Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the VOTI Detection financial results for year-end fiscal 2021 Conference Call. At this time, all lines are now in listen-only mode. Following the presentation, we will conduct a question-and-answer session. If at any time during this call you require assistance, please press star zero for the operator. I would now like to turn the conference call over to Mr. Rory Olson. Please go ahead. Thank you, operator. Good morning to all of you on the phone and on the webcast. Welcome to VOTI's fiscal 2021 year-end results call. With me is Daniel Menard, our Chief Operating Officer and Interim CFO. I'd like to remind everyone to please refer to our website at votidetection.com under the investor relations section to view our notice regarding forward-looking statements. On today's call, I will highlight our performance for the year, update you on our outlook and guidance for the current fiscal year, and then Dan will take you through our fourth quarter and year-end numbers. While fiscal 2021 did not fully meet our initial expectations, primarily owing to the slower than expected recovery from the fourth wave of the pandemic, we are still pleased with our performance given the 25% increase in revenues year-over-year. Recall that we had introduced a series of significant measures designed to mitigate for the impact of the pandemic, and these measures will remain in place to this day and going forward. They've allowed the company to ensure that it remains on its strategic path to growth and profitability. In addition to the slower post-COVID recovery, VOTI, like most other industries, has been massively impacted by the COVID-led global supply chain disruption. Massive dislocations are evident within shipping routes and all other forms of transportation and warehousing. The result creates the potential for shortages of key manufacturing components, order backlogs, delivery delays, and an increase in transportation costs. VOTI is mitigating these challenges by pre-ordering certain long lead time components and prioritizing logistics and inventory management functions within the business. VOTI also introduced improvements and efficiencies to its hardware and software platforms, which have enabled the company to decrease its costs associated with its bill of materials. This yields an increase in gross margin. Most importantly, the significant efficiency initiatives undertaken by the company, along with the technological advancements in its software-first offerings, are set to pay off in the coming years. Despite the challenges faced, our company experienced positive momentum and a welcome rebound in sales in our fiscal 2021 results as the world reopened and demand improved significantly. 2021 was also marked by successful launch of our Linux-based Matrix series of scanners, which yielded improved gross margins and will continue to have lasting net positive impact going forward. In addition, VOTI launched its VotiINSIGHTS platform, a powerful fleet management tool, which was developed in conjunction with a key US federal government agency. We delivered 685 security scanning systems to a wide range of global clients across a diversified base of sectors versus 526 sold in fiscal 2020. Specifically, orders originated from frequent repeat customers like Amazon, Egyptian prisons, and from our other key distributor network. Our transportation vertical with additional orders from cruise lines and Ports America, the events and entertainment vertical, continuing our solid foothold in sports arenas, as well as many additional transactional orders from new and repeat customers. VOTI's backlog and sales pipeline is stronger than ever, with large recurring and increasing diversified and international customer base and an expanded product line. Based on this strong sales pipeline that has returned to pre-pandemic levels and the benefits of a targeted strategy to enter new verticals and increase opportunities within existing verticals, we are optimistic about our company's outlook moving forward. I want to highlight our recent key strategic contract win that we announced February fourteenth. We announced that our XR3D-60 and our XR3D-60S Matrix small package x-ray systems were approved for purchase by a large US federal government agency with global facilities. VOTI's systems are being offered to these facilities around the world as an alternative solution to the current small package x-ray scanners currently in use by the government agency's network. The US federal government agency's approval follows VOTI's recent deal with Global Affairs Canada and cements the company's position as a key supplier of security equipment to top-tier government agencies. The approval for purchase of this major US federal agency is a very important development in the evolution of VOTI's leading technology Matrix systems. We also confirmed that we had already received our first landmark order, and additionally, as a result of the purchase, there is potential for significant additional revenues to be generated in 2022 and beyond. In addition to the major development with the US government agency, the air cargo vertical is also set to become an important growth vertical, given our recently received TSA certification on our 15D X-ray system, and our expectations that our 18D X-ray system certification should follow shortly. Rounding out our targeted market growth, we have been aggressively targeting prisons around the world, and we expect to see significant growth in this vertical footprint over the next few months as well. I also want to note our success in fiscal 2021 with regards to strengthening of our leadership team and the hiring of three senior and highly accomplished executives who are key to taking the business to the next phase in its evolution. Two of these new executives joined VOTI from direct competitors. We are already seeing the immediate benefits of hiring Daniel Menard as our first time ever Chief Operating Officer, Bally Panesar as our new VP, Product Management and Engineering, and Richard Coombs, our new VP Global Sales. Dan is serving as our interim CFO as well, until we hire a new CFO, which is planned for the near future. The addition of these three individuals is a game changer for our company, significantly improving and bolstering our operating, engineering, and sales capability. Lastly, we are providing guidance for fiscal 2022 of revenue of between $26 million and $28 million, up 14% over the midpoint for this year. While Q1 has been negatively impacted by the Omicron variant with expected revenues of $ 4 million, visibility has improved and Q2 should see strong sequential growth, and the second half of the year should see strong year-over-year growth. Management anticipates gross margins to be in the range of 36%-38%, and we anticipate ending fiscal 2021 in a positive, additive position. With that, I'd like to turn it over to Daniel Menard to review our year-end results. Dan? Thanks, Rory. First let me say that after being in place for six months as COO, it has become very evident to me that with its market-disrupting technology and significant global demand for its products, VOTI is facing an incredible opportunity for growth over the next few years. I'm excited to be part of the new leadership team that is strategically positioning the company for success. Here are the financial highlights for the fourth quarter and year ended October 31st, 2021, with the comparison to the same respective period in 2020. Revenue for the three-month period ended October 31, 2021, totaled $ 5.9 million compared to $ 4.9 million for the same period in fiscal 2020, an increase of $1 million or 21%. The company sold 170 security scanning systems, compared to 136 during the same period in fiscal 2020. The increase is primarily attributed to the greater number of systems sold, partially offset by a decrease in the average selling price per scanner, resulting from the change in the US dollar foreign exchange rate. Revenue for fiscal year ended October 31, 2021 totaled $ 23.7 million compared to $19 million in fiscal 2020, an increase of $ 4.7 million or 25%. The company sold 685 security scanning systems compared to 526 in fiscal 2020. The increase in revenue is primarily attributed to the greater number of systems sold during the period. The company's first-time sales of its VotiINSIGHTS fleet management and analytics dashboard, an increase in the average price per scanner resulting from the change in product mix sold, and an increase in after-sale services and extended warranties, partially offset by the decrease in the US dollar foreign exchange rate. Gross profit for the three-month period ended October 31, 2021 increased to $ 1.7 million or 28% of revenue, compared to $ 1.2 million or 25% of revenue for the same period in fiscal 2020, an increase of $ 474,000 or 3% of revenue. The increase in gross margin of 3% is primarily due to a decrease in the average component cost per scanner resulting from the cost reduction initiatives that were executed by the company and an increase in after-sales services profitability and increase in extended warranty as a percentage of overall revenue, which carry higher margins. This was partially offset by an increase in freight costs allocated to the inventory being sold. Gross profit for the year increased to $8 million or 34% of revenue, compared to $ 5.7 million or 30% in fiscal 2020. The 4% increase in gross margin compared to fiscal 2020 is primarily due to a decrease in the average component cost per scanner resulting from the cost reduction initiatives that were executed by the company and the company's first-time sales of its VotiINSIGHTS fleet management and analytics dashboard, partially offset by an increase in freight costs allocated to inventory being sold and certain scanner sales with low margins. Net loss for the three month period decreased to $1 million compared to $ 2.2 million for the same period in fiscal 2020. The decrease in net loss of $ 1.2 million is primarily related to the increase in gross profit, a decrease in net financial expenses, G&A expenses, research and development expenses, increase in non-cash gain from changes in fair value of embedded derivative, and the increase in non-cash gain from change in fair value of warrants, partially offset by an increase in selling and distribution expenses and decrease in gain from non-cash share-based payments. For the year, net loss decreased to $ 6.1 million compared to $ 6.7 million in fiscal 2020. The decrease of $ 0.6 million or $ 600,000 is primarily related to the increase in gross profit, decrease in general and administrative expenses, and decrease in non-cash share-based payments expenses, and an increase in gain in the change in fair value warrants, partially offset by increased loss in change in fair value of embedded derivatives and increased net financial R&D and selling and distribution expenses. Adjusted EBITDA for the three-month period ended October 31, 2021 decreased to -$ 1 million compared to -$ 493,000 for the same period in fiscal 2020. The decrease is primarily related to the increase in net operating expenses, partially offset by an increase in gross profit. Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended October 31, 2021 increased to -$ 1.1 million compared to -$ 2.9 million for fiscal year 2020. An increase of $ 1.8 million is primarily related to the increase in gross profit and decrease in net operating expenses. Net cash used in operating activities during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2021 decreased by $ 1.3 million when compared to fiscal 2020. The decrease in net cash used in operations is primarily due to the improvement of the company's cash-based operating results in fiscal 2021, partially offset by the impact from the change in the company non-cash working capital. I also wanted to highlight one other recent development. On February 17th, we announced our intention to complete a brokered private placement on a commercially reasonable efforts basis for gross proceeds of up to approximately $4 million, led by Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. as a lead agent and sole book runner, with closing of the offering expected to occur on or about March 8th, 2022. The company will use the net proceeds of the offering for sales, marketing, general corporate, and working cap purposes. The offering will consist of up to 19,047,620 units of the company at a price of $ 0.21 per unit. Each unit consists of one common share and one half of one common share purchase warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share at a price of $ 0.27 per common share for a period of 24 months from the closing date of the offering. We will, of course, keep you updated as we move closer to closing the private placement. Proceeds from the private placement will be used for sales, marketing, general corporate, and working cap purposes. I will refer you to our latest MD&A release yesterday to get the full details of our year-end results. In the MD&A, you will also be able to view our discussion of risks and remediative actions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. With that, I will turn it back to Rory. Thank you, Dan. As you know, the pandemic has taken a very heavy toll on our operations. However, through the success of a combination of aggressive mitigating strategies and initiatives, we've emerged from 2020 as a much leaner and stronger organization than we were going into it. While the recovery has been somewhat slower than we originally anticipated, 2021 has produced significantly improved results, and we are looking forward to continued strength into fiscal 2022. VOTI's base of business is growing as the company continues to benefit from improvements in its technology and feature sets, resulting in our company capturing new market segments such as US federal government as well as the lucrative air cargo market. These new verticals will serve as catalysts for growth in 2022 and beyond. VOTI also began enhancing its presence in existing verticals such as the Canadian federal government, distribution centers for loss prevention, as well as correctional facilities. With the worst of the pandemic in the rear-view mirror, we are optimistic about both our short and long-term outlook. We are excited to get back on a growth trajectory that was in place prior to 2020. With that, I will ask the operator to open the line up for questions. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the question-and-answer session. Should you have a question, please press star followed by one on your touch tone phone. You will hear a three-tone prompt acknowledging your request, and your questions will be pulled in the order they are received. Should you wish to decline from the polling process, please press star followed by two. If you're using a speakerphone, please lift your handset before pressing any keys. Your first question comes from Neal Gilmer with Haywood Securities. Please go ahead. Good morning, Neal. Good morning. How are you? We're doing okay, thanks. Good. First question may be just on your guidance. As you commented, 14% at the midpoint. You also said through comments right in your opening remarks with respect to how you're trying to deal with the supply chain and some of those challenges that that's presented over the course of the past year and a half. I'm wondering, you know, as you look at your 2022, you know, is that those supply chain challenges, is that sort of limiting your revenue growth? You know, coming off the 25% last year, at the 14%, I'm wondering if you are taking a conservative approach because you're unsure whether you're gonna basically have the supply chain to support maybe a higher demand profile? We're definitely taking a conservative approach, no question of that. We think that we're going to kind of be in a similar position, but we've got strategies in place. We're forward ordering components much further in advance of the requirement. Obviously, this puts pressure on our cash position, which is one of the reasons we're doing the financing at this time. Okay. Thank you for that. Just some of the puts and takes in the margin profile you provided in your comments there, 36%-38%. You know, I guess what are some of the assumptions that go into that? I guess you have good visibility on your input costs, and you feel that you have, you know, opportunities to set pricing to get that sort of margin levels. Yeah. The first part of it is dealt with. We are selling now our Linux-based Matrix scanning system, and that has a 10% reduction in our cost of our bill of materials. And that, you know, directly impacts. We started selling the Matrix system in 2021. In 2022, we are moving fully away from Windows and only selling the Matrix system. Right there, we're gonna have that net positive impact. The other thing is that we're selling more software in terms of the VotiINSIGHTS platform, as well as the fact that our service revenue base is growing. Those three things really are the catalyst for us to be pretty comfortable that our gross margins are indeed growing. Okay. Thanks for taking my questions. Thank you very much, Neal. Ladies and gentlemen, as a reminder, if you do have any questions, please press star one. There are no further questions at this time. Please proceed. Okay. Thank you again for your interest in VOTI. Both Dan and myself are available at any time to answer any further questions you might have. I wish you all a good morning and a good day. Stay healthy, stay safe, and we look forward to speaking to you soon. Thank you very much. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes your conference call for today. We thank you for participating and ask that you please disconnect your lines. Have a great day.
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