BorgWarner Inc. (NYSE:BWA) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

Kevin Nowlan: Yes. The walk going from 2022 to 2023 is fairly simple. It’s really — as we look at that organic net sales change, we’re converting on that effectively in the mid-teens, call it in that 15%, 16% range. But then we’re also investing incrementally in eProducts-related R&D of about $60 million to $70 million on a year-over-year basis, which is what brings the overall conversion down and shows only then a slight improvement in our margin profile on a year-over-year basis. But we’re pretty pleased with that mid-teens conversion given that the bulk of the revenue growth we’re seeing in 2023 is really related to product launches and ramp up, not recovery in end markets. And so with some of the start-up costs you see there, we’re pretty pleased with that performance. Fred, do you want to comment on the R&D?

Frederic Lissalde: R&D side, as Kevin mentioned, we expect to be up again this year year-over-year. We’re also looking at a lot of R&D efficiency on the combustion side. And I think we expect that long — midterm the R&D is going to stay between 5% and 5.5% of revenue, working in not constraining the growth but also making sure that we’re doing the right thing on the foundation and products.

Emmanuel Rosner: Okay. And then following up on this then. So is this year within this range as well the total R&D 5% to 5.5%. And I guess in the past, you’ve sort of spoken about the tail end of 2023 is sort of like being this turning point where sort of like your EV business is essentially breakeven or getting profitable is fully loaded as you have enough revenue scale to sort of like match the size of this R&D. Is that still the case? Or will these additional investment, does that push out the time line a bit?

Kevin Nowlan: A couple of things on the on the question about R&D, they were really only guiding at the moment to the eProducts-elated R&D, which we are seeing an increase in investment that we’re choosing to make of $60 million to $70 million. the overall R&D budget, I’ll say, the foundational R&D is just being managed in totality with the way that we manage the profitability of those foundational businesses. As it relates to EV, the trajectory of profitability. As you see the growth that we’re generating this year and the incremental margin that we’re generating on that revenue growth this year, 2/3 of which comes from our eProduct portfolio you can see that the growth in contribution margin is effectively outpacing the growth in the eProducts related to R&D, which means that 2023, we are seeing improving profitability coming from that portfolio in totality, and continue to believe that we’re on track that as we exit 23 and added to the beginning of ’24, that portfolio is approaching breakeven.

Operator: And our next question will come from James Picariello with BNP Paribas.

James Picariello: Good morning, everyone. Just back to the growth over market, I thought in 2022, there was almost like a 4-point benefit from commodity recovery bedded within your revenue growth. So I do just want to clarify that the 2023 high single-digit 8 points of outgrowth, that, that does not include any ongoing commodity recovery, cost recovery type benefit?

Kevin Nowlan: That’s correct. I mean pricing is not a net tailwind in that — effectively that organic growth number as you look at the 2023 guide.

James Picariello: Okay. Understood. And then just back to the EV profitability time frame. Any — given the $60 million to $70 million R&D step-up, I think previously, you guys have talked about maybe late ’23, early ’24 in terms of achieving breakeven for the business. What does that time frame look like now given better visibility on the R&D commitments you have?