Technology
V2X Delivers Solid Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2023 Results
Published
2 years agoon
By
Fourth Quarter 2023 Summary
Reported record revenue of $1.04 billion, up +6.4% y/y Achieved y/y revenue growth of 31% in the Pacific and 18% in the Middle EastOperating income of $38.5 million; adjusted operating income1 of $76.2 million Net income (loss) of ($0.5) million, up $10.1 million y/yAdjusted EBITDA1 of $82.1 million with a margin1 of 7.9%Diluted EPS of ($0.02); Adjusted diluted EPS1 of $1.22Strong year-to-date cash flow from operations of $188.0 million; Achieved net debt reduction of $137.1 millionAwarded first substantial foreign military sales program valued at $400 million over 5 years
2024 Guidance:
Establishing full-year 2024 guidance with revenue and adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 5% at mid-point
MCLEAN, Va., March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — V2X, Inc. (NYSE:VVX) announced fourth quarter and full-year 2023 financial results.
“I’m pleased to report a strong finish to 2023, with record revenue and strong operational performance which drove significant cash generation and net debt reduction,” said Chuck Prow, President and Chief Executive Officer of V2X. “I’d like to thank our teams that demonstrated agility and excellent performance, delivering 8% pro forma revenue1 growth for the full-year and 6% for the quarter. We made significant progress advancing V2X as a leader in the operational segment of the federal services market while continuing to position the company for long-term growth. The leading indicators for our business remain strong with a backlog of approximately $13 billion, $9 billion of bids submitted currently under evaluation, and a robust pipeline of opportunities valued at $15 billion expected to be submitted over the next twelve months. Our capabilities and position in an expanding market, present opportunities to drive continued growth and value for our shareholders and clients.”
“V2X achieved several milestones during the fourth quarter, which includes our first substantial foreign military sales (FMS) win valued at approximately $400 million over the next five years,” said Mr. Prow. “This program is a long-term aviation support and training contract in the Middle East and was a direct result of our multi-year FMS campaign. Importantly, our evolution as a company has been an enabler to participate in this market. With this opportunity, the total value of V2X FMS’ portfolio is approximately $700 million with accretive margins. We plan to build on this success and continue pursuing FMS opportunities that leverage our geographic footprint, strong partnerships, and core capabilities.”
Mr. Prow continued, “Our ability to provide full life cycle solutions from concept to fielding and sustainment is a significant differentiator that’s yielding results. During the quarter, we demonstrated our capabilities through the fielding of a defense platform that modernized existing systems. This program launched as an engineering development and prototyping effort with a new client and today has yielded a brand-new product that’s designed, produced, and sustained by V2X. Additionally, our engineering, integration, modernization and sustainment solutions resulted in approximately $70 million of awards to V2X in the fourth quarter.”
Mr. Prow concluded, “I’d like to thank our teams for their contributions in 2023 and progress executing our strategic framework: Expand the Base, Capture New Markets, Deliver with Excellence, and Enhance Culture. Looking ahead, V2X continues to transform to deliver enhanced capabilities in an expanding market. We have strong momentum, robust backlog, a highly aligned pipeline, limited recompetes, and high free cash generation that provides an excellent fundamental profile to support value creation.”
Fourth Quarter 2023 Results
“V2X reported revenue of $1.0 billion in the quarter, which represents 6.4% year-over-year growth,” said Shawn Mural, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. “Revenue growth in the quarter was achieved through exceptional team performance delivering milestones ahead of schedule, expansion on existing programs, and new business. This solid execution resulted in year-over-year revenue growth of 31% in the Pacific and 18% in the Middle East.”
“For the quarter, the Company reported operating income of $38.5 million and adjusted operating income1 of $76.2 million. Adjusted EBITDA1 was $82.1 million with a margin of 7.9%. Fourth quarter GAAP diluted EPS was ($0.02), due primarily to merger and integration related costs, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and interest expense. Adjusted diluted EPS1 for the quarter was $1.22.”
“V2X’s ability to generate strong cash flow with low capital expenditures is an important attribute of our business and one that we are extremely focused on as a primary avenue to enhance value for shareholders. I’m pleased to announce that during the quarter, our teams demonstrated outstanding performance in all aspects of cash conversion, driving significant collections, a record low DSO, and operating cash flow that exceeded our guidance. Net cash provided by operating activities was $188.0 million year to date. Adjusted net cash provided by operating activities1 year to date was $159.5 million, adding back $26.9 million of M&A and integration costs with $13.4 million of CARES act payments, and removing the contribution of the master accounts receivable purchase or MARPA facility of $68.8 million.”
“Solid cash generation enabled net debt reduction of $137.1 million for the year. At the end of the quarter, net debt for V2X was $1,083.6 million. Net consolidated indebtedness to EBITDA1 (net leverage ratio) was 3.3x, improved from 3.7x at the end of 2022. Additionally, we believe our strong fundamentals will allow V2X to achieve a net leverage ratio at or under 3.0x by the end of 2024.”
“Total backlog as of December 31, 2023, was $12.8 billion. Funded backlog was $2.8 billion. Bookings in the quarter were $0.6 billion, resulting in a trailing twelve-month book-to-bill of 1.1x. It’s important to note that backlog and bookings do not include the full performance period of the $400 million FMS program as the contract is being definitized and the $458 million F-5 Adversary aircraft award, discussed last quarter, as it remains in protest,” said Mr. Mural.
Full-Year 2023 Results
Full-year revenue was $3.963 billion, up 8% pro forma year-on-year. The Company reported full-year operating income of $124.4 million and adjusted operating income1 of $271.4 million. Full-year EBITDA1 was $293.9 million with a margin of 7.4%. Full-year GAAP diluted EPS was ($0.73), due primarily to merger and integration related costs, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and interest expense. Adjusted diluted EPS1 for 2023 was $3.74.
2024 Guidance
Mr. Mural concluded, “Based on the positive trends in our business we are setting the mid-point of our guidance for revenue and Adjusted EBITDA1 at $4.150 billion and $308 million, respectively, representing approximately 5% year-over-year growth. We expect revenue and adjusted EBITDA to be weighted more heavily in the second half of the year. Importantly, guidance at the mid-point assumes approximately 90% of revenue from existing contracts and less than 5% from recompetes.”
Guidance for 2024 is as follows:
$ millions, except for per share amounts
2024 Guidance
2024 Mid-Point
Revenue
$4,100
$4,200
$4,150
Adjusted EBITDA1
$300
$315
$308
Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share1
$3.85
$4.20
$4.03
Adjusted Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities1
$145
$165
$155
The Company is not providing a quantitative reconciliation with respect to this forward-looking non-GAAP measure in reliance on the “unreasonable efforts” exception set forth in SEC rules because certain financial information, the probable significance of which cannot be determined, is not available and cannot be reasonably estimated. For example, unusual, one-time, non-ordinary, or non-recurring costs, which relate to M&A, integration and related activities cannot be reasonably estimated. Forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and are subject to factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested here, including those factors set forth in the Safe Harbor Statement below.
Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2023 Conference Call
Management will conduct a conference call with analysts and investors at 8:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. U.S.-based participants may dial in to the conference call at 877-407-3982, while international participants may dial 201-493-6780. A live webcast of the conference call as well as an accompanying slide presentation will be available here: https://app.webinar.net/WrwGVYwl6dA
A replay of the conference call will be posted on the V2X website shortly after completion of the call and will be available for one year. A telephonic replay will also be available through March 19, 2024, at 844-512-2921 (domestic) or 412-317-6671 (international) with passcode 13743860 .
Presentation slides that will be used in conjunction with the conference call will also be made available online in advance on the “investors” section of the company’s website at https://gov2x.com/. V2X recognizes its website as a key channel of distribution to reach public investors and as a means of disclosing material non-public information to comply with its obligations under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Regulation FD.
Footnotes:
1 See “Key Performance Indicators and Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for descriptions and reconciliations.
About V2X
V2X builds smart solutions designed to integrate physical and digital infrastructure – by aligning people, actions, and outputs. Formed by the merger of Vectrus and Vertex, we bring a combined 120 years of successful mission support. Our lifecycle solutions improve security, streamline logistics, and enhance readiness.
The Company delivers a comprehensive suite of integrated solutions across the operations and logistics, aerospace, training, and technology markets to national security, defense, civilian and international clients. Our global team of approximately 16,000 employees brings innovation to every point in the mission lifecycle, from preparation to operations, to sustainment, as it tackles the most complex challenges with agility, grit, and dedication.
Contact Information
Investor Contact
Media Contact
Mike Smith, CFA
Angelica Spanos Deoudes
719-637-5773
571-338-5195
Safe Harbor Statement
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”): Certain material presented herein includes forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Act. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, all the statements and items listed under “2024 Guidance” above and other assumptions contained therein for purposes of such guidance, other statements about our 2024 performance outlook, revenue, contract opportunities, and any discussion of future operating or financial performance.
Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “potential,” “continue” or similar terminology. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of the management of the Company based on information currently available to management.
These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions, or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other important factors, many of which are outside our management’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s historical experience and our present expectations or projections. For a discussion of some of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from such forward-looking statements, see the risks and other factors detailed from time to time our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other filings with the SEC.
We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
V2X, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF (LOSS) INCOME
Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands, except per share data)
2023
2022
2021
Revenue
$ 3,963,126
$ 2,890,860
$ 1,783,665
Cost of revenue
3,628,271
2,595,848
1,623,245
Selling, general and administrative expenses
210,439
239,241
98,400
Operating income
124,416
55,771
62,020
Loss on extinguishment of debt
(22,298)
—
—
Interest expense, net
(122,442)
(61,879)
(7,985)
Other expense, net
(4,194)
—
—
(Loss) income from operations before income taxes
(24,518)
(6,108)
54,035
Income tax (benefit) expense
(1,945)
8,222
8,307
Net (loss) income
$ (22,573)
$ (14,330)
$ 45,728
(Loss) earnings per share
Basic
$ (0.73)
$ (0.68)
$ 3.91
Diluted
$ (0.73)
$ (0.68)
$ 3.86
Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic
31,084
20,996
11,705
Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted
31,084
20,996
11,836
V2X, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
December 31,
(In thousands, except shares and per share data)
2023
2022
Assets
Current assets
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
$ 72,651
$ 116,067
Receivables
705,995
728,582
Inventory, net
46,981
44,974
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
49,242
42,309
Total current assets
874,869
931,932
Property, plant, and equipment, net
85,429
78,715
Goodwill
1,656,926
1,653,822
Intangible assets, net
407,530
497,951
Right-of-use assets
41,215
52,825
Other non-current assets
15,931
17,858
Total non-current assets
2,207,031
2,301,171
Total Assets
$ 3,081,900
$ 3,233,103
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
Current liabilities
Accounts payable
$ 453,052
$ 406,706
Compensation and other employee benefits
158,088
168,038
Short-term debt
15,361
11,850
Other accrued liabilities
213,700
196,538
Total current liabilities
840,201
783,132
Long-term debt, net
1,100,269
1,262,811
Deferred tax liabilities
11,763
15,813
Operating lease liabilities
34,691
41,083
Other non-current liabilities
104,176
133,185
Total non-current liabilities
1,250,899
1,452,892
Total liabilities
2,091,100
2,236,024
Commitments and contingencies (Note 15)
Shareholders’ Equity
Preferred stock; $0.01 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; No shares issued and outstanding
—
—
Common stock; $0.01 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 31,191,628 and 30,470,475 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively
312
305
Additional paid in capital
762,324
748,877
Retained earnings
230,851
253,424
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(2,687)
(5,527)
Total shareholders’ equity
990,800
997,079
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
$ 3,081,900
$ 3,233,103
V2X, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)
2023
2022
2021
Operating activities
Net (loss) income
$ (22,573)
$ (14,330)
$ 45,728
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation expense
22,408
13,472
6,526
Amortization of intangible assets
90,423
48,643
10,028
Loss on disposal of property, plant, and equipment
683
59
65
Stock-based compensation
32,843
32,736
8,331
Deferred taxes
(7,509)
(15,554)
(7,280)
Amortization of debt issuance costs
9,067
7,805
912
Loss on extinguishment of debt
22,298
—
—
Gain on disposition of business
(450)
(2,082)
—
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Receivables
19,064
(52,311)
(36,376)
Inventory, net
(311)
(3,600)
(5,232)
Other assets
12,076
14,962
(7,613)
Accounts payable
43,153
71,837
56,985
Compensation and other employee benefits
(9,901)
42,878
1,133
Other liabilities
(23,303)
(51,020)
(11,868)
Net cash provided by operating activities
187,968
93,495
61,339
Investing activities
Purchases of capital assets and intangibles
(25,021)
(12,425)
(9,776)
Proceeds from the disposition of assets
16
9
16
Acquisition of business, net of cash acquired
—
193,677
262
Disposition of business
1,349
(5,303)
—
Distributions from (contributions to) joint venture
1,007
—
(3,145)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities
(22,649)
175,958
(12,643)
Financing activities
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt
250,000
—
—
Repayments of long-term debt
(432,603)
(108,400)
(8,600)
Proceeds from revolver
922,750
392,000
529,000
Repayments of revolver
(922,750)
(472,925)
(594,000)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
34
408
379
Payment of debt issuance costs
(8,818)
(2,325)
(17)
Prepayment premium on early redemption of debt
(1,600)
—
—
Payments of employee withholding taxes on share-based compensation
(18,036)
(1,994)
(2,347)
Net cash used in financing activities
(211,023)
(193,236)
(75,585)
Exchange rate effect on cash
2,288
1,337
(3,325)
Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
(43,416)
77,554
(30,214)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash – beginning of year
116,067
38,513
68,727
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash – end of year
$ 72,651
$ 116,067
$ 38,513
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information:
Interest paid
$ 117,482
$ 54,267
$ 5,801
Income taxes paid
$ 8,356
$ 13,416
$ 9,703
Non-cash investing activities:
Purchase of capital assets on account
$ 3,043
$ 2,716
$ 277
Common stock issued for business acquisition
$ —
$ 630,636
$ —
Key Performance Indicators and Non-GAAP Measures
The primary financial performance measures we use to manage our business and monitor results of operations are revenue trends and operating income trends. Management believes that these financial performance measures are the primary drivers for our earnings and net cash from operating activities. Management evaluates its contracts and business performance by focusing on revenue, and operating income. Operating income represents revenue less both cost of revenue and selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses. Cost of revenue consists of labor, subcontracting costs, materials, and an allocation of indirect costs, which includes service center transaction costs. SG&A expenses consist of indirect labor costs (including wages and salaries for executives and administrative personnel), bid and proposal expenses and other general and administrative expenses not allocated to cost of revenue.
We manage the nature and amount of costs at the program level, which forms the basis for estimating our total costs and profitability. This is consistent with our approach for managing our business, which begins with management’s assessing the bidding opportunity for each contract and then managing contract profitability throughout the performance period.
In addition to the key performance measures discussed above, we consider adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted operating income, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted operating cash flow, and pro forma revenue to be useful to management and investors in evaluating our operating performance, and to provide a tool for evaluating our ongoing operations. This information can assist investors in assessing our financial performance and measures our ability to generate capital for deployment among competing strategic alternatives and initiatives. We provide this information to our investors in our earnings releases, presentations, and other disclosures.
Adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted operating income, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, and pro forma revenue, however, are not measures of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered a substitute for financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. Definitions and reconciliations of these items are provided below.
Pro forma (PF) revenue is defined as the combined results of our operations as if the Merger had occurred on January 1, 2021.Adjusted operating income is defined as operating income, adjusted to exclude items that may include, but are not limited to, significant charges or credits, and unusual and infrequent non-operating items that impact current results but are not related to our ongoing operations, such as M&A, integration, and related costs.Adjusted EBITDA is defined as operating income, adjusted to exclude depreciation and amortization of intangible assets, and items that may include, but are not limited to, significant charges or credits, and unusual and infrequent non-operating items that impact current results but are not related to our ongoing operations, such as M&A, integration, and related costs.Adjusted EBITDA margin is defined as adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue.Adjusted net income is defined as net income, adjusted to exclude items that may include, but are not limited to, significant charges or credits, and unusual and infrequent non-operating items that impact current results but are not related to our ongoing operations, such as M&A, integration and related costs, amortization of acquired intangible assets, amortization of debt issuance costs, and loss on extinguishment of debt.Adjusted diluted earnings per share is defined as adjusted net income divided by the weighted average diluted common shares outstanding.Cash interest expense, net is defined as interest expense, net adjusted to exclude amortization of debt issuance costs.Adjusted net cash provided by (used in) operating activities or adjusted operating cash flow is defined as net cash provided by (or used in) operating activities adjusted to exclude infrequent non-operating items, such as M&A payments and related costs.Net leverage ratio is defined as net debt (or total debt less unrestricted cash) divided by trailing twelve-month (TTM) bank EBITDA.
In this document, the Company presents certain forward-looking non-GAAP metrics. The Company does not provide outlook on a GAAP basis because the items that the Company excludes from GAAP to calculate the comparable non-GAAP measure can be dependent on future events that are less capable of being controlled or reliably predicted by management and are not part of the Company’s routine operating activities. Additionally, management does not forecast many of the excluded items for internal use and therefore cannot create or rely on outlook done on a GAAP basis. The occurrence, timing, and amount of any of the items excluded from GAAP to calculate non-GAAP could significantly impact the Company’s fiscal 2023 GAAP results.
Non-GAAP Tables
($K, except per share data)
Three Months Ended
Twelve Months Ended
December 31,
2023
December 31,
2022
December 31,
2023
December 31,
2022
Revenue
$ 1,040,307
$ 978,167
$ 3,963,126
$ 2,890,860
Net income (loss)
$ (492)
$ (10,619)
$ (22,573)
$ (14,330)
Plus:
Income tax expense (benefit)
8,420
10,675
(1,945)
8,222
Other expense, net
1,859
—
4,194
—
Interest expense, net
28,497
30,971
122,442
61,879
Loss on extinguishment of debt
246
—
22,298
—
Amortization of intangible assets
22,606
20,046
90,423
48,643
M&A, integration and related costs
15,055
26,379
56,610
87,108
Adjusted operating income
$ 76,191
$ 77,452
$ 271,449
$ 191,522
Plus:
Depreciation expense
5,875
4,809
22,408
13,472
Adjusted EBITDA
$ 82,066
$ 82,261
$ 293,857
$ 204,994
Adjusted EBITDA margin
7.9 %
8.4 %
7.4 %
7.1 %
Minus:
Cash interest expense, net
26,305
27,069
113,375
54,074
Income tax expense, as adjusted
9,101
19,654
35,430
36,295
Depreciation expense
5,875
4,809
22,408
13,472
Other expense, net
1,859
—
4,194
—
Adjusted net income
$ 38,926
$ 30,729
$ 118,450
$ 101,153
($K, except per share data)
Three Months Ended
Twelve Months Ended
December 31,
2023
December 31,
2022
December 31,
2023
December 31,
2022
Diluted earnings (loss) per share
$ (0.02)
$ (0.35)
$ (0.73)
$ (0.68)
Plus:
M&A, integration and related costs
0.45
0.69
1.42
3.28
Amortization of intangible assets
0.68
0.53
2.26
1.84
Amortization of debt issuance costs and Loss on extinguishment of debt
0.11
0.10
0.79
0.29
Adjusted diluted earnings per share
$ 1.22
$ 0.97
$ 3.74
$ 4.73
Average shares outstanding
Basic, as reported
31,192
30,465
31,084
20,996
Diluted, as reported
31,192
30,465
31,084
20,996
Adjusted diluted
31,822
31,284
31,567
21,346
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Revenue by client branch, contract type, contract relationship, and geographic region for the periods presented below was as follows:
Revenue by Client
Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)
2023
%
2022
%
2021
%
Army
$ 1,633,525
41 %
$ 1,342,406
46 %
$ 1,134,849
64 %
Navy
1,233,463
31 %
713,732
25 %
224,407
13 %
Air Force
538,698
14 %
459,849
16 %
266,291
15 %
Other
557,440
14 %
374,873
13 %
158,118
8 %
Total revenue
$ 3,963,126
$ 2,890,860
$ 1,783,665
Revenue by Contract Type
Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)
2023
%
2022
%
2021
%
Cost-plus and cost-reimbursable
$ 2,209,241
56 %
$ 1,625,196
56 %
$ 1,271,167
71 %
Firm-fixed-price
1,626,262
41 %
1,159,743
40 %
452,112
25 %
Time-and-materials
127,623
3 %
105,921
4 %
60,386
4 %
Total revenue
$ 3,963,126
$ 2,890,860
$ 1,783,665
Revenue by Contract Relationship
Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)
2023
%
2022
%
2021
%
Prime contractor
$ 3,726,199
94 %
$ 2,695,067
93 %
$ 1,663,828
93 %
Subcontractor
236,927
6 %
195,793
7 %
119,837
7 %
Total revenue
$ 3,963,126
$ 2,890,860
$ 1,783,665
Revenue by Geographic Region
Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)
2023
%
2022
%
2021
%
United States
$ 2,286,052
58 %
$ 1,494,255
52 %
$ 578,255
32 %
Middle East
1,193,598
30 %
1,024,674
35 %
1,000,877
56 %
Asia
264,346
7 %
167,629
6 %
61,927
3 %
Europe
219,130
5 %
204,302
7 %
142,606
9 %
Total revenue
$ 3,963,126
$ 2,890,860
$ 1,783,665
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SOURCE V2X, Inc.
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SAN JUAN COUNTY, Utah, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mariana Minerals, the world’s only software-first, vertically integrated minerals company, today announced the restart of mining operations at Copper One in southeastern Utah. The restart marks a milestone in mining history: Copper One becomes the world’s first mine to deploy autonomous tools across all three operational domains (mining, refining, and capital project execution) unified under a single operating system.
Mariana acquired Lisbon Valley Mining Company in Q4 2025, gaining control of a roughly 10,000-acre permitted land package that has produced high-purity copper cathode since 2009. While refinery operations continued uninterrupted, mining was paused in late 2024. Mining operations resume this month with autonomous systems and autonomous orchestration active from day one.
“Copper One will be the first mine where delivering end-to-end autonomy is the priority, where it’s being rapidly deployed across mining and refining operations and coordinated by our internal software stack. That’s what MarianaOS makes possible. We chose to prove it here because the stakes are real: the U.S. has a structural copper deficit, and the window to close it is narrowing. We’re producing now and ramping output aggressively, with the primary goal of achieving fully-autonomous mining operations,” said Turner Caldwell, Co-Founder & CEO, Mariana Minerals.
MarianaOS: An Autonomy-First Mining Operating System
What makes Copper One unprecedented is not any single piece of autonomous equipment, but the intelligence layer coordinating them. MarianaOS integrates three core subsystems, MineOS, PlantOS, and CapitalProjectOS, into a unified platform spanning project execution through copper production.
On the mining side, Copper One will begin with integrating three best-in-class autonomous equipment platforms. Pronto’s turnkey Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) uses camera-based machine learning and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) to enable fully driverless haul truck operation, with OEM-agnostic retrofit capability across mixed fleets. Sandvik’s AutoMine® platform enables autonomous production drilling, allowing operators to simultaneously monitor multiple surface machine operations from a remote-operations control center. And Boston Dynamics’ Spot quadruped robots autonomously patrol the open pit, heap leach pad, and solvent extraction-electrowinning (SX-EW) refinery infrastructure. All of these data feed directly into MineOS, enabling fleet-wide optimization and continuous improvement.
PlantOS extends autonomous operations into refining by integrating real-time sensor data across the entire refining process (solution chemistry, flow rates, temperature, and electrowinning cell performance) into a unified control system. Machine learning models predict process drift, automatically adjust reagent dosing, and flags maintenance needs before they impact output. The result is a continuously optimized refinery that operates with minimal human intervention.
CapitalProjectOS redefines how capital-intensive infrastructure projects are planned and executed. Traditional projects often take a decade or more and frequently suffer from chronic cost overruns. CapitalProjectOS integrates process development, engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning data into a single platform that enables real-time progress tracking, predictive risk modeling, and automated schedule optimization. At Copper One, CapitalProjectOS is managing the expansion roadmap to scale output to 50,000 metric tons per year, coordinating heap leach pad expansions, refinery upgrades, and autonomous equipment deployment in parallel.
Built to Move Fast
While Mariana is actively constructing and developing greenfield projects – with the goal of compressing engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning timelines leveraging CapitalProjectOS – Copper One is uniquely positioned to accelerate deployment of MarianaOS at scale. With an existing open pit mine, heap leach pad, and SX-EW refining infrastructure already in place, Mariana will rapidly ramp production that would take years to replicate elsewhere.
Mariana’s longer-term plan is to scale Copper One output to 50,000 metric tons per year of high-purity copper cathode by 2030, leveraging additional proven deposits on the property and integrating copper scrap recycling.
A Critical Supply Gap
The U.S. currently imports approximately 50% of its refined copper. With domestic demand projected to nearly double by 2035 — driven by AI data centers, defense systems, EVs, and grid modernization — the supply gap is a national security issue. The Trump Administration’s Section 232 investigation cited copper imports as a direct concern, and the Pentagon has identified critical minerals vulnerability as a threat to the defense industrial base.
Domestic operations like Copper One, and the step-change in productivity that autonomous operations deliver, have become strategically essential.
About Mariana Minerals
Mariana engineers, builds, and operates mines and refineries, using proprietary AI and machine learning tools to accelerate project execution and optimize production across critically needed metals. Copper One is Mariana’s second active project, alongside Lithium One, the world’s first GWh-scale lithium extraction facility from oil and gas produced water, currently under construction in East Texas. Mariana has raised $120 million in total capital, including a Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and strategic investors.
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SOURCE Mariana Minerals
Technology
State CISOs Report Lower Confidence Across the Public Sector Cyber Ecosystem, 2026 NASCIO-Deloitte Survey Finds
Published
1 hour agoon
April 27, 2026By
The 2026 National Association of Chief Information Officers – Deloitte biennial cybersecurity study finds state officials face increasingly sophisticated threats, including new artificial intelligence-enabled tactics, and highlights steps CISOs are taking to better protect public data and critical digital services
NEW YORK, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ —
Key takeaways
The survey of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from all 50 states and two territories found that just 26% of state CISOs are “extremely” or “very” confident that their state’s information assets are protected from cyber threats, down from 48% in 2022.Implementing effectiveness metrics is now CISOs’ top priority: 49% named it a top cybersecurity initiative in 2026, up from 15% in 2022.Nearly all state CISOs (94%) said they are involved in developing Generative AI security policies and 84% are involved in Generative AI strategy development.Budget pressure is rising with 16% of CISOs reporting their budgets have been cut, up from none in 2024.The percentage of CISOs who described themselves as “not very confident” in the ability of local government and public higher education to secure public data rose significantly, from 35% in 2022 to 63% in 2026.
Why this decline in confidence matters
States share data and systems with counties, cities, and public colleges and universities, so a vulnerability in one network can cascade, exposing personal information, disrupting essential services and driving costly incident response. As attackers adopt AI-enabled tactics, the urgency is growing for faster coordination, clearer policy and stronger baseline defenses across the public sector. This may explain why roughly one-fifth of CISOs indicated that their states were moving toward a “whole-of-state” approach to cybersecurity.
Metrics reporting becomes CISOs’ top priority
Top priorities for CISOs have shifted since the 2024 survey. When asked to identify their states’ top cybersecurity initiatives for 2026, half of CISOs named implementing effectiveness metrics (49%, up from 25% in 2024 and 15% in 2022). Capturing the effectiveness of cyber spending can be difficult, but without metrics, it is challenging to show the benefits of investments. Tracking operational, compliance and risk-based key performance indicators, such as incident response time and phishing click rate, can help demonstrate the return on cyber investment.
AI both accelerates threats and becomes a frontline defense
AI is accelerating the scale and sophistication of attacks targeting public sector systems, making it easier and cheaper for adversaries to generate and automate cyberattacks. CISOs also point to an emerging threat toolkit, including deepfakes that can fool people and evade detection, AI agents that probe for weaknesses and adapt, and AI-driven ransomware-as-a-service operations.
At the same time, CISOs describe AI as a practical way to keep pace, using it to triage security alerts, summarize events, and explore faster report creation, threat identification and training. Several states are already utilizing Generative AI in core security operations, including security information and event management (SIEM) and security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR). The report also underscores how central CISOs have become to state AI efforts.
Key quotes
“We’re seeing more states move toward a ‘whole-of-state’ cybersecurity approach where the state helps extend protection beyond state agencies to local governments, public education and other critical entities that can become an entry point for attackers. At its core, it’s about scaling capabilities through shared services and better collaboration so a weakness in one part of the ecosystem doesn’t become a statewide incident. Many states are looking to scale capabilities through security operations centers and regional support, so counties, cities and schools can benefit from the same cyber-defense muscle as the enterprise.”
Mike Wyatt, Stale local and higher education cyber risk leader, Deloitte
“It’s an encouraging development that state CISOs are being placed at the center of Generative AI security. They are helping shape the strategy, establishing security policies and reviewing proposed use cases. By being involved from the beginning, CISOs are helping governments move faster without sacrificing safeguards because security and governance complement each other. We’re also seeing CISOs explore practical uses of AI to strengthen day-to-day defense, while putting clearer guardrails around responsible uses.”
Meredith Ward, deputy executive director, NASCIO
Additional data
To read the 2026 NASCIO-Deloitte report in its entirety, click here.
About NASCIO
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers is the premier network and resource for state CIOs and a leading advocate for technology policy at all levels of government. NASCIO represents state chief information officers and information technology executives from the states, territories, and the District of Columbia. For more information about NASCIO visit www.nascio.org.
As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte & Touche LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of our legal structure. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.
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SOURCE Deloitte
Technology
Duck Creek Kicks Off Formation ’26 as Strong Fiscal Momentum Signals Accelerating Demand for its Intelligent Core Insurance Platform
Published
1 hour agoon
April 27, 2026By
Company highlights double-digit SaaS growth, global expansion, and launch of its new agentic AI platform as industry leaders gather in Orlando
BOSTON, April 27, 2026 /CNW/ — Duck Creek Technologies, the intelligent core of insurance, today kicks off Formation ’26: Agents of Innovation, its flagship user conference, as the company builds strong momentum in the first half of fiscal 2026, marked by double-digit year-over-year SaaS ARR growth fueled by new logos and expansion across its global customer base.
Duck Creek’s strong start to fiscal 2026 reflects this demand, with double-digit new customer wins and existing customer expansions across its core, specialty, and AI-powered solutions. Adoption of Duck Creek’s intelligent cloud continues to scale globally. Insurers are selecting Duck Creek for its enterprise depth including policy, billing, claims, rating, loss control, reinsurance, distribution management, and payments solutions to operate faster, more accurately, and maintain regulatory compliance.
“We are expanding our leadership in insurance technology with more than 370 customers globally. Including 33 of the top 50 North American insurers,” said Hardeep Gulati, Chief Executive Officer of Duck Creek. “Insurers modernizing their core systems are looking for more from their technology. They need a trusted partner like Duck Creek with proven enterprise scale and speed-to-value to help them drive profitable impact and growth. At Formation, we are excited to announce our new agentic platform that will help further improve the combined ratios for insurers with more than $150B in premium flowing through Duck Creek annually.”
Formation ’26 will bring together more than 800 insurance professionals, ecosystem partners, and industry leaders to explore how technology is transforming the insurance lifecycle. The event underscores growing market demand for intelligent, cloud-native platforms that enable insurers to accelerate cloud migration, product development, and automate core insurance workflows to accelerate decision-making and improve operational agility. A highlight of the event will be Duck Creek unveiling its agentic AI platform and showcasing live demonstrations of agentic applications and agents.
Formation ’26 will feature a distinguished lineup of guest speakers joining Gulati during his keynote, including Stephen Lord, Global CIO of AXIS Capital, and Monti Saroya, Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the Flagship Fund at Vista Equity Partners. Together, they will share perspectives on large-scale transformation, AI adoption, and the future of agentic insurance.
The conference will also include a customer panel moderated by Chief Operating Officer Chris McCloskey, featuring leaders from Core Specialty, Europ Assistance, and Arbella Insurance, who will discuss their transformation journeys and business outcomes achieved through modern core systems. An analyst panel moderated by SVP of Sales William Magowan will bring together experts from AM Best, Celent, and Datos Insights to provide an external view on market trends and innovation benchmarks.
Customer Momentum
Millers Mutual Insurance advanced its modernization strategy with Duck Creek OnDemand, implementing Policy, Billing, and Reinsurance Clarity to modernize its core systems and support continued growth in the multifamily housing insurance market.Anchor Group Management Inc. partnered with Duck Creek to modernize its insurance payments infrastructure, enabling more streamlined billing processes and improved digital payment experiences for policyholders.Frankenmuth Insurance adopted Duck Creek OnDemand Distribution Management to transform how it manages agencies and producers, increasing visibility, improving operational efficiency, and strengthening collaboration across its distribution network.Indigo Insurance turned to Duck Creek OnDemand to accelerate its modernization strategy and support rapid growth, gaining a scalable cloud-based core platform designed to bring new products to market faster.Encova Insurance went live on an upgraded Duck Creek OnDemand Distribution Management system, unifying agency operations across lines of business, streamlining onboarding, and improving the overall agent experience.New Zealand’s Medical Assurance Society (MAS) selected Duck Creek’s full suite of core solutions delivered via OnDemand to modernize its general insurance business, enhance member experiences, and support a broader digital and data-driven transformation.Country-Wide Insurance selected Duck Creek Clarity to strengthen its data and analytics capabilities, enabling real-time insights and preparing for its upcoming OnDemand go-live with Active Delivery.Fortegra selected Duck Creek Reinsurance and Duck Creek Clarity to modernize financial operations, improve portfolio transparency, and support continued growth across products, geographies, and distribution models.Duck Creek secured more than a dozen additional new customer engagements across commercial specialty and personal lines.
Industry Recognition
Named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SaaS P&C Insurance Core Platforms North America, marking the seventh consecutive year the company has been recognized as a Leader.Named a Leader in the Everest Group 2025 Underwriting Orchestration Products PEAK Matrix Assessment, recognizing Duck Creek’s strength in delivering AI-driven underwriting, integrated core workflows, and measurable value across global P&C carriers.Featured in Everest Group’s 2026 Voice of the Customer Report for Insurance CXOPs, outperforming both core system peers and the market average, with customers citing strengths in seamless implementation, deep core system integration, and enterprise scalability and more.Received the 2025 IDC FinTech Real Results Award for Insurance Transformation for measurable customer outcomes.
About Duck Creek
Duck Creek is the intelligent core that leading insurers choose to build on. Purpose-built for property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance, Duck Creek unifies the full insurance lifecycle on a single platform with one data foundation. As an agentic platform, it connects intelligence across underwriting, policy, billing, claims, and payments workflows where decisions are made and compliance is non-negotiable. Duck Creek enables carriers to launch products faster, adapt quickly to change, and grow with precision and confidence. Solutions are available individually or as a full suite via Duck Creek OnDemand. Visit www.duckcreek.com and follow Duck Creek on LinkedIn and X.
Media Contacts:
Marianne Dempsey / Tara Stred
duckcreek@threeringsinc.com
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SOURCE Duck Creek Technologies, Inc.
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