Operator: Good morning. Today is Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Welcome to the Toromont Industries Limited Second Quarter 2026 Results Conference Call. Please be advised that this call is being recorded. Your host for today will be Mr. John Doolittle, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Please go ahead, sir.
John Doolittle: Very good. Thank you, Angeline. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us today to discuss Toromont's results for the second quarter of 2026. Also on the call with me this morning is Mike McMillan, President and Chief Executive Officer. Mike and I will be referring to the presentation that is available on our website. To start, I would like to refer our listeners to Slide 2, which contains our advisory regarding forward-looking statements and specified financial metrics. After our prepared remarks, we will be more than happy to answer questions. So let's get started and move to Slide 3, and over to you, Mike.
Michael Stanley McMillan: Great. Thank you, John. Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us this morning. We are pleased with our second quarter and first half performance. Revenue and earnings increased, reflecting solid execution across the business. The Equipment Group delivered growth in new and used equipment sales enclosures, rentals and product support. The Equipment Group's operating income was 47% higher in the second quarter as the higher revenue and improved gross profit margins were partially offset by higher expense levels. AVL continued to expand production. During the quarter, we increased our ownership in AVL to 80% and acquired land in Canada to support future manufacturing growth. CIMCO's results were slightly lower in the quarter. Operating income decreased, largely reflecting the lower package revenue due to project timing, lower gross profit margins and higher expense levels and investments for future growth. Let's turn to Slide 4 for some other financial highlights. Investment in the noncash working capital was comparable year-over-year. A net effect of higher inventory levels, higher accounts receivable balances and lower accounts payable balances due to equipment delivery timing. We ended the first half of the year with ample liquidity, including $1.2 billion in cash and an additional $449 million available under our existing credit facilities. Our net debt to total capitalization ratio was negative 13%. Overall, our balance sheet is well positioned to support operations and navigate evolving economic and business conditions. As one would expect, we'll continue to apply operational and financial discipline as we support customer needs and evaluate future investment opportunities. Toromont targets a return on equity of 18% over the business cycle. ROE for the second quarter was 17% all in, slightly below our target, however, improved from 16.9% at year-end 2025 and comparatively lower than 17.6% reported at the end of June 2025. The year-over-year difference reflects higher shareholders' equity, which more than offset increased comparative earnings. We would also note that ROE was dampened by approximately 1.5% by the expenses as disclosed associated with the accelerated purchase of certain shares of AVL in the quarter. This increased our ownership to 80%, a decision that was made based on long-term expected returns. Return on capital employed was 24.8%, slightly higher year-over-year, reflecting our increased net earnings. Finally, as announced yesterday, the Board of Directors approved a regular quarterly dividend of $0.56 per share payable on October 2, 2026. John, I'll turn it back over to you for more detailed commentary on the results.
John Doolittle: Great. Thanks, Mike. Let's turn to Slide 5 for a few additional comments on the consolidated results. On a consolidated basis, revenue increased 16% in the second quarter and increased 15% for the first half of the year. This growth was driven predominantly by the Equipment Group with higher power system revenue, including our enclosure business, along with higher mining equipment, rental and product support revenue. CIMCO has had a somewhat slower start to the year with lower package revenue on construction timing, offset by higher product support activity. SG&A expenses increased for both the quarter and year-to-date period compared to the similar period last year with key changes related to the inclusion and growth of AVL, DSU mark-to-market adjustments and other increases reflecting investments in the growth of the business. Compensation costs, travel and training are examples. Operating income increased 41% in the quarter and 42% through the first half, reflecting the higher revenue and improved gross profit margins, partially offset by the higher expense levels. As a percentage of revenue, operating income was 13.6% on a year-to-date basis compared to 11% last year. AVL's operational capacity and execution continued to expand in the quarter. The revenues were $171 million versus Q2 '25, which was $57 million and year-to-date at $300 million versus the first half of '25, which is $79 million. Results in the second quarter of 2026 are net of purchase commitment expenses of $54.3 million versus $1.7 million for Q2 '25 and on a year-to-date basis were $68.2 million compared to 2025 of $2.8 million. As a reminder, this includes expenses related to the valuation of the company's commitment to purchase the remaining outstanding shares of AVL and represents the regular evaluation of the commitment based on actual and expected results. This also includes expenses related to dividends paid to noncontrolling interests. Net earnings were largely unchanged in the quarter compared to last year and increased 9% or $18.4 million for the first 6 months of the year. As an indicator of our base business, we would note that net earnings, excluding the purchase commitment expenses increased 42% in both the quarter and the first half of the year compared to 2025. Basic earnings per share was $1.53 in the quarter, largely unchanged from last year's comparative and increased to $2.66 year-to-date. Turning to the Equipment Group on Slide 6. Revenue increased 18% in the quarter and 16% for the year, reflecting higher power systems sales and higher mining deliveries along with increased rental and product support revenue. Equipment sales, including both new and used equipment were up in both the quarter and the first half of the year by 27% and 23%, respectively. New equipment sales increased 31% in the quarter and 25% for the year, led by higher mining deliveries and higher power systems markets, which include revenue of the acquired business, while the construction market were at levels comparable to the prior year. Used equipment sales increased 2% in the quarter and 9% year-to-date across most markets. Looking at the market segments for the quarter. Total equipment revenue increased 72% in mining, Power Systems increased 43%. Construction was slightly lower, down 1% and material handling decreased 32%. Rental revenue was up 11% in both the quarter and year-to-date. While market conditions remain somewhat uncertain, revenue increased compared to the prior year, generally reflecting the larger fleet and improved activity levels in most areas. For the quarter, the change in revenue was as follows: heavy equipment rentals were up 25%, light equipment rentals up 8%, power rentals up 18%, partially offset by a decrease in material handling, which was down 7%. The RPO fleet was $98.8 million versus $101.4 million a year ago, and rental revenue was up 19% for the quarter and down 3% for the year compared to similar periods last year. Product support revenue increased 8% in the quarter and 9% year-to-date, reflecting equipment utilization in our territory, along with higher technician workforce. Activity was generally higher across most markets and regions. Looking at specific markets. For the quarter, change in revenue was as follows: Construction was down 6%, mining up 18%, Power Systems down 1% and material handling up 4%. Gross profit margins increased 270 basis points in the quarter and increased 330 basis points year-to-date compared to last year. Equipment margins increased, reflecting the favorable sales mix within our equipment offerings. Rental margins increased on improved utilization. Product support margins decreased slightly, reflecting the nature of the work and sales mix. Sales mix was unfavorable in both periods, reflecting a lower proportion of product support revenue to total revenue in each period. Selling and administrative expenses increased $20 million or 13% in the quarter and increased $48 million or 17% for the year. Higher expenses reflect the continuing investment in key strategic areas. Compensation costs were higher in both periods, reflecting staffing levels and regular salary increases, higher profit sharing accruals on the higher income and higher DSU mark-to-market expense on the higher share price. Other expenses such as training, travel and occupancy costs have increased in light of sales levels and planned investment in inflation. As a percentage of revenue, selling and administrative expenses increased to 12.4% versus 12.3% last year. Operating income increased 47% for the quarter and increased 49% for the year, reflecting the higher revenue and improved gross profit margins, offset by the higher expenses. Bookings increased 196% in the quarter, mainly reflecting higher power systems orders, including AVL, which includes a $1 billion order previously announced for delivery substantially in 2027. Mining markets are lumpy or cyclical due to the nature of the business and improved 11% on good orders. Construction orders were relatively unchanged compared to Q2 2025, reflecting normal demand dynamics. Material handling orders were down 51% versus a strong comparable in the prior year. Backlog of $2.5 million at June 2026, very solid, reflecting good new order intake throughout the quarter. Approximately 60% of the backlog is expected to be delivered over the next 12 months, but of course, is subject to timing differences depending upon vendor supply, customer activity and delivery schedules. Let's turn now to CIMCO on Slide 7. Revenue was down 1% in the quarter, however, was up 1% for the first half of the year, largely reflecting project timing. Package revenue decreased 5% in the quarter with lower revenue in the recreational market, partially offset by an increase in the industrial market. Recreational activity decreased 50% with lower revenue in both Canada and the U.S. Industrial market revenue increased 32% with higher activity in both Canada and the U.S. For the first half of the year, package revenue was largely unchanged and reflected similar trends for the quarter. Product support revenue increased 6% in the quarter and 1% on a year-to-date basis with higher market activity in Canada, offset by lower revenue in the U.S. in both periods. Activity levels continue to improve on good customer demand and the increased technician base. Gross profit margins decreased 90 basis points in the quarter and decreased 120 basis points in the year versus similar periods last year. Package margins were lower on the nature and timing of projects in process. Product support margins were largely at levels similar to last year. Improving execution and efficiency continues to be a focus and a favorable sales mix with a higher proportion of product support revenue to total revenue increased margins. Selling and administrative expenses increased $2 million or 10% in the quarter and $4 million or 12% for the first 6 months of the year. Compensation costs increased, reflecting staffing levels, annual salary increases and the mark-to-market on DSUs, largely offset by lower profit sharing accruals on the lower earnings. Other expenditures such as travel and training expenses increased to support activity and staffing levels. As a percentage of revenue, selling and administrative expenses improved to 16.9% in the second quarter versus 15.2% in Q2 2025. Operating income was down $3 million or 20% for the quarter and $7 million or 26% for the year, largely reflecting the lower revenue, gross margins and higher expense levels supporting growth. Operating income as a percentage of revenue decreased 290 basis points to 8.2% on a year-to-date basis compared to the similar period last year. Bookings were largely unchanged in the quarter and were 11% higher, up $16 million for the year. For the year, industrial orders were up 12% and recreational orders were also up 11% Generally, activity is continuing with good strategic capital investments. Backlog of $375 million was up 7% last year with higher backlog in the recreational -- 7% versus last year with higher backlog in the recreational market, up 14%, while the industrial market backlog remained relatively unchanged. Approximately 75% of the backlog is expected to be realized over the next 12 months. However, again, this is subject to construction schedules. And with that, we can move to Slide 8, turn it back to Mike to highlight some key takeaways as we look forward to rounding out the year. Mike?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Thanks again, John. As we look ahead to the second half of 2026, our focus remains squarely on executing our strategic priorities. These begin with an unwavering commitment to safe, reliable and efficient operations. delivering consistently high levels of customer service and maintaining disciplined financial and operational rigor to support sustainable long-term growth. Against this backdrop, we continue to monitor key external factors that could impact the business. Global trade negotiations are evolving and in particular, developments between the U.S. and Canada remain dynamic, requiring proactive mitigation plans, which we continue to refine as the situation evolves. Foreign exchange volatility, particularly fluctuations in the Canadian dollar, is being actively managed through our hedging program, helping to mitigate earnings impacts while recognizing that broader economic conditions may still create headwinds. In addition, we are closely monitoring the overall macroeconomic trends. Our backlog of $2.9 billion continues to grow nicely, and the equipment supply chain is well positioned to support customer requirements. Investment in our technician workforce remains a key strategic priority. By strengthening this critical capability, we are enhancing our aftermarket services, improving responsiveness and delivering greater long-term value to our customers across our product and service offerings. From both an operational and financial standpoint, we benefit from a focused operating model, experienced leadership team, a disciplined culture and strong liquidity. This foundation enables us to manage near-term uncertainty effectively while continuing to advance our strategic growth priorities. Over the long term, our approach to creating shareholder value remains grounded in disciplined cost management, thoughtful strategic investment and consistent operational execution. We thank our team for their continued dedication and our stakeholders for their trust and support. That concludes our prepared remarks. We'd now be pleased to take your questions. Angeline, over to you, please, to set up the first question.
Operator: Your first question comes from Yuri Lynk with Canaccord Genuity.
Yuri Lynk: Wondering if you can provide a bit more color on the $1 billion of AVL orders in terms of -- are those orders comprised of numerous customers and numerous projects? Or is it more concentrated? And how did it come together to book such a large number?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. Thanks for the question, Yuri. I think maybe I'll give you a little color, and John can chip in as well. Yes, it's certainly a significant order. I would just say we didn't disclose customer-related detail. But I would say it's multiple locations across largely in the U.S. Eastern Seaboard would be the positioning there. And so I think part of the positioning there is as we've ramped up in Charlotte and continue to track really nicely to plan and hitting our quality and delivery time scales, it's resulted in the opportunity for us between both our facilities, the Hamilton facility and the Charlotte facility to be able to secure that type of commitment from a customer perspective. And again, what I'd emphasize is as we booked and secured that order, it is largely to be executed and delivered in 2027 with both facilities.
John Doolittle: Yes. The only thing I'd add, Mike, is we continue to support the CAT network with our deliveries. So most of it's in the U.S. supporting CAT network.
Yuri Lynk: Okay. But you can't share if it's one customer or more?
John Doolittle: Yes. I mean it's multiple purchase orders within a larger purchase order.
Yuri Lynk: Okay. How about the land purchase that I think you said was in the quarter. Is that lumped in with CapEx? And can you kind of break that number out for us?
John Doolittle: Yes. I mean the land purchase in the quarter, so we're expanding our AVL operation. We purchased land north of Hamilton. It's approximately $20 million in terms of the land purchase, which is in the CapEx number. It is land, and so we'll need to do a build-out, Yuri, over the next while. So don't expect any production coming out of that facility until sometime mid-2027.
Yuri Lynk: And rough numbers for the investment that's still to come?
John Doolittle: We're working on the build-out right now in terms of how much it's going to cost. But maybe think about all in $75 million roughly.
Yuri Lynk: And that includes the $20 million for the land?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Correct.
Yuri Lynk: Yes. Okay. And last one on this. Would the revenue capacity of that be similar to Hamilton?
John Doolittle: Yes. So we would expect, as I said, so we bought the land. We've got to build a facility there. That's going to take us into 2027. And then I would expect when we're fully ramped that we'll add roughly 40% to 50% more capacity to the overall business, but that will be coming out of 2027.
Operator: The next question comes from Krista Friesen with CIBC.
Krista Friesen: Maybe just a clarification on that last one. The 40% to 50% capacity, that's relative to the capacity in Canada or that's also including what's in Charlotte?
John Doolittle: It was meant to be both, Krista. It was meant to say it would add 40% to 50% capacity to the overall business. Just keep in mind the timing that I mentioned there.
Krista Friesen: Yes, that makes sense. And then maybe just shifting to the more traditional equipment group. Can you give us a bit of an update on what the construction outlook is looking like for the rest of the year? And just if you're starting to see more of these nation building projects start to flow through and when you expect to see an impact from that?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes, it's a great question. Thanks for that, Krista. I would say a couple of things. We are seeing a little better activity. And I think you see it in construction, you see it in our rental business, too, with better utilization on the larger fleet, and that's both heavy and light. One of the areas that I would caution is the residential-related business still seems to be stalled for the most part, like when you think of infrastructure going into high density or residential, there's limited activity there. But we are seeing reasonable levels of activity around road construction, repaving and construction markets. And you mentioned the larger projects, they're very early stage. And so I think some of the major projects announced federally require road access and a number of other things to start development, especially when you think of resource access in other areas. And so there is some engineering. There's some initial work being done there. But our view would be that that's going to continue through into '28, where we are hopeful that we're going to see a stronger tailwind going into the new year.
Krista Friesen: Perfect. And then just the last one here on the CIMCO business. It sounds like there were just some timing issues in the quarter. How are you thinking about the remainder of the year and just the timing of orders coming through?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. I think -- and sort of refer you to the backlog, too, Krista. It's -- our backlog is well positioned, and we mentioned a few comments about it. And we often talk about CIMCO as it's a bit of a lumpy business. And so we do have some large projects, for example, that take a little bit more time to recognize. And so for the balance of the year, I would say we're feeling comfortable given the backlog and the fulfillment of that backlog that we noticed in disclosure. And so it's been a bit slower this first half just given the timing of some of those projects. Product support has been maybe one of the positive signals there. There's a little bit stronger results there, but I think pretty consistent with what we saw last year.
Operator: The next question comes from Cherilyn Radbourne with TD Cowen.
Cherilyn Radbourne: I don't want to turn this into the AVL call. So I'm going to restrict my AVL question to one. Just curious, as you commit more capital to this business, to what extent are you starting to build visibility for AVL beyond 2027? And what contractual protections do you have in these POs?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. It's a good question, Cherilyn. I mean, I guess what we are seeing is we're seeing good demand by our customers. I mean having the PO that we talked about is a pretty long duration going out to the end of '27. And so we're anticipating a reasonable level of demand over the next several years, but we're careful in the sense that we need to earn that business and secure POs in replacement of what we fulfill here over the next 18 months. The protections in there, I would say, again, there's a variety of customers, hyperscalers, colocators and regional players. And as John mentioned, we're working closely with the Caterpillar network. And so I would say we try to be pretty careful with some of those terms in those agreements. Our focus is really on quality and execution on our product line as well because these are -- really what we've seen so far is standby or backup power generation, which tends to be lower hour, but we need to make sure that we're consistently executing in terms of quality and the delivery of that product line. So I'd say the exposure, we have normal warranty periods and so forth, which the customer has accepted, and we also have a capability to help service if needed.
John Doolittle: Yes. The other thing I'd just remind you, Cherilyn, is we're being very thoughtful about our expansion plans in terms of buying property in great locations like the new one we've just acquired north of Hamilton and in Charlotte. And at some point in the future, if there is a plateau, then we have great assets at our disposal there.
Cherilyn Radbourne: Okay. Great. And then you saw some healthy growth in product support this quarter, which was nice to see. Construction looked good and mining stepped up notably year-over-year. Can you give us some more color on what you're seeing there, including on rebuild activity?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. Thanks for pointing that out. I mean we're quite happy with the growth that we saw in product support, like even in the Equipment Group, we're up 8% to 9% on a quarter year-to-date basis. A couple of things that we've been talking about the last couple of years. Part of it obviously is related to activity levels and our customers saying construction is starting to require more support with a little bit better activity. Mining, we've talked about quite a bit in the past, and we've put some fleets into service over the last 2, 3, 4 years. And as those fleets build the hour requirement, we start to see a little stronger product support requirement there. And so we're starting to see a little bit of that. And to your point on rebuilds, it is a focus area for us. I think given some of the economic uncertainty and some of the different dynamics in the marketplace, we've been working hard with our customers to give them that as an option. and along with other -- along with used and RPO and so forth. But it's -- we've seen some pretty decent demand around the rebuild side of things. It is lumpy in the mining space, but maybe a little bit more consistent when you think of the construction network, right?
John Doolittle: Yes. The other thing I'd mentioned on the rebuild side of things, Mike, is we have broken ground on the Quebec City facility, and that's going really well in terms of the build-out there. So we're excited about that development.
Operator: The next question comes from Devin Dodge with BMO Capital Markets.
Devin Dodge: Just wondering -- coming back to AVL, just wondering if you could talk about the decision to locate the new facility in Hamilton versus somewhere in the U.S., just given that most of the product, I think, is delivered south of the border.
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. Maybe to start -- thanks, Devin. Maybe to start on that. We -- I would say that we continue to evaluate both markets very carefully, right? I think it comes down to local jurisdiction, but also when you think of labor market supply, availability of real estate, the supply chain and the logistics and around the facility. And so that's a big consideration. You might recall when we've described the Hamilton facility, it's a number of buildings where Charlotte is a fit-for-purpose building. It's a one large facility. And our new facility, which is just north of Hamilton into Burlington area will be similar to Charlotte. And so we were looking at it from that perspective as well where we end up with a facility that's fit for purpose, constructed for very efficient operational flow. And I think the other part is, although we're seeing the strongest demand in the U.S. and expect that to persist, over time. Over time, we're expecting to see demand in Canada also, albeit a more reasonable level compared to the U.S. And so it's good to have access. And because it's in Hamilton, we have the ability with port access and other things, too, which is an added benefit, right?
Devin Dodge: Yes. Makes sense. And just another quick one on AVL. Are you continuing to take orders for delivery in 2027?
John Doolittle: Yes, we are. Yes.
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes.
Devin Dodge: Okay. Maybe just switching gears here, but Toromont, I think, in the final months of its 3-year business plan. What do you believe were the biggest accomplishments in Connect26? And then as you look forward, where do you expect the focal areas to be for the next business plan?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. I would say, Devin, it's a great question. If you recall, we came into the 3-year -- current 3-year plan just coming out of COVID, and there was a strong desire to connect. The connect theme was around connecting with customers, reconnecting with customers, connecting with employees because of the dynamic from the pandemic and connecting digitally and so forth. And I think our goal really broadly was to position the business for growth as we emerge out of that uncertainty. And I think, again, the trade dynamics and all the other things come into play, we didn't anticipate. But I think from that perspective, the team has worked really well to put us in a good position across the businesses to make sure that we're ready as things start to improve from an activity level basis, we get a little more stability south of the border. And I think the other piece is the discipline in the business. Our teams have done a nice job from a cost management perspective. We continue to hire technicians. And the digital side is a huge investment area as well. Caterpillar is putting a lot of resources into that space. We've built our team, strengthened our team in those areas. And I'd see that as something that's going to continue to gain a lot of traction and be one of the common themes going forward in our plans because of the analytics, the technology within the equipment and how we use all that capability to differentiate our service offering and help our customers lower their cost of operations. So long answer to your question, but I would say a lot of it is around positioning the business for sustained long-term growth, right? And that was the goal.
Operator: The next question comes from Steve Hansen with Raymond James.
Steven Hansen: First one is on AVL and just the pace of ramp in Charlotte or maybe across the network today. The ramp was quite quick in the period. When do you sort of expect to start to tap into sort of those capacity you currently have for other sites, I guess, collectively today?
John Doolittle: Yes. I mean, Steve, we're really pleased with the ramp at Charlotte. And we would expect Charlotte to be at full capacity coming out of Q3, but they've done a really good job ramping up. Safety has been paramount, and that's been great and quality has been very good as well. So the team down there is just an amazing job. And yes, it ramped very well in the second quarter, as you point out, will continue to ramp in the third quarter, and we'll be close to near capacity in the fourth quarter there.
Steven Hansen: That's helpful. And just on the margin front, some disclosure seems to have gone away on AVL in the period. Can you maybe just describe how margins are progressing relative to prior periods or give us some contextual context around how EBIT contribution might have looked in the period? Just trying to get a sense of what the contribution looks like relative to period.
John Doolittle: Yes. I mean the margin story has stayed basically the same, Steve. It's a very solid margin profile, and you can kind of work into that with the revenue growth and the bottom line impact on AVL after you back out the purchase expenses.
Steven Hansen: Okay. Helpful. And then just one last one quickly is just it does seem like the equipment market despite a few soft spots in Eastern Canada is slowly tightening or consistently tightening inventories appear to be coming down across the channel. I mean how do you feel about the margin profile and sort of in the core equipment business relative to even last year? Have you started to see points of improvement out there?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. Steve, I would just say that it's a well-supplied market, right? Like we continue to see moderate improvements in activity. But I would say, broadly speaking, the equipment space is well supplied. And so that naturally brings in some strength and pressure on margins to a certain degree. I mean I think the team is working -- like as you know, we talk about the value proposition and we talk about it's not just the equipment margin side of things. It's also the product support and availability and helping our customers with that entire value prop and lower cost of ownership. But I think as we look forward, the one area I'd say that is still very constrained is obviously the large engine market, partly driven off the data center demand and mining continues to be fairly strong. And so that's a constrained longer lead time market. But when you look at the GCI and BCP product lines in CCE, it's well supplied and will continue to be so, we believe.
Steven Hansen: Just last one. Do you have any intention to split out AVL at some point into its own segment?
John Doolittle: We don't, Steve.
Operator: The next question comes from Jonathan Goldman with Scotiabank.
Jonathan Goldman: Maybe just a housekeeping one for you, John. Construction product support, did you say up 6% or down 6%? And the product support margins, did you say similar year-on-year?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. It was up 6% actually, Jonathan. On the product support side, specific to construction in the quarter was up 6%. Mining was a little higher.
Jonathan Goldman: Okay. Perfect. I guess my next question then kind of more broadly on data centers. Do you guys anticipate an opportunity to participate in prime or backup power via [indiscernible]?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes, that's a great question. I think what you're tapping into there is the constraints in the power grid and the lack of energy as they continue to build out data centers. And I think we would look at -- I would say there is some limited opportunity for resets. I think the ideal bridging strategy, if you will, to the grid would be with larger solar turbines and things like that. But there is some interest in prime power using primarily gas generators, right? So that's something we'll look at. But I would say that to date, what we've been focused on is the standby and backup power piece, and it's largely diesel.
Jonathan Goldman: Fair enough. And Mike, you alluded to technician headcount, but could you give us an update on what the growth has been so far this year and how you're thinking about maybe '27 as well?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. It's a focus for us, Jonathan. Again, we've been strengthening our recruiting efforts, I would say. And part of that goes to where we see the business evolving and wanting to strengthen the product support side of our business. And so I would say it's always a constrained market. It's always a challenge to hire, but we've done a pretty nice job, and we'll continue to see growth in actual headcount. And I would say it's also across the business. So we've talked a little bit about CIMCO, but the dealership on the rental side, we continue to look and continue to attract new talent and hire to make sure that we're offsetting natural retirements, but also continue to grow that capability over time. So we don't see that declining.
Operator: The next question comes from Sabahat Khan with RBC Capital Markets.
Sabahat Khan: I guess just following up on the earlier discussion around margins. I think you said margins are still solid in that business. I guess as the revenue is ramping up, it feels like there's a lot coming through in '27. Would it be fair to assume margins may be in line with what you've generated over the course of this year and last? Or is there maybe a big directional tilt up or down? Just want to make sure we're in the right ZIP code.
John Doolittle: I don't see a big directional move up or down, Saba. I mean it's early days still, but that's our best view at the moment.
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. I think the one thing to keep in mind, I guess, as we think about it is just mix too, right? Like we saw in the quarter, a little better rental product support growth, which is nice to see as AVL continues to add to production. I mean they're doing very well. But we'll -- as John characterized the new facility and as we see that through '27, '28, just keep in mind as you model how you blend that margin through, the equipment segment, I think, will be well supplied as we talked about earlier. So...
Sabahat Khan: Sorry. Maybe just digging in and maybe I didn't -- I was thinking maybe more specifically on the AVL, I guess, just because it's becoming a bigger part of the revenue mix. Will that maybe shift margins in one direction or the other, just given the ramp there?
John Doolittle: No. Like I said, I don't anticipate in the existing production facility to see a major variation with AL -- what you will see as we get the new facility up and running, obviously, like we saw with Charlotte, we'll see some costs ahead of revenues. So you may see a bit of compression on that front. But overall, I wouldn't expect a major move up or down, Saba.
Sabahat Khan: And then I guess just maybe implied in that, just with the margins, I guess, being relatively consistent going forward, are you finding good pricing power in that business given the demand environment in the AVL business?
Michael Stanley McMillan: In the AVL side, I mean, I would say, again, it's one that we want to manage very carefully. Our focus is on really driving cost efficiencies and so forth because as you can imagine, as this segment evolves, there's been a period of constrained supply in engines and enclosure production and so forth. But I think there's a lot of capital going into that marketplace. And I think naturally, you're going to start to see other players in the market you're going to see potentially some pressure on some pricing. And so our goal is to be the top supplier, most consistent, high quality and also focused on auto-like manufacturing capabilities to drive efficiency in our production side of the business to help mitigate any pressures we see on the top end or in margin side, right?
Sabahat Khan: Great. And then maybe just one last quick one, I guess, just on the concept of sort of constrained supply in this environment. How are you finding your sort of supply chain for that AVL business? I think maybe not as complicated as the engine supply chain, but given the big backlog, have you been able to lock in supply to make sure you can kind of deliver against that?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. I would say we're reasonably comfortable with the supply elements, right? Like when you think about it. Certainly, A big factor is the engine supply, like you mentioned and continuing to see how availability of engines dictate production and so forth. But we've been working pretty hard at making sure that our suppliers, whether it's fuel tanks or panels or what have you, we've also brought in -- within our Power and Energy group, we've also brought in a capability to help put together switching and camboards and things like that, which we had in the Power and Energy Group. So we've enhanced that capability, which also helps us to mitigate some of that supply chain requirement. So I would say, generally speaking, we're comfortable with where it's headed and given what we see in the backlog and so forth, comfortable with that positioning.
Operator: The next question comes from Cherilyn Radbourne with TD Cowen.
Cherilyn Radbourne: Just a couple of last follow-ups from me. Setting aside AVL for a second, could you talk about the trends that you're seeing in the broader Power Systems business?
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. Good question, Cherilyn. I think we are seeing, as you know, it's a little bit lumpy. Like when you think of the broader market, there's some discussion about the marine side, for example. And I think as some of those opportunities on the defense side open up, that could lead to some projects down the road. Those are certainly longer term. I think when you look at the power side, we continue to see some opportunities around bridging strategies, right, bridge to grid and areas like that where there's constraints, partly related to data center, but other industrials looking to peak shave and to do some things like that. And so it's a pretty diversified group, as you know. And I'd say we're cautiously optimistic with what we see there in terms of energy requirements for the longer term and some other opportunities around distributed power and so forth.
Cherilyn Radbourne: Great. And then it seemed to me that there was a shift in package revenue at CIMCO towards the industrial side versus recreational in the quarter, at least. And I didn't know if that was a trend or just sort of normal lumpiness in the business.
John Doolittle: Yes. It's just normal lumpiness, Cherilyn. It ebbs and flows, as you know, quarter-by-quarter. And as Mike said, we had some larger projects in there and depending upon which segment it lands in, you'll see that lumpiness.
Operator: The next question comes from Steve Hansen with Raymond James.
Steven Hansen: Just a quick one. I'm just curious in thinking about rule of thumb, is there a way to think about how many megawatts of power that $1 billion order would cover? Just trying to again frame the announcements we're seeing out there relative to your order flow and get a sense of what we should be thinking about what it covers.
Michael Stanley McMillan: Yes. That's a difficult one, Steve, in the sense that each of the locations have very different power requirements, right? Generally, what we do say is if you think of a large block like the 16, they can generate about 2.5 megawatts per unit, right? And so some of the larger facilities can use upwards of 100 megawatts of power. And so -- but it's very difficult. I would say it's not -- I wouldn't translate that into that type of metric just because of the variation in the facilities and the power requirements.
Operator: At this point, there are no further questions. I will now transfer the conference over to Mr. John Doolittle. Please go ahead, sir.
John Doolittle: Okay. Great. Thank you, Angeline. Thanks, everyone, for joining today. Thanks for the great questions. That concludes our call, and please be safe. Have a great day. Thank you.
Operator: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the conference call for today. Thank you for participating. You may now disconnect.