we have is to really simplify how we actually complete transactions and use technology in a much better enabled way, both for customer benefit as well as for our employee benefit, so that these manual controls will no longer be required.

[Cherilyn Radbourne:]

Great. That’s my two. Thank you for the time.

[Sharon Driscoll:]

Thank you.

[Operator:]

Your next question comes from the line of Michael Doumet from Scotiabank. Your line is open.

[Michael Doumet:]

Hey, good morning. So first question. I mean, you talked about the tightening of equipment supply in the U.S. and provided commentary into Q1. On the Canadian GTV, I mean, that was up in the quarter due to what sounded like a favorable auction calendar, just wondering if you noticed similar tightening in Canada, or if the markets are somewhat different?

[Ann Fandozzi:]

Yes, hello, Michael, Ann here. So where - we much like every quarter, we kind of see a tale of three cities playing out around the globe for us. So the tightening in the U.S. really was initiated with the election, something that was really contained to the U.S. market and then was prolong the nature. The momentum that we've seen in Canada unaffected by that, and haven't had nearly the impact of, let's say, the additional closures that Europe has experienced with COVID as the new strains showed up there and huge lockdowns came back into the kind of teams three very different marketplaces playing out. What gives us a lot of confidence is we know that vaccines are here. It is a matter of time. The disappointment with the rollout be it as it is eventually will come. I'm happy to say my parents just got the first vaccine last weekend. So I'm very hopeful. We know the OEMs that were forced into the situation that resulted in a tightening of supply, they have announced very healthy comeback, and the entire bankruptcy and insolvency space. It's a matter of time when that plays out, but just a bit of context.

[Michael Doumet:]

Gotcha. Okay. And then separate question completely different, but the growth in the online auction marketplaces have been, I mean, it's been nothing short of impressive, especially versus the onsite auctions. So at your Investor Day, I mean, you talked about high single-digit, low teen GTV growth. In your opinion. I mean, is that going to be predominantly driven by online marketplaces from now on? Just trying to get a sense for how to think about that going forward?

[Ann Fandozzi:]

Yes, Michael. So just reminding everybody for Investor Day, believe me, nobody is more excited than the folks on this call. But Investor Day, we sat out our vision, and we were clear about two things, it's going to take us a little bit of time to fully realize it and also we're in COVID. So this is time for us to learn. So just a little bit about the context. So our perspective of what live and online actually means has significantly changed, and I'll just even say for myself coming in. A bias I had coming in was really a retail bias, right? More online sales means less reliance on brick and mortar, right? If I click the thing shifts from a warehouse, I don't have to go into a store. What I learned and what we have realized today during COVID is that the use of, our yards are very different between buyers and sellers. But we really need to bifurcate your question into a two-part answer. The buyer experience, even before COVID, two-thirds of our live auction buyers were already coming online. So even though we pivoted to 100% digital, that was more a strain to our technology organization to make sure we had the bandwidth and the systems to handle the increased flow. So from a buyer perspective, we were already headed that way. We were fully there. And it allows candidly our - artificial intelligence, machine-based learning and our marketing teams to go crazy with that data and drive demand. We're seeing that in the demand numbers. We're seeing that in the pricing. On the seller side, however, and this is what's so fascinating. What they want from Ritchie Brothers and it's really a unique differentiator is when they're done with a piece of equipment they want done with it, and then they just want their money. And so our yards during COVID are busier than they've ever been before. With sellers dropping equipment, we take possession, we inspect it, we appraise it. We spiff it up by the way we charge for all of the services. We market it for them. We sell it. In fact, we're so bullish about that model on our investor call and today, on the fifth pillar about accelerating our growth initiatives. We're actually testing hub and spoke models with putting much more scaled down yards, much closer to where sellers are to minimize the transportation costs for them, but allow them to partake of the care custody and control that they want. So, I think you're going to be seeing kind of both worlds play out and for Sharon and I. We need to think through and we're putting KPIs in place that we can share with you guys where the transactions themselves are digital. But the physical use of yards we anticipate will actually go up, not down for the sellers.

[Operator:]

Your next question comes from the line of Larry De Maria from William Blair. Your line is open.

[Larry De Maria:]

First question, I want to talk about the impact of timed auction lots the market seems to be moving there. But you even - I think regardless to call where test rate is going? So curious, how important is it for you now and this bench essentially a weak spot because no frills, competitors can play there or maybe not? So I'm just curious about your perspective on how important timed auction lots are and how you're doing that competitively?

[Ann Fandozzi:]

Hi Larry, timed auction lots have been very interesting for us, and we continue the learning this is Ann again. So the very first thing we did when COVID hit as we moved almost entirely to - and fully to timed auction lots and international. Because we were concerned, obviously there were travel restrictions, and we were very concerned about potential latency effects and any virtual auctions. The learning we had there is perhaps not unexpected, that because the buyer base is non-English speaking by nature, much more comfortable with that format for selling. We have done testing in North America. And we continue to do testing about kind of the differences between timed auction lots and auctioneers, that type of environment. But the true answer to the question is about differentiation for us versus our competitors. And this is where we really need to take a look at the difference between buyers and sellers. In terms of buyers, they want selection. And they want an experience that makes it very easy for them to obviously pick what they need, have a lot of confidence in the product that they’ve chosen. And then obviously be able to transact in an easy way. And in terms of selection, I think hands down, there's no question the - Ritchie Brothers methodology, the confidence between the inspections we do when we have possession of the equipment. And the ironclad inspections, we do, no question the very best in the industry. And so this really comes down the timed auction lot is about a very small slice of what a buyer wants, which is the experience during the transaction itself. And we keep monitoring the differences between timed auction lots and auctioneers and we talked about that very clearly with our employees as well. But on the seller side, and this is where they advantage really comes for our omni channel experience. The yards that we have, the ability for Ritchie Brothers’ to take care of custody and control of the equipment is proving to be invaluable for sellers. And so when you think about this, really is a network effect, right? So think about sellers, more and more want to be done with the equipment, and they want an entity where they will take control and handle it for them and just send them money. And so, online players really, do not have that capability. And then what buyers want, right, this is where this network effect is more and more selection with more and more sellers picking up. They want assurance that that equipment is as is presented, and not only our inspection services, but our ability to even, showcase it and fix it up and you know, stand behind the equipment. And then it just comes down to the transaction itself, which is important, but it's a very small sliver in terms of the value chain. So we're excited about timed auction lots, the technology, and we're going to keep testing to make sure we're driving the best buyer experience on that facet as well. But the entire ecosystem that Ritchie Brothers’ brings to bear is second to none. And we've seen that moat grow during COVID not shrink.

[Larry De Maria:]

Okay, thanks for that, obviously, comprehensive answer Ann. Just one more follow up, looks like you're giving away the inventory management system now. Is that a way to bring customers in and then you can - charge them for services later. And as it helps to bring in new accounts, it's kind of surprised to see that, given away for free? Thanks.

[Ann Fandozzi:]

Yes, absolutely, Larry. So we actually have two products. And as we shared on the last two calls, we're still very much in learning mode. So we have an enterprise product, which is very customizable there for very large accounts. And now we have a business product. And that's the one that we're giving away. It is in fact, as you have said, 100% to drive adoption for two reasons. First and foremost, right now, to still learn. But then as you so eloquently stated, to be able to sell all of the products and services that we will be standing up on the marketplace. So, I'll give you a stat in a second. But the vision we rolled out to be the trusted global marketplace for insights, services and transactions is facilitated by a very, very strong inventory system where our customers are relying on it to drive their decisions. So we know that that is a key building block, candidly, that was part of the thinking and the acquisition of Rouse to bring that in, because that was their capability. I'll give you guys a stat for January. For this system the quote free IMS, the business system, we on boarded two customers a day. And we were measuring really two KPIs how many we were bringing in, and how quickly we could mark. And this version, IMS is a 15 minute standout. So from when a customer comes in to when they are up and running it's a 15 uptick. Again, critical for us because as we have said, we are becoming a marketplace, that marketplace hinges on inventory. We want a system that is very easy for our customers to onboard to and then to use. And those are all of the next KPIs that we're measuring, which is then the usage, but two a day has been really an impressive amount of uptake.

[Operator:]

Your next question comes from the line of Michael Finnegan from Bank of America. Your line is open.

[Michael Finnegan:]

Just piggybacking off that last question, is the two a day in January, is there any way you can kind of give us some numbers? How many assets, have you guys kind of registered, in January compared to maybe the fourth quarter or the third quarter? I'm just curious if there's any other metrics that would be helpful on that IMS and our best solution?

[Ann Fandozzi:]

Yes, Michael so Ann again, you know, it's interesting - and this is where we're trying to figure out or looking at the right KPIs to look at for this business solution. So let's think about enterprise. There are so many assets that sit with the, giant corporate sellers, like literally millions and millions of assets, that the business customers when they bring 50 at a time or 100 at a time, right? I mean the assets and the enterprise, just a clip. So we absolutely look at that KPI, but that is a key KPI on the enterprise side of things as we're driving bigger and bigger enterprise customers, by the way similarly the bread and butter of Rouse, which has these ERP based plug-ins that drive millions and millions of assets. And so for this, and we're still watching that, and that's still continuing to grow. So that without a doubt for this version, this business, what we want is a ubiquitous product that anybody, whether you have one product to sell, you have hundreds, you have thousands, you want - in whichever way you want to use it, it's there for you and it's very, very flexible. So we're more right now interested in, and we're going to pivot to kind of what percentage of your wallet are you loading these types of things, but right now, we are looking more around how long does it take you to set it up? How much usage are you - value are you getting from the tools that we're providing? And just to give you one stat, there is about a million units on that side in our inventory.

[Michael Finnegan:]

And just curious on the SG&A side, you guys have flagged these opportunities are going after. There would be a quarter or two in SG&A group is actually above the service revenue growth in 2021. How should we think about these evergreen targets, because 2021 is kind of a different year as you're positioning the company for the long-term and contending with some of this COVID restrictions and issues?

[Sharon Driscoll:]

Sure. So it's Sharon here. I'll take that. I think a couple of things that we're very focused on is how do we continue to deliver a great buyer and seller experience but at that lowest cost to serve. So we're taking our time right now to really look at how we're operating today and how it's affecting that customer experience and how can we improve it. But again, at a lower cost level, you know, it’s clearly the travel and a lot of the key aspects that kind of are out of our control today. Some of those costs will come back in, but I do think it's safe to say that we are looking at continued margin expansion over the long-term to be a much more productive company with the cost lines. Certainly when we come out of COVID, there might be a bit of lumpiness there as you have to add in certain costs that weren't then in your base. But I think over the long-term our goal is to again be accretive to an overall margin rate for our business.

[Michael Finnegan:]

That's fair enough. And I'm just curious lastly on how you're seeing your competitors react, obviously 2020 was a tough year for your competitors, smaller players that couldn't keep up with your virtual and online offerings. I'm curious how you're seeing them respond. I mean, you guys called out in the quarter of robust contribution from at-risk team. Just curious also, as you're seeing some of this tightness, is it getting a little bit more competitive on the underwriting and how you see this kind of playing out in 2021? Thank you.

[Ann Fandozzi:]

Hi, Michael. Ann again. So for sure, right. I mean, just basic laws of supply and demand as there is a tight list in supply, there is more competition at-risk deals, however, again, as we've heard from the OEMs, they are soon to catch up. That said, one of the conversations we also had an Investor Day is this is an incredible industry. I've now been part of it for a year. One of the interesting things from other places I have been in and I've come from whether technology or automotive, there is no clear market share measures in this industry. So because, I am a engineer by training wildly analytical, we have stood up internal market share metrics. We don't want to share them with you because we're still working on them kind of real time to make sure these are things that we can rely on. That said, every indication we have from 2020 is significant market share growth in the year and despite the tightening in Q4 as well, because again, right macro environments, supply demand things we don't control, but the things in our control driving the most selection, driving the care custody and control for sellers, driving an incredible price realization for them, which continues having the omni-channel, the yards and then a fully online experience, regardless of the backdrop environment, it is an incredible competitive advantage for us. And again, during COVID that mode has grown in Q4 despite the tightness and supplies, we saw our share increase as well. So feeling very good about where we stand. And then of course, as we push more and more into the marketplace you can expect even more growth in the services and obviously what that implies for the leverage of our model and the financials.

[Operator:]

There are no further questions at this time. I turn the call back over to management for closing comments.

[Ann Fandozzi:]

Thank you so much for joining the call. Very much, appreciate your interest, your involvement and we stand at the ready if any more questions, but thank you so much and please keep yourselves and your families safe.

[Operator:]

Thank you everybody for joining today. That concludes today’s conference call. You may disconnect.