Company: FTCI
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-047224
Chunk: 19

Company: FTC Solar, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 19
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 industries evolves. An example of this strategy is our investment in Alpha Steel, a U.S.-based manufacturing partnership with a leading steel fabricator.

We also attempt to mitigate the climate-related risks from the use of our products by designing our equipment and systems to have a high-slope tolerance and wind mitigation capabilities, while at the same time reducing the required foundation/pile count needed. This allows our trackers to be installed in increasingly hostile environments with minimal disturbance to the surrounding land.

Seasonality

Our revenue may be impacted by seasonality and variability related to the timing of construction activity. Based on historical experience, we have experienced to some degree lower levels of customer purchasing during winter months in cold-weather climates as it is more costly to our customers to set foundations when the ground is frozen, however, such fluctuations due to seasonality have not had a material adverse impact on our operations. 

Competition

The tracker industry is highly specialized and dominated by a relatively small number of companies. Our direct tracker competitors include Array Technologies, Inc., GameChange Solar, Nextracker Inc. and PVH. We also compete indirectly with manufacturers of fixed-tilt mounting systems. We compete on the basis of product performance and features, total cost of ownership (usually measured by the levelized cost of energy), reliability and duration of product warranty, sales, manufacturing and distribution capabilities, training, customer support and the ability to identify, hire and retain qualified personnel.

Several of our existing and potential competitors are significantly larger than we are and may have greater financial, marketing, manufacturing, distribution and customer support resources, as well as broader brand recognition and greater market penetration, especially in certain markets.

Patents, trademarks and trade names

We maintain a robust program of research and development to continue to enhance and expand our product offerings to our customers. During the year ended December 31, 2024, our research and development costs totaled $5.9 million, including employee salaries and benefit costs. 

Our trademarks and trade names include, but are not limited to, Voyager Tracker, Pioneer Tracker, SUNPATH, SUNOPS and FTC Solar, which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws. This Annual Report also may contain trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights referred to in this Annual Report are listed without the TM, SM, © and ® symbols, but we will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the