Industry Focus - Self-driving robotaxi leader Waymo's engineers are exploring automating construction equipment [1] Company Initiatives - Waymo is targeting the construction equipment market for automation [1]

A team of engineers from self-driving robotaxi leader Waymo is eyeing another huge market to automate: construction equipment. (Photo: Bedrock Robotics) https://t.co/b5IQKbarIr https://t.co/BF4NmmmFO1 ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported quarterly revenue exceeding $2 billion for the first time, with earnings per share of $6.53, a 75% increase year-over-year [6][13] - Same store revenue growth was 19%, with a quarterly EBITDA of over $300 million, marking a 50% increase from the previous year [9][14] - Net income for the quarter was $231 million, compared to $134 million in the previous year, reflecting a more than 70% improvement [13] - Free cash flow for the quarter was $220 million, with a net cash position exceeding $250 million after share repurchases and acquisitions [14][16] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The mechanical segment saw a 13% increase in revenue, while the electrical segment revenue grew by 49% [9][10] - Service revenue increased by 10%, contributing to 15% of total revenue, with strong profitability in this segment [21] - Gross profit for the second quarter was $510 million, with a gross profit margin of 23.5%, up from 20.1% a year ago [10][11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Industrial customers accounted for 63% of total revenue, with technology representing 40% of revenue, up from 31% the previous year [19] - Institutional markets, including education and healthcare, contributed 24% of revenue, while the commercial sector accounted for 13% [20] - The backlog at the end of the quarter reached a record $8.1 billion, a 41% increase year-over-year [17] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company announced the acquisition of Rightway Plumbing, expected to generate $60 million to $70 million in annual revenue [7] - There is a focus on expanding modular capabilities and improving productivity and automation in existing facilities [24] - The company aims to maintain strong margins and continue growth in both the mechanical and electrical segments [10][40] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about strong demand for large and complex projects despite economic uncertainties [8] - The company anticipates continued strong results in 2025 and into 2026, supported by robust project pipelines [17][39] - Management noted that the recent tax reform legislation is not expected to significantly impact operating results or cash flows [12] Other Important Information - The company increased its quarterly dividend by 5 cents to 50 cents per share [7] - There is a strong emphasis on employee dedication and collaboration across various projects, which is seen as key to long-term success [74] Q&A Session Summary Question: Modular capabilities expansion and potential third location - Management indicated a focus on incremental capacity expansion and improving productivity rather than prioritizing a third location at this time [24][26] Question: Impact of bonus depreciation on customer conversations - Management acknowledged that while bonus depreciation helps customers, it is not a significant driver of demand at this time [28] Question: Growth confidence for the remainder of 2025 - Management expressed confidence in robust future pipelines and continued growth, particularly in service revenue [34][36] Question: Competitive landscape in modular construction - Management noted that while competition exists, the goal is to excel in service quality to maintain a leadership position [87] Question: Healthcare market opportunities - Management highlighted ongoing strength in the healthcare sector, particularly in new hospital builds and expansions [89] Question: Pricing dynamics and supplier cost pressures - Management indicated that while suppliers may attempt to pass on costs, the company is effectively managing pricing and maintaining strong margins [98][103]

A team of engineers from self-driving robotaxi leader Waymo is eyeing another huge market to automate: construction equipment. (Photo: Bedrock Robotics) https://t.co/wP4ovo9K7W https://t.co/wP4ovo9K7W ...

Summary of Key Points from the Conference Call Industry Overview - The conference call discusses the launch of a significant hydropower project in China, valued at RMB 1.2 trillion (approximately USD 167 billion), located on the Yarlung Tsangpo River. This project is part of China's strategy to stimulate infrastructure development in response to weak demand, particularly in the property sector [1][2]. Core Insights and Arguments - **Project Scale and Impact**: The hydropower project is expected to be 5-6 times the size of the Three Gorges Dam, contributing approximately 5% to China's 2024 infrastructure fixed asset investment (FAI). It will consist of five cascade hydropower plants with a projected power generation capacity of 60-70 GW annually, making it the world's largest hydro dam upon completion in 15-20 years [2]. - **Cement Demand**: The project is estimated to require 30-50 million tons of cement, 150-250 million tons of sand and aggregate, and 90-150 million cubic meters of concrete. This demand represents about 1.7% of China's total annual cement production. In Tibet, the average annual cement demand from this project could account for 25%-35% of local production, significantly tightening regional demand and potentially increasing cement prices from RMB 500-600 per ton to RMB 700 per ton [4]. - **Steel Consumption**: The project is projected to consume around 4 million tons of steel, which is about 0.4% of China's annual crude steel production. The specific location in Tibet will likely increase the demand for high-quality steel products, benefiting companies like Baosteel [4]. - **Power Generation Equipment**: Key players in the hydropower equipment sector, such as Dongfang Electric and Harbin Electric, are expected to benefit from the project. The project aims to add 60-70 GW to China's existing hydropower capacity of 436 GW by the end of 2024, enhancing long-term earnings prospects for the power generation equipment sector [4]. - **Construction Machinery Investment**: The machinery investment for the project could reach RMB 72-96 billion, which is significant compared to the revenues of the top five domestic construction machinery companies projected at RMB 130 billion in 2024. This investment is expected to alleviate concerns regarding construction machinery demand and positively impact companies like Sany, XCMG, and Zoomlion [4][5]. Additional Important Insights - **Investment Recommendations**: The report recommends buying shares in companies such as Conch, CNBM, and XCMG, which are positioned to benefit from the anticipated increase in construction activity and material demand due to the hydropower project [1][4]. - **Regional Economic Impact**: The project is expected to have a substantial positive impact on regional economies, particularly in Tibet, by increasing demand for construction materials and machinery, thereby stimulating local economic growth [4]. - **Long-term Outlook**: The hydropower project is seen as a critical component of China's broader strategy to enhance its infrastructure and energy capacity, which is expected to drive growth in related sectors over the next decade [2][4].

Report Industry Investment Rating - Not provided in the documents Core Viewpoints - Maintain a buy recommendation for HYUELEs due to SK Hynix's resilience against trade - wars, strong global market position, solid operating cash flow, and a more balanced risk - return profile [2][6] - Expect SK Hynix's revenue and operating profit growth momentum to continue in 2025, supported by strong demand for memory used in AI services [11] Summary by Relevant Catalogs Trading Desk Comments - In Chinese IGs, TENCNT 30/BABA 31 tightened 1bp, MEITUA 30 widened 1bp, ZHOSHK 28 tightened 5bps [1] - In financials, CMINLE/CSILTD/BCLMHK Float 27 - 30s were unchanged to 2bps tighter, SUMIBK/MIZUHO 30 - 31s were 1 - 2bps tighter, BBLTB 36 - 40s closed 1 - 3bps tighter [1] - In insurance, CATLIF 34 tightened 1bp, NSINTW 34 widened 1bp, MYLIFE/NIPLIF 55s were up 0.1pt [1] - In AT1s, BNP 7.75/HSBC 6.95 Perps were up 0.2 - 0.4pt, EFGBNK 5.5/INTNED 4.25 Perps were up 0.4 - 0.6pt [1] - In HK, DAHSIN/BNKEA 32 - 34s were 1 - 2bps tighter, REGH 6.5 Perp/HYSAN 4.1 Perp/LASUDE 26 lowered 0.5 - 0.9pt [1] - In Chinese properties, ROADKG 28 - 30s were 0.2 - 2.3pts lower, ROADKG Perps were unchanged. Road King launched a holder identification for all of its three perps [1] - Outside properties, WESCHI 26 was 1.7pts higher following 1H25 positive profit alert, FOSUNI 25 - 28s were up 0.1 - 0.5pt after Fosun announced early redemption [1] - In SEA, GLPSP Perps were up 0.4 - 0.5pt, VLLPM 29 was down 0.7pt [1] - In CNH space, new CNH TEMASE 1.85 30/TEMASE 2.05 35 were 0.1 - 0.2pt lower, TEMASE 2.55 55 was 0.3pt higher; new CNH CHMEDA 2 30/CHMEDA 2.3 35 were 0.2 - 0.3pt lower [2] - LGENSO 27 - 35s tightened 1 - 3bps following a 31% qoq rise in 2Q25 operating profit from 1Q25 [2] - HYUELE 1 ½ 01/19/26 and HYUELE 2 ⅜ 01/19/31 were 2 - 5bps tighter post - results announcement, while HYUELE 6 ¼ 01/17/26 and HYUELE 6 ⅜ 01/17/28 were 2 - 5bps wider [2] - ROADKG 28 - 30s were 0.2 - 2.3pts lower yesterday and unchanged this morning. Road King and CVC seek full exit from Indonesian toll road business for USD1bn [2] - In SOE perps, CHPWCN Perp was up 0.1pt, SPICPD Perp was down 0.1pt [3] Last Trading Day's Top Movers - Top Performers: WESCHI 4.95 07/08/26 price was 92.3 with a change of 1.7; GRNLGR 5 7/8 07/03/30 price was 23.2 with a change of 1.3; NSANY 7 3/4 07/17/32 price was 101.4 with a change of 0.7; NSANY 4.81 09/17/30 price was 91.4 with a change of 0.6; EFGBNK 5 1/2 PERP price was 97.2 with a change of 0.6 [4] - Top Underperformers: ROADKG 5.9 09/05/28 price was 24.8 with a change of - 2.3; ROADKG 5.2 07/12/29 price was 23.7 with a change of - 2.3; ROADKG 6.7 03/30/28 price was 25.1 with a change of - 1.4; ROADKG 6 03/04/29 price was 24.6 with a change of - 1.2; REGH 6 1/2 PERP price was 21.7 with a change of - 0.9 [4] Macro News Recap - On Thursday, S&P was up 0.07%, Dow was down 0.70%, and Nasdaq was up 0.18%. US Jul'25 S&P Global Manufacturing PMI was 49.5 (lower than the market expectation of 52.7), and US Jul'25 S&P Global Services PMI was 55.2 (higher than the market expectation of 53.0) [5] - Trump and Powell clashed at Fed headquarters. UST yield was higher on Thursday, with 2/5/10/30 yield at 3.91%/3.98%/4.43%/4.96% [5] Desk Analyst Comments - Maintain a buy recommendation for HYUELEs. Prefer HYUELE 1 ½ 01/19/26 and HYUELE 2 ⅜ 01/19/31 for lower cash prices. They were traded at YTM of 4.7%/Z + 34bps and YTM of 4.8%/Z + 117bps respectively, and provide 6 - 30bps yield pick - up over Micron's bonds [6] SK Hynix Business and Financial Analysis - SK Hynix achieved record - high revenue and operating profit in 2Q25, driven by aggressive AI investments from leading tech companies and customers accelerating inventory purchases ahead of tariff policy changes [9] - DRAM bit shipments rose by mid - 20% qoq, ASP increased by a low - single digit qoq. NAND bit shipments surged 70% qoq, but ASP declined by a high single - digit qoq [10] - SK Hynix expects DRAM bit shipments to grow by low - to - mid single digit in 3Q25, and increase in NAND bit shipments to be limited. It shipped the industry's first HBM4 samples in Mar'25 and is optimizing performance with partners [11] - As of Jun'25, cash balance increased by 19% qoq to KRW17.0tn. Capex is expected to be higher than the original plan, especially for HBM - related equipment. M15X fab will open in 4Q25 and start full - scale DRAM production in 2026. Yong - in fab (Phase 1) is on track for completion in 2Q27 [12] - SK Hynix's leverage was lower as of Jun'25. Net debts decreased by 46% qoq to KRW4.9tn. Upcoming USD bond maturities are HYUELE Float 11/17/25 of USD300mn due in Nov'25 and two USD bonds totaling USD1.75bn due Jan'26. It is expected to refinance at reasonable costs [13] Offshore Asia New Issues - No new offshore Asia issues were priced today - Pipeline issues include Dazhou Kaisheng Construction Development Group (USD, 3yr, 7.0%, Unrated), Sichuan Zigong Huidong Development (USD, 3yr, 6.8%, Unrated), and Tianjin Binhai New Area Construction & Investment Group (USD, 3yr, 5.8%, Baa2/ - / - ) [17] News and Market Color - 134 credit bonds were issued onshore yesterday with an amount of RMB137bn. Month - to - date, 1,722 credit bonds were issued with a total amount of RMB1,842bn, a 15.8% yoy increase [18] - Adani Enterprises and MetTube partner to build copper tube ecosystem; Adani Energy 1Q26 total EBITDA rises 14.5% yoy to INR20.17bn (cUSD233.5mn) [18] - China Energy Reserve and Chemicals Group adjourns meetings for six bonds due to lack of quorum; Country Garden agrees to key terms with key bank creditors on offshore restructuring [18] - Fosun unit looks to issue RMB1bn yulan bonds by mid - Aug'25; Danantara looks to buy Jiangsu Delong smelter unit in Indonesia through MIND ID [18] - JD.com in advanced talks to buy German retailer Ceconomy for EUR2.2bn (cUSD2.6bn); Mongolian Mining 2Q25 washed coking coal sales drop 25% yoy to 1.74mn tons [18] - Samsung Heavy Industries 1H25 sales rise 6% yoy to KRW5.18tn (cUSD3.76bn); Sands China eyes USD2.7bn annual EBITDA run rate [18] - Sinopec 1H25 oil and gas production rises 2% yoy to 262.81mn barrels of oil equivalent; SoftBank - backed tech startup InMobi plans India IPO at up to USD6bn valuation [18]

Industry Focus - The construction industry is seeing automation through self-driving dirt diggers [1] - Waymo veterans are involved in automating construction sites [1] Technological Advancement - Self-driving technology is being applied to construction equipment [1]

A team of engineers from self-driving robotaxi leader Waymo is eyeing another huge market to automate: construction equipment. (Photo: Bedrock Robotics) https://t.co/TWRUmTpbpb https://t.co/iZk4XMS6V3 ...

This is now the world's largest 3D printed community. 100 homes that they started on two years ago. The homes here start at just under $400,000.That's about comparable to other larger homes in the area. Holly Feings and her husband moved in just over a year ago. We realized, you know, it was really a safe home for two old folks.Single level, no stairs. Icon and LAR announced their plans to build this community in 2022. Since then, large-scale robots worked without a break, squeezing out homes like toothpast ...

A team of engineers from self-driving robotaxi leader Waymo is eyeing another huge market to automate: construction equipment. (Photo: Bedrock Robotics) https://t.co/0zVzgWo4CT https://t.co/4bGy1OFLJM ...