Technology
GDI Integrated Facility Services Inc. Releases its Financial Results for the Second Quarter Ended June 30, 2024
Published
2 years agoon
By
Q2 2024 revenue of $639 million, an increase of $30 million, or 5%, over Q2 2023. Q2 2024 Adjusted EBITDA* of $34 million, in line with Q2 2023.Q2 2024 net income of $2 million or $0.07 per share compared with $1 million or $0.04 per share for the second quarter of 2023.
LASALLE, QC, Aug. 7, 2024 /CNW/ – GDI Integrated Facility Services Inc. (“GDI” or the “Company”) (TSX: GDI) is pleased to announce its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024.
For the second quarter of 2024:
Revenue reached $639 million, an increase of $30 million, or 5%, over the second quarter of 2023, comprised of 6% growth from acquisitions and partially offset by 1% organic decline coming from the Technical Services segment.Adjusted EBITDA* amounted to $34 million, in line with the second quarter of 2023.Net income was $2 million or $0.07 per share compared to $1 million or $0.04 per share in Q2 2023.
For the second quarters of 2024 and 2023, the business segments performed as follows:
(in millions of
Canadian dollars)
Business Services
Canada
Business Services
USA
Technical Services
Corporate and
Other
Consolidated
2024
2023
2024
2023
2024
2023
2024
2023
2024
2023
Revenue
145
144
221
180
259
264
14
21
639
609
Organic Growth (Decline)
1 %
(1 %)
1 %
0 %
(5 %)
31 %
14 %
11 %
(1 %)
12 %
Adjusted EBITDA*
12
13
14
13
14
12
(6)
(4)
34
34
Adjusted EBITDA Margin*
8 %
9 %
6 %
7 %
5 %
5 %
N/A
N/A
5 %
6 %
For the six-month period ended June 30, 2024:
Revenue reached $1.3 billion, an increase of $83 million, or 7%, over the corresponding period of 2022, comprised of 1% organic growth and 6% growth from acquisitions.Adjusted EBITDA* amounted to $61 million, a decrease of $6 million, or 9%, over the corresponding period of 2023.Net income was $2 million or $0.09 per share compared to $5 million or $0.19 per share over the corresponding period of 2023. The decrease in net income in the first six months of 2024 compared to 2023 is mainly due to lower operating income of $14 million, which is primarily attributable to an increase in amortization and depreciation expense of $9 million resulting from a significant reduction in the amortized value of a large customer contract in the quarter, which was partially offset by lower net finance expense of $10 million and lower income tax expense of $1 million.
For the first two quarters of 2024 and 2023, the business segments performed as follows:
(in millions of
Canadian dollars)
Business Services
Canada
Business Services
USA
Technical Services
Corporate and
Other
Consolidated
2024
2023
2024
2023
2024
2023
2024
2023
2024
2023
Revenue
290
286
446
356
511
516
36
42
1,283
1,200
Organic Growth (Decline)
1 %
(1 %)
6 %
(1 %)
(3 %)
36 %
10 %
14 %
1 %
13 %
Adjusted EBITDA*
23
27
27
25
22
23
(11)
(8)
61
67
Adjusted EBITDA Margin*
8 %
9 %
6 %
7 %
4 %
4 %
N/A
N/A
5 %
6 %
GDI’s Business Services Canada segment recorded $145 million in revenue in the second quarter while generating $12 million in Adjusted EBITDA*, representing an Adjusted EBITDA margin* of 8%. GDI’s Business Services USA segment performed well in Q2 2024, recording revenue of $221 million and Adjusted EBITDA* of $14 million, representing an Adjusted EBITDA margin* of 6%.
The Technical Services segment recorded revenue of $259 million and Adjusted EBITDA* of $14 million, representing an Adjusted EBITDA margin* of 5%. Historically, the first half of the year in the Technical Services segment is seasonally slower and the business ramps up as the year progresses.
Finally, GDI’s Corporate and Other recorded revenue of $14 million compared to revenue of $21 million in Q2 2023, the decrease being attributable to the sale of its Superior cleaning and sanitation products distribution business on April 1, 2024, which was partially offset by organic growth generated by GDI’s chemical manufacturing business.
“I am pleased with GDI’s overall performance in Q2 2024, we were able to overcome specific challenges that affected our business in recent quarters and delivered solid results,” stated Claude Bigras, President & CEO of GDI. “Our Business Services Canada segment performed well with a sequential increase in Adjusted EBITDA* and Adjusted EBITDA* margin over the first quarter of 2024. Occupancy levels in the Class A office market in Canada are remaining stable and we continue to expect Adjusted EBITDA* margin in the segment to remain higher than pre-COVID levels for the near-to-mid term. Adjusted EBITDA* and Adjusted EBITDA Margin* were slightly lower than Q2 2023 due to COVID-related gains realized in the prior year’s quarter. Our Business Services USA segment performed well during the quarter to mitigate the revenue and Adjusted EBITDA* impact of the previously announced supplier realignment of one of the segment’s largest clients which became effective just prior to the start of Q2. In fact, the business delivered both positive organic revenue growth and an increase in Adjusted EBITDA* compared to Q2 2023 despite the revenue loss experienced during the quarter, which serves to demonstrate the resiliency of the business and the strength of our team. The integration of the Atalian acquisition has been progressing as planned and our margin improvement initiatives are progressively being realized. The previously announced Paramount Building Solutions acquisition, that closed on May 1, 2024, has been substantially integrated and has been performing in-line with expectations. Our Technical Services segment had a very good quarter with Adjusted EBITDA* growth of 75% over Q1 2024 and 17% over Q2 2023. The three projects in our U.S. business that negatively impacted the segment’s results in the past two quarters were successfully closed out in Q1, and enhanced procedures were put in place to augment project management in the region. The business delivered Adjusted EBITDA* margin of 5% which was in-line with historic levels in the segment’s seasonally weak second quarter. We are continuing to improve pricing and margins and still selling as much new contracts as in the past producing a near record backlog. Finally, Ainsworth completed the acquisition of RYCOM Corporation on June 1, 2024. RYCOM develops, deploys, and manages smart building solutions that enable the end-to-end transformation of real estate assets into smart buildings and is recognized as the leader in smart building solutions in Canada. This acquisition considerably strengthens Ainsworth’s Energy & Technology business unit and positions GDI as a leading player in the Canadian marketplace in building technologies, data analytics and advisory services for energy and greenhouse gas reduction,” continued Mr. Bigras.
“With the recent challenges behind us, the outlook for all of GDI’s business segments is positive for the remainder of 2024. Our initiatives to reduce working capital requirements during 2024 are continuing and we remain committed to deliver a total reduction in operating working capital in the second half of the year. Our balance sheet remains healthy and we have sufficient room on our existing credit facilities to continue to execute on our strategic growth plans. I look forward to GDI’s performance through the remainder of 2024,” concluded Mr. Bigras.
ABOUT GDI
GDI is a leading integrated commercial facility services provider which offers a range of services in Canada and the United States to owners and managers of a variety of facility types including office buildings, educational facilities, distribution centers, industrial facilities, healthcare establishments, stadiums and event venues, hotels, shopping centres, airports and other transportation facilities. GDI’s commercial facility services capabilities include commercial janitorial and building maintenance, energy advisory and system optimization, the installation, maintenance and repair of HVAC-R, mechanical, electrical and building automation systems, as well as other complementary services such as janitorial products manufacturing and distribution. GDI’s subordinate voting shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: GDI). Additional information on GDI can be found on its website at www.gdi.com.
CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this MD&A may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of securities laws. Forward looking information may relate to GDI’s future outlook and anticipated events, business, operations, financial performance, financial condition or results and, in some cases, can be identified by terminology such as “may”; “will”; “should”; “expect”; “plan”; “anticipate”; “believe”; “intend”; “estimate”; “predict”; “potential”; “continue”; “foresee”; “ensure” or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In particular, statements regarding GDI’s future operating results and economic performance, and its objectives and strategies are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on certain factors and assumptions including expected growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities, which GDI believes are reasonable as of the current date. While management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to the Company, they may prove to be incorrect. It is impossible for GDI to predict with certainty the impact that the current economic uncertainties may have on future results. Forward-looking information is also subject to certain factors, including risks and uncertainties (described in the “Risk Factors” section) that could cause actual results to differ materially from what GDI currently expects. Namely, these factors include risks pertaining to unsuccessful implementation of the business strategy, changes to business structure, inherent operating risks from acquisition activity, failure to integrate an acquired company, decline in commercial real estate occupancy levels, increase in costs which cannot be passed on to customers, labour shortages, disruption in information technology systems and execution issues with Strategic IT projects, increases in interest rates, exchange rate fluctuations, deterioration in economic conditions, increase in competition, influence of the principal shareholders, loss of key or long-term customers, public procurement laws and regulations, legal proceedings, reputational damage, labour disputes, disputes with franchisees, environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) considerations, goodwill and long-lived assets impairment charges, tax matters, key employees, participation in multi-employer pension plans, legislation or other governmental action, cybersecurity, data confidentiality and data protection, and public perception of our environmental footprint, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. Therefore, future events and results may vary significantly from what management currently foresees. The reader should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While management may elect to, the Company is under no obligation and does not undertake to update or alter this information at any particular time, except as may be required by law.
Analyst Conference Call:
August 8, 2024 at 9:00 A.M. (ET)
Kindly note that Investors and Media representatives may attend as listeners only.
Please use the following dial-in numbers to have access to the conference call by dialing 10 minutes before the beginning of the conference:
North America Toll-Free: 1-888-664-6392
Local: 416-764-8659 (Toronto) or 514-225-6995 (Montreal)
Confirmation Code: 995327 #
RapidConnect URL: https://emportal.ink/40clg9j
A rebroadcast of the conference call will be available until August 15, 2024 by dialing:
North America Toll-Free: 1-888-390-0541
Local: 416-764-8677 (Toronto)
Confirmation Code: 995327 #
June 30, 2024 unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and accompanied Management & Discussion Analysis are filed on www.sedarplus.ca.
GDI INTEGRATED FACILITY SERVICES INC.
Condensed Consolidated Interim Statements of Financial Position
(Unaudited) (In millions of Canadian dollars)
As at June 30,
2024
As at December 31,
2023
Assets
Current assets
Cash
29
17
Trade and other receivables and contract assets
600
571
Current tax assets
9
11
Inventories
37
42
Other financial assets
14
13
Prepaid expenses and other
16
11
Derivatives
–
1
Total current assets
705
666
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment
125
127
Intangible assets
121
131
Goodwill
373
356
Other assets
15
12
Total non-current assets
634
626
Total assets
1,339
1,292
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
Current liabilities
Bank indebtedness
6
14
Trade and other payables
303
298
Provisions
33
32
Contract liabilities
29
34
Current tax liabilities
6
2
Current portion of long-term debt
27
36
Total current liabilities
404
416
Non-current liabilities
Long-term debt
444
384
Other payables
6
5
Deferred tax liabilities
27
32
Total non-current liabilities
477
421
Shareholders’ equity
Share capital
381
380
Retained earnings
70
68
Contributed surplus
3
2
Accumulated other comprehensive income
4
5
Total shareholders’ equity
458
455
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
1,339
1,292
GDI INTEGRATED FACILITY SERVICES INC.
Condensed Consolidated Interim Statements of Comprehensive Income
(Unaudited) (In millions of Canadian dollars, except for earnings per share)
Three-month periods
ended June 30,
Six-month periods
ended June 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Revenues
639
609
1,283
1,200
Cost of services
526
497
1,063
979
Selling and administrative expenses
81
81
163
159
Transaction, reorganization and other costs
2
1
3
2
Strategic information technology projects configuration and customization costs
1
1
1
2
Amortization of intangible assets
5
6
17
11
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
14
13
28
25
Operating income
10
10
8
22
Net finance expense
5
8
4
14
Income before income taxes
5
2
4
8
Income tax expense
3
1
2
3
Net income
2
1
2
5
Other comprehensive income (loss)
Gains (losses) that are or may be reclassified to earnings:
Foreign currency translation differences for foreign operations
3
(7)
9
(7)
Hedge of net investments in foreign operations, net of tax
(3)
7
(9)
7
Cash flow hedges, effective portion of changes in fair value, net of tax
–
–
(1)
(1)
–
–
(1)
(1)
Total comprehensive income
2
1
1
4
Earnings per share:
Basic
0.07
0.04
0.09
0.19
Diluted
0.07
0.04
0.09
0.19
GDI INTEGRATED FACILITY SERVICES INC.
Condensed Consolidated Interim Statements of Changes in Equity
Six-month periods ended June 30, 2024 and 2023
(Unaudited) (In millions of Canadian dollars, except for number of shares)
Share capital
Retained
earnings
Contributed
surplus
Accumulated
other
comprehensive
income
Total
Number
(in thousands
of shares)
Amount
Balance, January 1, 2023
23,414
379
49
4
7
439
Net income
–
–
5
–
–
5
Other comprehensive loss
–
–
–
–
(1)
(1)
Total comprehensive income for the period
–
–
5
–
(1)
4
Transactions with owners of the Company:
Stock options exercised
66
1
–
–
–
1
Share-based compensation
–
–
–
1
–
1
Shares repurchased for cancellation
(98)
(1)
–
(3)
–
(4)
Balance, June 30, 2023
23,382
379
54
2
6
441
Balance, January 1, 2024
23,414
380
68
2
5
455
Net income
–
–
2
–
–
2
Other comprehensive loss
–
–
–
–
(1)
(1)
Total comprehensive income for the period
–
–
2
–
(1)
1
Transactions with owners of the Company:
Stock options exercised
66
1
–
–
–
1
Share-based compensation
–
–
–
1
–
1
Balance, June 30, 2024
23,480
381
70
3
4
458
GDI INTEGRATED FACILITY SERVICES INC.
Condensed Consolidated Interim Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited) (In millions of Canadian dollars)
Six-month periods ended June 30,
2024
2023
Cash flows from (used in) operating activities
Net income
2
5
Adjustments for:
Depreciation and amortization
45
36
Equity portion of share-based compensation
1
1
Net finance expense
4
14
Income tax expense
2
3
Income taxes paid
(2)
(11)
Net changes in non-cash operating assets and liabilities
(24)
(49)
Net cash from (used in) operating activities
28
(1)
Cash flows from (used in) financing activities
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt
201
177
Repayment of long-term debt
(157)
(118)
Payment of lease liabilities
(19)
(16)
Interest paid
(15)
(10)
Other
1
(4)
Net cash from financing activities
11
29
Cash flows (used in) from investing activities
Business acquisitions and disposal, net of cash acquired
(7)
(2)
Additions to property, plant and equipment
(8)
(11)
Additions to intangible assets
(1)
(3)
Proceeds on disposal of property, plant and equipment
2
1
Net cash used in investing activities
(14)
(15)
Foreign exchange (loss) gain on cash held in foreign currencies
(5)
2
Net change in cash
20
15
Cash (Bank indebtedness), beginning of period:
Cash
17
7
Bank indebtedness
(14)
(10)
3
(3)
Cash, end of period:
Cash
29
15
Bank indebtedness
(6)
(3)
23
12
GDI INTEGRATED FACILITY SERVICES INC.
Segmented information
(Unaudited) (In millions of Canadian dollars)
Three-month period ended June 30, 2024
Business
Services
Canada
Business
Services
USA
Technical
Services
Corporate
and Other
Total
Recurring/contractual services
127
200
32
4
363
On-call services
10
21
68
1
100
Project
–
–
159
–
159
Manufacturing and distribution
–
–
–
12
12
Other revenues
5
–
–
–
5
Total external revenues
142
221
259
17
639
Inter-segment revenues
3
–
–
(3)
–
Revenues
145
221
259
14
639
Income (loss) before income taxes
9
8
3
(15)
5
Net finance expense
–
1
2
2
5
Operating income (loss)
9
9
5
(13)
10
Depreciation and amortization
3
5
9
2
19
Transaction, reorganization, and other costs
–
–
–
2
2
Share-based compensation
–
–
–
2
2
Strategic information technology projects configuration and customization costs
–
–
–
1
1
Adjusted EBITDA
12
14
14
(6)
34
Total assets
271
409
560
99
1,339
Total liabilities
68
119
256
438
881
Additions to property, plant and equipment
1
5
8
2
16
Additions to intangible assets
–
1
3
–
4
Goodwill recorded on business acquisition
–
7
2
–
9
GDI INTEGRATED FACILITY SERVICES INC.
Segmented information
(Unaudited) (In millions of Canadian dollars)
Three-month period ended June 30, 2023
Business
Services
Canada
Business
Services
USA
Technical
Services
Corporate
and Other
Total
Recurring/contractual services
124
170
21
4
319
On-call services
11
10
73
2
96
Project
–
–
170
–
170
Manufacturing and distribution
–
–
–
18
18
Other revenues
6
–
–
–
6
Total external revenues
141
180
264
24
609
Inter-segment revenues
3
–
–
(3)
–
Revenues
144
180
264
21
609
Income (loss) before income taxes
10
8
2
(18)
2
Net finance expense
–
1
1
6
8
Operating income (loss)
10
9
3
(12)
10
Depreciation and amortization
3
4
9
3
19
Transaction, reorganization, and other costs
–
–
–
1
1
Share-based compensation
–
–
–
3
3
Strategic information technology projects configuration and customization costs
–
–
–
1
1
Adjusted EBITDA
13
13
12
(4)
34
Total assets
267
359
544
122
1,292
Total liabilities
69
109
253
406
837
Additions to property, plant and equipment
3
3
6
2
14
Additions to intangible assets
–
–
1
2
3
Goodwill recorded on business acquisition
–
–
2
–
2
GDI INTEGRATED FACILITY SERVICES INC.
Segmented information (continued)
(Unaudited) (In millions of Canadian dollars)
Six-month period ended June 30, 2024
Business
Services
Canada
Business
Services
USA
Technical
Services
Corporate
and Other
Total
Recurring/contractual services
253
403
62
10
728
On-call services
18
43
140
3
204
Project
–
–
309
–
309
Manufacturing and distribution
–
–
–
29
29
Other revenues
13
–
–
–
13
Total external revenues
284
446
511
42
1,283
Inter-segment revenues
6
–
–
(6)
–
Revenues
290
446
511
36
1,283
Income (loss) before income taxes
17
11
2
(26)
4
Net finance expense
–
1
1
2
4
Operating income (loss)
17
12
3
(24)
8
Depreciation and amortization
6
14
19
6
45
Transaction, reorganization, and other costs
–
1
–
2
3
Share-based compensation
–
–
–
4
4
Strategic information technology projects configuration and customization costs
–
–
–
1
1
Adjusted EBITDA
23
27
22
(11)
61
Total assets
271
409
560
99
1,339
Total liabilities
68
119
256
438
881
Additions to property, plant and equipment
3
6
16
3
28
Additions to intangible assets
–
1
3
1
5
Goodwill recorded on business acquisition
–
10
2
–
12
GDI INTEGRATED FACILITY SERVICES INC.
Segmented information (continued)
(Unaudited) (In millions of Canadian dollars)
Six-month period ended June 30, 2023
Business
Services
Canada
Business
Services
USA
Technical
Services
Corporate
and Other
Total
Recurring/contractual services
244
337
42
11
634
On-call services
23
19
147
3
192
Project
–
–
327
–
327
Manufacturing and distribution
–
–
–
33
33
Other revenues
13
–
–
1
14
Total external revenues
280
356
516
48
1,200
Inter-segment revenues
6
–
–
(6)
–
Revenues
286
356
516
42
1,200
Income (loss) before income taxes
22
16
3
(33)
8
Net finance expense
–
1
3
10
14
Operating income (loss)
22
17
6
(23)
22
Depreciation and amortization
5
8
16
7
36
Transaction, reorganization, and other costs
–
–
1
1
2
Share-based compensation
–
–
–
5
5
Strategic information technology projects configuration and customization costs
–
–
–
2
2
Adjusted EBITDA
27
25
23
(8)
67
Total assets
267
359
544
122
1,292
Total liabilities
69
109
253
406
837
Additions to property, plant and equipment
4
5
13
5
27
Additions to intangible assets
–
–
1
3
4
Goodwill recorded on business acquisition
–
–
2
–
2
GDI INTEGRATED FACILITY SERVICES INC.
Business acquisitions
Acquisition
date
Company acquired
Location
Segment
reporting
Purchase price
allocation status
2024 Acquisitions
April 1, 2024
Hussmann Canada Inc.
(“Hussmann”)
Darthmouth, Nova
Scotia
Technical
Services
Preliminary
May 1, 2024
Jade Opco, LLC, doing business
as Paramount Building Solutions
(“Paramount”)
Phoenix, Arizona
Business
Services USA
Preliminary
June 1, 2024
RYCOM Corporation (“RYCOM”)
Toronto, Ontario
Technical
Services
Preliminary
2023 Acquisitions
June 1, 2023
React Technical, Inc. (“React”)
New York, New York
Technical
Services
Completed
November 1,
2023
La Financière Atalian (“Atalian”)
Multi-sites in USA
Business
Services USA
Preliminary
Business disposal
On April 1, 2024, the Company completed the sale of its Superior cleaning and sanitation supplies distribution business and transferred some of its related liabilities.
GDI INTEGRATED FACILITY SERVICES INC.
Supplementary Quarterly Financial Information
Three-month periods
(Unaudited) (In millions of Canadian dollars, except per share data)
Three months ended
(in millions of Canadian dollars, except per share data) (1)
June
2024
March
2024
December
2023
September
2023
Revenue
639
644
622
615
Operating (loss) income
10
(2)
9
16
Depreciation and amortization
19
26
22
19
Transaction, reorganization and other costs
2
1
2
‒
Share-based compensation
2
2
2
2
Strategic information technology projects
configuration and customization costs
1
1
2
2
Adjusted EBITDA
34
28
37
39
Net income for the period
2
‒
6
8
Earnings per share
Basic
0.07
0.02
0.26
0.35
Diluted
0.07
0.02
0.25
0.35
Three months ended
(in millions of Canadian dollars, except per share data) (1)
June
2023
March
2023
December
2022
September
2022
Revenue
609
591
588
563
Operating income
10
12
15
19
Depreciation and amortization
19
17
22
18
Transaction, reorganization and other costs
1
1
1
1
Share-based compensation
3
2
3
2
Strategic information technology projects
configuration and customization costs
1
1
1
2
Adjusted EBITDA
34
33
42
42
Net income for the period
1
4
10
11
Earnings per share
Basic
0.04
0.15
0.41
0.45
Diluted
0.04
0.15
0.40
0.44
______________________________
* The terms “Adjusted EBITDA” and “Adjusted EBITDA Margin” do not have standardized definitions prescribed by International Financial Reporting Standards and therefore, may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. “Adjusted EBITDA” is defined as operating income before depreciation and amortization, transaction, reorganization and other costs, share-based compensation and strategic information technology projects configuration and customization costs. The Adjusted EBITDA Margin is calculated by dividing Adjusted EBITDA by revenues. For more details and for a reconciliation of that measure to the most directly comparable IFRS measure, consult the “Segmented Information” tables at the end of this press release.
SOURCE GDI Integrated Facility Services Inc.
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Technology
U.S. Quartz Workers: Strong Safeguard Remedies Needed to Save 100,000 American Manufacturing Jobs
Published
52 minutes agoon
July 23, 2026By
WASHINGTON, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Quartz Manufacturers Alliance for America (QMAA) released a powerful video featuring quartz manufacturing workers from across the country calling for free and fair trade policies to save 100,000 American jobs. QMAA, a coalition of leading U.S.-based quartz slab manufacturers, are calling for strong safeguard remedies after the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) found a huge flood of foreign imports had caused tremendous injury to the domestic quartz industry.
QMAA members are urging the Trump Administration to build on the ITC’s strong recommendation and address this major flood of quartz imports with a Tariff of 50% and a Reshoring Import Cap of 141 million square feet on imported quartz surface products. This will ensure a reshoring of the good-paying U.S. quartz manufacturing jobs stolen by companies who cheat U.S. trade law, distort competition and are decimating U.S. quartz manufacturing. Together, these trade remedies will provide the relief necessary to save the 100,000 jobs supported by the U.S. quartz industry.
The video features workers from LX Hausys, Guidoni USA and Cambria Company and is available here:
Save 100,000 American Quartz Jobs
Quotes from QMAA Quartz Manufacturing Workers
“This facility used to be a Husqvarna plant. Husqvarna closed down due to cheap foreign imports. There were over 1,000 people working here and all of a sudden…I’m worried I may see the same thing take place again.”
-Raymond Mack, Production Operator, Guidoni USA, Helena-McRae, GA
“Foreign countries, mainly China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, have been circumventing and cheating the American market. We believe in the industry. We believe in the American working power. We just want to level the playing field, make it fair for everyone and everyone will benefit.”
– Daniel Vas de Melo SA, Business Development Manager, Guidoni USA, McRae-Helena, GA
“In order for us to continue to compete, we need a strong Tariff and Import Cap on imported quartz surfaces. That will ensure we can play on an even playing field. That’s all we’re asking for. I would hate to see cheap, imported quartz have a negative impact on families such as mine and the other families that we employ here.”
– Mike Morici, Vice President – LX Hausys, Adairsville, GA
“The surge of foreign imports has shocked the U.S. economy, and the market for surfaces. It’s taken prices down to unsustainably low levels for any domestic supplier. The result of that is we’re not producing as much as we should, we can’t hire as many people as we would like to, and we can’t grow our business in the way that we and our peers in the U.S. want to grow.”
– Andrew Eich, President and Chief Operating Officer, Cambria
“As these foreign imports flood the market, we lose the ability to create and sustain jobs that ensure good paying conditions for manufacturing workers. There will be over 100,000 jobs that have the strong potential to go away.”
– Jack Sundry, SVP Core and Lexus – Cambria, Southern Minnesota
Background
In September 2025, QMAA filed a Global Safeguard petition with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) under Section 201 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974. The ITC’s thorough investigation found serious injury to the domestic industry caused by a massive import surge designed to undercut American businesses. Quartz imports have surged by 78.3% within the past five years, leading to a nearly 20% decline in domestic production, factory closures and major job reductions.
A final safeguard decision from the United States Trade Representative is expected by Aug. 1, 2026.
About the Quartz Manufacturing Alliance for America:
QMAA is a coalition of U.S.-based, American quartz slab manufacturing factories, united with other industry leaders to support and strengthen the American quartz industry. QMAA is committed to ensuring a free and fair, competitive marketplace born of free enterprise that provides the opportunity to compete on a level playing field for American quartz slab manufacturing factories and their valued workers. We also believe this effort will have a positive impact throughout the entire quartz surfacing industry, including to the strong benefit of American stone fabrication shops and upstream suppliers of quartz minerals and resin. Learn more at: https://www.qmaa.org/
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-quartz-workers-strong-safeguard-remedies-needed-to-save-100-000-american-manufacturing-jobs-302833444.html
SOURCE Quartz Manufacturing Alliance of America
Technology
Databricks and Microsoft expand partnership to help enterprises bring business context to enterprise AI
Published
52 minutes agoon
July 23, 2026By
Databricks and Microsoft extend strategic partnership through the 2030s to scale enterprise AIDatabricks deepens its bet on Azure, growing its use of Azure Databricks to run its own core business operations and analytics, while both companies advance native integration across the Microsoft stack, including Databricks Genie and Microsoft 365Databricks increases its use of Microsoft Azure Cobalt to improve performance and efficiency
REDMOND, Wash. and SAN FRANCISCO, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Microsoft Corp. and Databricks on Wednesday announced an expansion of their decade-long strategic partnership, extending into the 2030s. Databricks will deepen its use of Azure Databricks to run core business operations and build its unified lakehouse, while leveraging Azure Cobalt, Microsoft’s next-generation Arm-based infrastructure, to improve performance and efficiency. Microsoft will also continue integrating Databricks Data and AI platform across its products, bringing capabilities like Genie, Databricks’ AI co-worker, directly into customer workflows. Together, the companies are helping enterprises build AI grounded in their own business context with the cost efficiency, control and choice needed to scale successfully.
Enterprises want AI that understands their customers, products, operations, metrics and business processes, all while running securely where work happens. Yet, most still struggle to connect AI to trusted business knowledge, govern models and agents consistently, and control costs. Microsoft and Databricks are helping customers close that gap:
“For nearly a decade, Databricks and Microsoft have helped enterprises innovate with data and AI,” said Ali Ghodsi, Co‑Founder and CEO of Databricks. “Today, our partnership is stronger than ever. With Databricks Genie and Unity AI Gateway deeply integrated across Microsoft’s products, we’re helping enterprises unify their data and ground AI in business knowledge. This lets customers get the full benefits of agents and models while controlling costs and ensuring governance.”
“The next generation of AI will be defined by how effectively organizations turn their unique knowledge into intelligence,” said Judson Althoff, CEO, Microsoft Commercial Business. “Microsoft and Databricks are helping customers connect data, AI and business context to accelerate decision-making and drive measurable impact. With Databricks deepening its investment in Azure Databricks and Azure Cobalt-powered infrastructure, customers will benefit from greater performance, efficiency and scale for their most demanding workloads. Databricks’ decision to run its own core business operations on Azure Databricks also gives customers confidence in a platform proven at enterprise scale.”
Databricks runs core business operations on Azure Databricks
As part of this latest deal, Databricks deepens its commitment to Azure, running its own core business operations and analytics on Azure Databricks, using the very platform it delivers to customers at scale.
Advancing performance with Azure Cobalt
Databricks will also expand its use of Azure Cobalt, Microsoft’s next-generation Arm-based infrastructure, to improve performance and efficiency for agentic and data-intensive workloads. Databricks currently uses Cobalt 100 and plans to adopt Cobalt 200, which delivers up to 50% better performance and includes memory encryption enabled by default.
Deep integrations for Databricks Genie and Unity AI Gateway with Microsoft product stack
By combining the Databricks Data + AI Platform with Azure’s global scale, customers can accelerate AI transformation while maintaining control and reliability. As a native Azure service, Azure Databricks makes its AI capabilities available directly within customers’ existing Microsoft environment, grounding and operating agents on enterprise data with Genie and Genie Ontology, and governing models, agents and cost through Unity AI Gateway. Deeply integrated across the Microsoft ecosystem spanning Microsoft Entra, Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure security, Microsoft OneLake, Power BI, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Foundry, Power Platform, Microsoft 365, Teams and Copilot, these capabilities bring governed, real-time data and AI into business workflows, giving organizations the context, control, choice and cost efficiency needed to drive impact.
Continued investment is evident from our recent announcements with Databricks at Data + AI Summit in June.
Customer impact with Azure Databricks
The deepened collaboration strengthens support for joint customers running data, analytics and AI workloads on Azure Databricks, delivering improved performance, security, AI governance and enterprise readiness. Thousands of customers, including Banco Bradesco, the Cincinnati Reds, Electrolux, SMBC and Unilever, already use Azure Databricks to run critical workloads and scale AI with confidence.
Read more on the proven business value of the Databricks and Microsoft partnership on the Microsoft Azure blog.
About Databricks
Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including AT&T, Bayer, BMW Group, HSBC, T-Mobile, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/databricks-and-microsoft-expand-partnership-to-help-enterprises-bring-business-context-to-enterprise-ai-302832954.html
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
Technology
Harness and Kong Expand Strategic Partnership to Deliver Comprehensive API and AI Security
Published
52 minutes agoon
July 23, 2026By
Joint solution extends proven API gateway security to the AI era — with automated AI discovery and runtime AI protection
SAN FRANCISCO, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Harness, the AI Software Delivery Platform™ company, and Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, today announced an expansion of their strategic partnership to address the growing security challenges posed by AI-driven architectures, autonomous agents, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) deployments.
According to The State of AI-Native Application Security 2025 report, as enterprises race to deploy AI at scale, 62% have no visibility into where LLMs are in use across their environment, and 74% say AI sprawl will outpace API sprawl when it comes to risk — making embedded, infrastructure-level security more critical than ever. And companies are now deploying agents into their operations at an exponentially increasing rate, making it a necessity to protect the agents themselves and the systems interacting with those agents.
The two companies are extending their joint solution from Kong API Gateway to also include Kong AI Gateway, bringing Harness’s AI security intelligence directly into the AI infrastructure layer and enabling enterprises to discover, monitor, and protect every agent, AI asset, LLM-powered service, and MCP-connected workflow that traverses it.
A Proven Foundation: Harness and Kong API Gateway
Harness and Kong have been jointly trusted by enterprises to deliver best-in-class API security for years. The existing Harness and Kong API Gateway integration provides:
Comprehensive API traffic visibility and behavioral analysis across all Kong-managed servicesReal-time detection and blocking of API threats, including OWASP API Security Top 10 risks, credential stuffing attacks, and business logic abuseContinuous sensitive data tracking to identify PII exposure and regulatory riskZero-friction deployment alongside existing Kong configurations
This new offering of the AI Gateway solution applies the same level of security depth to AI infrastructure, ensuring that security teams are not left behind as their organizations adopt AI and agentic operations.
“Our partnership with Harness has given joint customers production-grade API security that works with the way they build, not against it,” said Ken Kim, Senior Vice President, Business Development at Kong Inc. “Extending to include Kong AI Gateway is a natural next step. The same enterprises are now moving AI into production through our gateway and need the same depth of visibility and control they’ve come to rely on for their APIs for all AI traffic types including LLM, MCP, and A2A. That’s exactly what this delivers and is crucial for organizations scaling in the agentic era.”
The New Frontier: Kong AI Gateway and Harness AI Security
As enterprises accelerate AI adoption, the attack surface has fundamentally shifted. AI agents, LLM-powered microservices, and MCP-enabled integrations introduce new vectors that traditional security tools were not designed to address. Unlike traditional software, AI agents are non-deterministic — the same agent can behave differently on consecutive runs, making it impossible to secure them the way you’d secure a static API. The new Harness and Kong AI Gateway integration directly tackles these challenges across two critical domains: AI discovery and AI protection.
AI Discovery
Harness automatically inventories every AI asset, API, MCP server, tool, prompt, and resource routed through Kong AI Gateway — providing security teams with a continuously updated catalog of their AI attack surface. No manual documentation. No blind spots.
AI Protection
Harness applies behavioral analysis and anomaly detection to AI traffic in real time, identifying prompt injection attacks, data exfiltration through AI responses, jailbreaking, malicious code in prompts, and other AI-specific threats. Enterprises gain the same depth of observability and protection for their agents and AI workloads that they already rely on for traditional APIs, with full prompt and response details available for incident investigation and inline policy enforcement through Kong AI Gateway.
“Shadow AI has become the defining security blind spot for enterprises today. Traditional tools were built for static code and predictable systems, not for adaptive AI models, agent-to-agent communication, and MCP-connected workflows that evolve continuously,” said Rahul Sood, GM of Application Security at Harness. “This integration of Harness AI Security with Kong puts security intelligence directly into the connectivity layer where AI traffic flows. Joint customers now have the visibility and control they need to move fast without losing sight of what’s happening across their AI infrastructure.”
Availability
The Harness and Kong API Gateway integration is generally available today for all joint customers. The Kong AI Gateway integration, including AI Discovery and AI Protection, is also generally available now. Joint customers can contact their account team or request a demo.
About Harness
Harness is the AI Software Delivery Platform™ company, enabling engineering teams to build, test, and deliver software faster and more securely. Powered by Harness AI and the Software Delivery Knowledge Graph, the platform brings intelligent automation to every stage of the software delivery lifecycle after code — removing toil and freeing developers from manual, repetitive work. Companies like United Airlines, Morningstar, and Choice Hotels use Harness to accelerate releases by up to 75%, cut cloud costs by 60%, and achieve 10x efficiency across DevOps. Based in San Francisco, Harness is backed by Goldman Sachs, Menlo Ventures, IVP, Unusual Ventures, and Citi Ventures.
About Kong
Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, is building the connectivity layer of AI. Trusted by the Fortune 500® and AI-native startups alike, Kong’s unified API and AI platform enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI traffic — on any model, any cloud. For more information, visit www.konghq.com.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/harness-and-kong-expand-strategic-partnership-to-deliver-comprehensive-api-and-ai-security-302833414.html
SOURCE Harness
U.S. Quartz Workers: Strong Safeguard Remedies Needed to Save 100,000 American Manufacturing Jobs
Databricks and Microsoft expand partnership to help enterprises bring business context to enterprise AI
Harness and Kong Expand Strategic Partnership to Deliver Comprehensive API and AI Security
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