Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

It is because about 2019 was start with our trade pension and when we started to expect to go up, there’s a pandemic. And then a lot of things actually inventory higher up in China. So it’s very difficult to explain I think our business cycle. But we do believe $300 million before, I think it is not, is not super difficult for us to achieve. If just a little bit pick up of the unit orientative products, I think should be able to achieve that. And coupling with product with the momentum, I think is achievable for us for the 2018 high cycle. That’s our feeling.

Charles Shi: Got it. Got it. So you have stopped disclosing quarterly backlog, but I think you are still obligated to disclose your annual backlog number, since this is your fiscal year end. Can you provide what the number is?

Lester Wong: 531.

Charles Shi: How much again? Sorry

Lester Wong: 531.

Charles Shi: 531.

Lester Wong: 531 million.

Charles Shi: Got it, got it, got it. Thank you. So next question, you talked about AJA acquisition. How much of annualized revenue run rate is that business? Can you give us some number there?

Lester Wong: Well Charles, I think obviously for FY 2023 we’re integrating the business, right? And so, I think as we move forward in FY 2024 and beyond, we think there’s significant growth given the size of the dispense market, right? But I think for FY 2023, we’re looking at probably a little bit north of $10 million for AJA, but we will not have AJA for the entire fiscal year as Fusen mentioned, we probably just only have it for the second half.

Charles Shi: Got it, got it. So may be for the sake of time, my last question and really I want to ask you about OpEx. You’ve guided, well, first off for your September quarter non-GAAP OpEx was somewhere about $59 million, if my math is right. But you are guiding December quarter non-GAAP OpEx $68 million. I think that’s still a big amount of optics from the September quarter level. Given the macro environment should we think about a little bit of more cost control than that, what your guidance implies? Thank you.

Lester Wong: Well, Charles, we do have very stringent cost control, as I’ve already mentioned, right? For non-critical controllable interests, sorry, expenses, we’re watching very carefully as we did in the previous soft quarter, and we’ll continue to do so. But as I indicated in my earlier remarks or answer to a question, we will continue to invest in the critical projects, particularly in Advanced Packaging, Advanced Display, electronic assembly, as well as our core business, because we believe that those are very exciting opportunities. I think we’ve already mentioned this, what the positions that we believe we can take in both Advanced Display and Advanced Packaging in 2024 and beyond. And also, when the recovery comes back, I think, with the investments in our core business, we’d be able to increase margins, as I responded to Dave, as well as, gain additional market share.

So we are very careful on cost control, but we also understand that, you need to invest in order to be able to grow the business in the future and that’s what our philosophy always has been.

Charles Shi: Thank you.

Fusen Chen: Thank you, Charles.

Operator: Thank you. Our next questions come from the line of with D.A. Davidson. Please proceed with your questions.

Unidentified Analyst: Thank you for taking my questions, I have a couple. First, what’s the underlying assumption for semi unit growth for fiscal 2023? You’ve given your commentary on 2023 let’s say something nearly like nearly 900 or both. What’s the assumption for semi-unit growth for that?

Lester Wong: We assume semi unit growth for FY 2023 to be about flat to plus or minus 2%.