Press Release
Record Revenue Exceeds Own Expectations

DEKRA Builds on Excellent Fiscal Year 2023
• Revenue at all-time high of 4.1 billion euros (+8% vs. 2022)• Adjusted EBITDA grew by 7.8%, adjusted EBIT by 12.8%• ‘Strategy 2025’ gains momentum: Further growth expected, based on astrong core business and the Future Mobility, Cyber Security,Sustainability, and Artificial Intelligence focus areas
2023 was an excellent year for DEKRA. Global revenue increased significantly toan all-time high of 4.1 billion euros (+8% vs. 2022: 3.8 billion euros) – exceeding
the company’s own expectations and demonstrating strong growth compared to
its industry peers. Earnings grew substantially to yield adjusted EBITDA of 455.5
million euros (+7.8% vs. 2022) and adjusted EBIT of 255.3 million euros (+12.8% vs.
2022).
On this basis, in 2024, DEKRA plans to fully exploit its early mover advantage in futuretechnologies and newly established regulations. As its ‘Strategy 2025’ gains
momentum, revenue growth is expected to be in the mid-single-digit range. By 2025,
the year of the company’s 100th anniversary, DEKRA aims to be the partner of choicefor cutting-edge TIC (testing, inspection, and certification) services in the growing
business areas of Future Mobility, Cyber Security, Sustainability, and Artificial
Intelligence (AI).
“In 2023, DEKRA once again improved its business performance – despite a tense
economic and geopolitical environment,” said DEKRA CEO Stan Zurkiewicz at thecompany’s Annual Press Conference. “All six regions and all Service Divisions
contributed to our strong sales momentum and our all-time revenue high. Our strong
core businesses and our early mover advantage in future topics make us highly
confident that we will grow both revenue and margins, and achieve our strategic
goals.”
While DEKRA’s Americas (+27%) and Central East Europe & Middle East (+13%) regionsdelivered the highest growth rates in 2023, the largest revenue in absolute terms wasgenerated in the GSA region (Germany, Switzerland, Austria: 2.6 billion euros).

Date

Stuttgart, 25.04.2024

DEKRA e.V.

Contact

Uta LeitnerCorporate Communications

Phone+49.711.7861- 2877

Handwerkstraße 15Fax+49.711.7861- 2240

70565 Stuttgart, Germany

E-MailUta.Leitner@dekra.com

www.dekra.com/en/press-overview

Page

1/5

From a business area perspective, vehicle-related services continued to be theprimary source of revenue. DEKRA has, once more, confirmed its role as the global
market leader in vehicle testing with 31.6 million tests carried out.
In 2023, DEKRA’s adjusted EBIT margin increased slightly by 0.2 percentage points to6.2%, despite the negative impact of higher provisions and higher operating expenses
due to inflation. The equity ratio remained at a very high level of 39.3% (2022: 41%).
DEKRA’s ‘Strategy 2025’ is proving successful. Over the past year, the company further
invested in its service portfolio in the Future Mobility, Cyber Security, Sustainability,and AI focus areas. “In sum, investments reached a record high of 143.5 million euros,”
explained DEKRA CFO Wolfgang Linsenmaier. “Additionally, DEKRA optimized its
bottom line by streamlining its organizational set-up, for example. We also further
expanded our employee base.” At the end of 2023, around 49,000 experts wereworking for DEKRA in some 60 countries.
“Our investments have been fundamental to successfully launching new services infuture technologies,” added Zurkiewicz. “In 2024, we will ramp up our investments tofurther grow our service portfolio.”
Optimistic outlook for 2024
Against the backdrop of geopolitical and economic crises, DEKRA expects global
growth in 2024 to remain subdued. However, the company had a solid start to fiscal
year 2024 with revenue of just over one billion euros in Q1 2024 (+2.5% vs. Q1 2023).
Based on its strong position in current and future markets, DEKRA anticipatescontinuing its upward trend. Revenue is expected to increase in the mid-single-digit
range in fiscal year 2024, primarily as the result of organic growth supplemented bystrategic acquisitions. Additionally, DEKRA expects a further increase in EBIT.
Beyond 2024, DEKRA also aims to strengthen its profitability by developing a cuttingedge service portfolio and applying digitalization and AI in both internal processes andcustomer solutions. Accordingly, in the second half of this decade, DEKRA plans toachieve a margin in the range of 8 to 9%.
Strategic growth areas: Revenue from Future Mobility to triple by 2025
DEKRA already reaped benefits in its strategic growth areas in 2023.
In Future Mobility, DEKRA successfully launched a wide range of new services. One
example is its patented battery test that addresses a key obstacle in the used electricvehicle market: the uncertainty about the remaining lifespan and performance of carbatteries. Within minutes, the test provides clarity with highly accurate measurements,
facilitating transparent price negotiations. DEKRA’s test currently covers 12 Europeancountries and over 100 vehicle models, including Tesla, with forecasts to significantly
increase testing volume.

Seite

2/5

DEKRA is also focusing on growth opportunities in automated and connecteddriving. One distinct service is the offering of highly complex test scenarios foradvanced driver assistance systems and automated driving functions, using digital
twins to align real-world testing with the digital realm. DEKRA conducts these tests atits site in Klettwitz, Germany, which is poised to become the world’s mostcomprehensive independent automated and connected driving testing facility. Interms of connected vehicle functions, the test site in Malaga, Spain, also plays a keyrole.
By 2025, DEKRA expects its Future Mobility business to grow by around 200%
compared with 2022. This will solidify its position as the clear leader in the global
automotive TIC market, which is expected to be worth 18 billion euros annually by2025.
“Vehicle safety has been our mission since our founding almost a century ago. Astechnology evolution accelerates and AI plays an increasingly central role in new
generations of vehicles, we are continuously expanding our services,” said Zurkiewicz.
Cyber Security & AI: New innovative services to grow revenues by 2025
Over the past seven years already, DEKRA has successfully built its Cyber Security
business with a strong global presence spanning over Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Its renowned customer base includes leading technology companies such as Amazon,Apple, Google, BYD, BMW, and Continental. In the past year, DEKRA has doubled its
workforce and tripled its revenue in this area, achieving double-digit margins.
“The threat of cyberattacks keeps growing. In Germany, BITKOM assumes damage
amounting to 206 billion euros each year. Our clients choose DEKRA for our ability toidentify vulnerabilities in their future products early in the development stage anddefine reliable test scenarios,” explained Zurkiewicz.
One example is DEKRA’s Cyber Security Certification Program for drones. This makes
it possible to address the critical risks associated with wireless and networked
technologies. A second example is DEKRA’s unique certification of the safety andreliability of digital car keys, with endorsement from over 330 industry partners
including BMW, Toyota, Ford, Apple, and Samsung. With four accredited laboratories
worldwide, DEKRA is primed to serve industry leaders with rigorous testingprocedures and unparalleled cybersecurity expertise.
The rapid adoption of AI will require additional cybersecurity measures in the future.
Consequently, DEKRA pioneered a first wave of AI training and testing services in
2023, with the focus on the high-risk AI applications that are prevalent in aircraft,vehicles, medical devices, and other products covered by EU safety regulations.

Seite

3/5

In light of its current strategic emphasis on safeguarding AI, DEKRA introduced
comprehensive services for its customers to train them in navigating EU regulations
effectively. In a pilot project for Migros Bank and Gowago, Switzerland’s largest online
car leasing company, DEKRA, together with its partner LatticeFlow, successfullyensured the accuracy and reliability of an underlying AI model by assessing data
quality, model robustness, and compliance with forthcoming EU regulations.
Building on its strong market position in the field of cybersecurity and its early moveradvantage in AI, DEKRA plans to increase revenue from AI fivefold and to more thandouble revenue from Cyber Security by 2025.
Sustainability Services: Ambition to reach 40% revenue share by 2025
Sustainability remained a clear strategic priority in 2023. DEKRA has more than 500
sustainability services in place, making up one third of its service portfolio. As well as
ESG, this portfolio covers circular economy and product sustainability as well as
decarbonization and energy transition topics.
With regards to the latter, hydrogen has emerged as an important focus topic. “Today,DEKRA is one of the pioneering organizations accredited to provide comprehensivehydrogen testing,” said Zurkiewicz, “and we expect to become one of the first TIC
companies recognized by the EU Commission to certify green hydrogen.”With a growing number of complex regulatory frameworks, such as the Corporate
Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, DEKRA is increasingly assisting companies innavigating these frameworks and developing matching ESG strategies.
By 2025, DEKRA’s ambition is to reach a revenue share of 40% sustainability related
services in this growth area.
Further progress in sustainability performance confirmed by CDP B score
Consequently, DEKRA remains highly committed to sustainability and to transparency
about its own activities. The company therefore disclosed through CDP for the second
time in 2023. “Our B score attests to our good environmental management. This is ofhigh value to us because CDP has a strong reputation in the market. Going forward,
we will implement further measures to incentivise even stronger emission reductions,”
said Linsenmaier, who is also responsible for sustainability on the DEKRA ManagementBoard.
DEKRA is also currently preparing for its next evaluation by EcoVadis, the leader insustainability assessments for global value chains. The company has already received
the EcoVadis Platinum Medal three times in a row.

Seite

4/5

DEKRA Annual Report 2022/23
https://report.dekra.com/en

Caption:
DEKRA built on an all-time high in fiscal year 2023, with revenue rising by 8 percent to
4.1 billion euros. The figures were presented by the DEKRA Management Board at thecompany’s Annual Press Conference, which was broadcast digitally from its
headquarters in Stuttgart (from left): Stan Zurkiewicz, Chairman of the Management
Board of DEKRA e.V. and DEKRA SE (CEO), Petra Finke, Member of the Management
Board of DEKRA SE (CDO), Peter Laursen, Member of the Management Board of
DEKRA SE (COO), and Wolfgang Linsenmaier, Member of the Management Board of
DEKRA e.V. and DEKRA SE (CFO). Picture credits: DEKRA

About DEKRA
DEKRA was originally founded in 1925 to ensure road safety through vehicle inspection. With amuch wider scope today, DEKRA is the world’s largest independent non-listed expert
organization in the testing, inspection, and certification sector. As a global provider ofcomprehensive services and solutions, we help our customers improve their safety, security, andsustainability outcomes. In 2023, DEKRA generated revenue of EUR 4.1 billion. The company
currently employs around 49,000 people who offer qualified and independent expert services inapproximately 60 countries on five continents. With a platinum rating from EcoVadis, DEKRA is
now in the top one percent of sustainable businesses ranked.

Seite5/5