Net revenues decreased during the first quarter of fiscal 2021 compared to the same period in the prior year primarily due to lower Photonics product sales and lower Photonics contract research and development (“R&D”) revenue offset in part by higher TFE sales. TFE recognized revenue on one MATRIX PVD system for advanced semiconductor packaging in the first quarter of fiscal 2021. TFE did not recognize revenue on any systems sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2020. Lower gross margin in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 reflected the lower-margin contribution from the first MATRIX PVD system for advanced semiconductor packaging and lower margins on contract R&D resulting from higher costs related to additional work needed in order to complete the integration of our camera into the U.S. Army’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System (“IVAS”) platform as we neared the end of the development program. The Company reported a larger net loss for the first quarter of fiscal 2021 compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2020 due to lower revenues, lower gross margins and higher spending on R&D materials. During the first quarter of fiscal 2021, the Company received $66,000 in government assistance related to
COVID-19
from the government of Singapore of which $39,000 was reported as a reduction of cost of net revenues, $10,000 was reported as a reduction of R&D expenses and $17,000 was reported as a reduction of selling, general and administrative expenses.
We believe fiscal 2021 will be a challenging year and Intevac does not expect be profitable in fiscal 2021, unless new orders are received sooner than anticipated.
Intevac expects that 2021 HDD equipment sales will be lower than 2020 levels.
In 2021, Intevac expects higher sales of new TFE products as we expect to: (i) convert the VERTEX coating system for DCP under evaluation at a customer factory to revenue and (ii) obtain
follow-on
production orders for additional VERTEX systems. In 2021, we expect product revenue in Photonics to decline slightly as shipments for the Apache camera under the current contract with the U.S. government concluded in the third quarter of 2020. In 2021, we will continue to deliver product shipments of the night-vision camera modules for the F35 Joint Strike Fighter program. In 2021, we expect decreased contract R&D revenue as development work on the multi-year IVAS contract award for the development and production of digital night-vision cameras to support the U.S. Army’s IVAS program comes to a conclusion in early 2021. Intevac expects to receive an additional $48,000 in government assistance related to
COVID-19
from the government of Singapore in the remainder of fiscal 2021.
The impact of
COVID-19,
including changes in consumer behavior, pandemic fears, and market downturns as well as restrictions on business and individual activities has created significant volatility in the global economy and led to reduced economic activity. There have been extraordinary actions taken by federal, state, and local public health and governmental authorities to contain the spread of
COVID-19
and although many restrictions that were in place have eased in many localities, some areas that had previously eased restrictions have reverted to more stringent limitations. If new strains of
COVID-19
develop or sufficient amounts of vaccines are not available or widely administered for a significant period of time, the continued impacts to our business could be material to our 2021 results. Our customers may delay or cancel orders due to reduced demand, supply chain disruptions and/or travel restrictions and border closures. There remains significant uncertainty concerning the magnitude of the impact and the duration of the
COVID-19
pandemic. Our factories in California and Singapore remain open as both TFE and Photonics businesses are within the critical infrastructure sectors. We have experienced pandemic-related delays in our TFE evaluation and development work. In response
to COVID-19,
we have implemented initiatives to safeguard our employees. We have implemented work-from-home protocols and all employees that can do so are working remotely and will continue to do so until restrictions are lifted by the applicable authorities in the United States, Singapore and China. The following discussion highlights how we are responding and the expected impacts
of COVID-19
on our business.
The Company’s priorities during
the COVID-19 pandemic
have been to protect the health and safety of employees while keeping its manufacturing facilities open due to the essential nature of our products. Our factories in California and Singapore remain open as both TFE and Photonics businesses are within critical infrastructure sectors that are exempt from government-mandated closures.
Our goal has been to support our employees during the present uncertainty while remaining focused on meeting the needs of our customers and business continuity. Early in the crisis, we provided employees with information about best practices to prevent the spread
of COVID-19 and
other viruses and illnesses. We instituted practices including symptom checks
and non-contact monitoring
of body temperatures of those on site twice daily; requiring social distancing and face coverings; streamlining onsite personnel to only those required for production; strongly encouraging and, where mandated, requiring remote work for all those who can work from home; and increasing hygiene through disinfecting facilities. In addition, we have
limited in-person meetings
and non-employee visits
to our locations, reduced room occupancies and
eliminated non-essential business
travel.