PRESS RELEASE : paragon Automotive's Rapid Growth Continues

DGAP-News: paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA / Key word(s): Preliminary Results/Personnel 
paragon Automotive's Rapid Growth Continues (news with additional features) 
2021-04-27 / 07:00 
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. 
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paragon Automotive's Rapid Growth Continues 
- Further positive development of business situation after strong second half of 2020 
- Revenue in first quarter around 33% over prior year; EBITDA margin increases to 15% 
- Current customer orders around 8% higher than planned 
- Prof. Dr. Lutz Eckstein steps down as Supervisory Board Chairman following appointment to Board of Academic Advisers 
to the Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure - Prof. Dr. Iris Gräßler standing by as successor 
Delbrück, Germany, April 27, 2021 - Based on preliminary figures for the Automotive business, paragon [ISIN 
DE0005558696] has exceeded its own expectations with an increase in revenue of 33% in the first quarter of 2021 
compared with the same period in the previous year. From January to March, the Tier 1 supplier generated revenue of EUR 
39.2 million with its automotive customers. The EBITDA margin amounts to 15.4%, which is at the upper end of the 
forecast range. With a 29% increase in revenue, paragon Automotive has thus clearly exceeded the first quarter of 2019, 
the year prior to the coronavirus. Based on the good development in customer orders, the Management also expects the 
second quarter to significantly surpass the reference period from 2019. 
"After our company had the best second half-year in its history in 2020, the paragon Automotive rally is continuing to 
accelerate," says Klaus Dieter Frers, founder and CEO of paragon. 
As the company already reported based on preliminary figures, revenue in the fourth quarter of 2020 developed better 
than initially forecast. Accordingly, paragon's automotive business exceeded its expectations for 2020 as a whole, with 
revenue of around EUR 127 million. The strong development was accompanied by a significantly higher EBITDA margin in the 
second half of the year, which came to 13.5%. The margin for the year as a whole was 10.8%, which takes into account 
the coronavirus-related plant closures in the spring. 
The Management considers the developments in the second half of 2020 and the outlook for the current fiscal year to be 
a strong sign that the measures taken to increase earnings and cost efficiency are as effective as desired and, most 
importantly, are sustainable. Moreover, the revenue level demonstrates paragon's potential in the automotive business. 
"The quick and impressive recovery of our business following the coronavirus slump has given fresh impetus to paragon's 
success story. Our operational performance is more strongly protected against burdensome factors than ever. The further 
increase in the first quarter is further evidence of our capability," emphasizes Dr. Matthias Schöllmann, Managing 
Director of Automotive at paragon. 
A change in paragon's Supervisory Board is looming. Prof. Dr. Lutz Eckstein told the Management that he regrets he must 
leave the office of Supervisory Board Chairman prematurely as of this year's Annual General Meeting. The reason for his 
departure is his appointment to the Board of Academic Advisers to the Federal Minister of Transport and Digital 
Infrastructure, a post that requires a great deal of time as well as neutrality. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Iris Gräßler will be 
proposed as his successor at the Annual General Meeting. The professor of product creation has held a chair at the 
Heinz Nixdorf Institute at the University of Paderborn since 2013. Prior to that, she held a number of management 
positions at Robert Bosch GmbH from 2000-2013 and was responsible for product creation, production systems and change 
management, among other things. Prof. Gräßler received her doctorate in 1999 and completed her postdoctoral 
qualification in 2003 at the Chair of Production Engineering, Laboratory of Machine Tools at RWTH Aachen. 
"Of course we respect Prof. Eckstein's decision. We owe him our great thanks for his service as Supervisory Board 
Chairman of paragon for the last seven years. At the same time, my Management colleague Dr. Schöllmann and I are 
delighted that Prof. Dr. Gräßler is prepared to contribute her proven expertise to the development of paragon on its 
Supervisory Board in the coming years," says Klaus Dieter Frers. 
In the current fiscal year, paragon Automotive expects to generate around EUR 145 million in revenue. Compared with the 
data from industry-specific, renowned market research institutes on the development of the automotive market in 2021, 
the company expects to see 4.9% higher growth than the market as a whole. The Management also reaffirms its 
expectations of an EBITDA margin of 12-15% and free cash flow of around EUR 12 million for 2021 as a whole. The company 
does not expect material shortages to have a major impact on performance; currently known shortages fall below the 
planned tolerance levels. 
After consultation with the auditor, the company has already published the key figures of the completed financial 
statements of paragon Automotive for fiscal year 2020 on March 30, 2021. The communicated figures can still be 
confirmed at EUR 127.2 million and an EBITDA margin of 10.8%. Due to delays in the audit of the consolidated financial 
statements of the financial investment Voltabox AG, the publication of the consolidated financial statements of paragon 
GmbH & Co. KGaA will be postponed. The company will publish the consolidated financial statements immediately after the 
release of the annual financial report of Voltabox AG. The same applies to an update of the financial calendar. Further 
information about paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA can be found at www.paragon.ag. 
Profile: paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA 
paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE0005558696), which is listed in the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt 
Stock Exchange, develops, produces and distributes forward-looking solutions in the field of automotive electronics, 
body kinematics and e-mobility. As a market-leading direct supplier to the automotive industry, the company's portfolio 
includes the Electronics operating segment's innovative air-quality management, state-of-the-art display systems and 
connectivity solutions, and high-end acoustic systems. In the Mechanics operating segment, paragon develops and 
produces active mobile aerodynamic systems. In addition, the Group holds a stake in Voltabox AG (ISIN DE000A2E4LE9), a 
subsidiary that is also listed on the regulated market (Prime Standard) of Deutsche Börse AG in Frankfurt a.M. and 
which is active in the electromobility segment with cutting-edge lithium-ion battery systems for industrial use 
developed inhouse. In the rapidly growing automotive market for battery systems and power electronics, paragon will 
operate on its own in the future. 
In addition to the company headquarters in Delbrück (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA and its 
subsidiaries operate sites in Suhl (Thuringia, Germany), Landsberg am Lech, Neu-Ulm and Nuremberg (Bavaria, Germany), 
St. Georgen (Baden-Württemberg, Germany), Limbach (Saarland, Germany), Aachen (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) as well 
as in Kunshan (China), Bangalore (India), Oroslavje (Croatia) and Austin (Texas, USA). 
Additional information about paragon can be found at www.paragon.ag. 
Capital Market & Press Contact 
paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA 
Stefan Westemeyer 
Bösendamm 11 
33129 Delbrück, Germany 
Phone: [phone] 
Fax: [phone] - 97 62-63 
Email: [e-mail] 
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Additional features: 
File: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Iris Gräßler 
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2021-04-27 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. 
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. 
The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. 
Archive at www.dgap.de 
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Language:     English 
Company:      paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA 
              Bösendamm 11 
              33129 Delbrück 
              Germany 
Phone:        [phone] - 0 
Fax:          [phone] - 60 
E-mail:       [e-mail] 
Internet:     www.paragon.ag 
ISIN:         DE0005558696, DE000A2GSB86, 
WKN:          555869, A2GSB8, 
Listed:       Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, 
              Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange 
EQS News ID:  1188387 
 
End of News   DGAP News Service 
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1188387 2021-04-27

 
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April 27, 2021 01:01 ET (05:01 GMT)