RISK FACTORS

Investing in our ADSs involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, which we believe are the material risks of our business, our industry, our intellectual property, the ADSs and this offering, before making an investment decision. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and operating results could be harmed. In that case, the trading price of the ADSs could decline and you might lose all or part of your investment. In assessing these risks, you should also refer to the other information contained in this prospectus, including Voxeljet Technology GmbH's financial statements and the related notes thereto.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We may not be able to introduce new 3D printers and related print materials acceptable to the market or to improve the technology and print materials used in our current 3D printers.

Our revenues are derived from the sale of 3D printers for, and products manufactured using, additive manufacturing. Our market is subject to innovation and technological change. A variety of technologies compete against one another in our market, which is, in part, driven by technological advances and end-user requirements and preferences, as well as the emergence of new standards and practices. Our ability to compete in the industrial additive manufacturing market depends, in large part, on our success in enhancing and developing new 3D printers, enhancing and adding to our technology and developing and qualifying new materials in which we can print. We believe that to remain competitive we must continuously enhance and expand the functionality and features of our products and technologies. However, we may not be able to:

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enhance our existing products and technologies;



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continue to leverage advances in industrial printhead technology;



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develop new products and technologies that address the increasingly sophisticated and varied needs of prospective end-users, particularly with respect to the physical properties of print materials and other consumables;



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respond to technological advances and emerging industry standards and practices on a cost-effective and timely basis;



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develop products that are cost effective or that otherwise gain market acceptance; or



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adequately protect our intellectual property as we develop new products and technologies.

Even if we successfully enhance our existing 3D printers or create new 3D printers, it is likely that new 3D printers and technologies that we develop will eventually supplant our existing 3D printers or that our competitors will create 3D printers that will replace our 3D printers. As a result, any of our products may be rendered obsolete or uneconomical by our or others' technological advances.

Our revenues and operating results may fluctuate.

Our revenues and operating results may fluctuate from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year and are likely to continue to vary due to a number of factors, many of which are not within our control. A significant portion of our 3D printer orders are typically received during the second and fourth quarters of the fiscal year as a result of the timing of capital expenditures of our customers. Our 3D printers typically are shipped the next quarter after an order is received. Thus, revenues and operating results for any future period are not predictable with any significant degree of certainty. We also

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typically experience weaker demand for our 3D printers in the first and third quarters. For these reasons, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. Until our business grows more significantly, the timing of individual printer sales, because of the cost of our largest printers, can have meaningful effects on and result in fluctuations in our quarterly results. You should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance.

Fluctuations in our operating results and financial condition may occur due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, those listed below and those identified throughout this prospectus:

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the degree of market acceptance of our products;



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the mix of products that we sell during any period;



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our long sales cycle;



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the entry of new competitors into our market;



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generally weaker demand for 3D printers in the first and third quarters;



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development of new competitive systems or processes by others;



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changes in our pricing policies or those of our competitors, including our responses to price competition;



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delays between our expenditures to develop and market new or enhanced 3D printers and products and the generation of sales from those products;



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changes in the amount we spend in our marketing and other efforts;



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delays between our expenditures to develop, acquire or license new technologies and processes, and the generation of sales related thereto;



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changes in the cost of satisfying our warranty obligations and servicing our installed base of products;



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our level of research and development activities and their associated costs and rates of success;



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changes in the size and complexity of our organization, including our operations outside of Europe;



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interruptions to or other problems with our website and interactive user interface, information technology systems, manufacturing processes or other operations;



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general economic and industry conditions that affect end-user demand and end-user levels of product design and manufacturing, including the adverse effects of the current economic crisis affecting Europe;



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changes in accounting rules and tax laws; and



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changes in interest rates that affect returns on our cash balances and short-term investments.

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The long sales cycle for our products makes the timing of our revenues difficult to predict.

Generally, our 3D printers have a long sales cycle. Because our 3D printers are complex and typically involve significant capital investments by prospective purchasers, we and our sales agents generally need to invest a significant amount of time educating prospective purchasers about the benefits of our products. As a result, before purchasing our products, potential purchasers may spend a substantial amount of time performing internal assessments before making a purchase. This may cause us to devote significant effort in advance of a potential sale without any guarantee of receiving any related revenues. Delays in sales could cause significant variability in our revenues and operating results for any particular period.

Demand for our products may not increase adequately.

The marketplace for industrial manufacturing is dominated by conventional manufacturing methods that do not involve additive manufacturing technology. We may not be able to develop effective strategies to raise awareness among potential customers of the benefits of our additive manufacturing technology. If additive manufacturing technology does not gain market acceptance as an alternative for industrial manufacturing, or if the marketplace adopts additive manufacturing based on a technology other than our technology, we may not be able to increase or sustain the level of sales of our products and machines and our results of operations would be adversely affected as a result.

We may not be able to significantly increase the number of materials for use in our 3D printers fast enough to meet our business plan, and, if we are successful, we may attract more competitors into our markets, some of which may be much larger than we are.

Our business plan is dependent in part upon our ability to steadily increase the number of qualified materials in which our 3D printers can print, since this will increase our addressable market. However, qualifying new materials is a complicated engineering task, and there is no way to predict whether, or when, any given material will be qualified. If we cannot hire a sufficient number of skilled people to work on qualifying new materials for printing or if we lack the resources necessary to create a steady flow of new materials, we will not be able to meet our business goals and a competitor may emerge that is better at qualifying new materials, either of which would have an adverse effect on our business results.

If, however, we succeed in qualifying a growing number of materials for use in our 3D printers, that should increase our addressable market, both as to customers and products for customers. However, as we create a larger addressable market, our market may become more attractive to other 3D printing companies or large companies that are not 3D printing companies but which may see an economic opportunity in the markets we have created. Similarly, if our focus on selling large 3D printers and 3D printed products to industrial companies proves successful, an increase in the number of competitors in that particular market is likely to adversely affect our business and financial results.

We are highly dependent upon sales to certain industries.

Our revenues of machines and products are relatively concentrated in companies in the automotive, foundry, film and entertainment, aerospace and art and architecture industries and those industries' respective suppliers. To the extent any of these industries experiences a downturn and we are unable to penetrate and expand into other industries, our results of operations may be adversely affected. Additionally, if any of these industries or their respective suppliers or other providers of manufacturing services develop new technologies or alternatives to manufacture the products that are currently manufactured using our 3D printers, it may adversely affect our results of operations.

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If our relationships with suppliers, especially with limited source suppliers of components of and consumables for our products, were to terminate or our manufacturing arrangements were to be disrupted, our business could be adversely affected.

We purchase components and certain sub-assemblies for our systems and consumables that are used in our print materials from third-party suppliers. While there are several potential suppliers of most of the components and sub-assemblies for our systems, and for most of the consumables for our print materials, we currently choose to use only a limited number of suppliers for several of these components and materials. Our reliance on a limited number of vendors involves a number of risks, including:

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potential shortages of some key components;



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product performance shortfalls, if traceable to particular product components, since the supplier of the faulty component cannot readily be replaced;



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discontinuation of a product on which we rely;



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potential insolvency of these vendors; and



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reduced control over delivery schedules, manufacturing capabilities, quality and costs.

In addition, we require any new supplier to become "qualified" pursuant to our internal procedures. The qualification process involves evaluations of varying durations, which may cause production delays if we were required to qualify a new supplier unexpectedly. We generally assemble our systems based on our internal forecasts and the availability of consumables, assemblies, components and finished goods that are supplied to us by third parties, which are subject to various lead times. If certain suppliers were to decide to discontinue production of an assembly, component or consumable that we use, the unanticipated change in the availability of supplies, or unanticipated supply limitations, could cause delays in, or loss of, sales, increased production or related costs and, consequently, reduced margins, and damage to our reputation. If we are unable to find a suitable supplier for a particular component, consumable or compound, we could be required to modify our existing products to accommodate substitute components, consumables or compounds. In addition, because we use a limited number of suppliers, increases in the prices charged by our suppliers may have an adverse effect on our results of operations, as we may be unable to find a supplier who can supply us at a lower price. As a result, the loss of a limited source supplier could adversely affect our relationships with our customers and our results of operations and financial condition.

We may not be able to manage the expansion of our operations effectively in order to achieve our projected levels of growth.

We have expanded our operations significantly in recent periods, and our business plan calls for further expansion over the next several years, including expanding the capacity of our existing facilities. We anticipate that further development of our infrastructure and an increase in the number of our employees will be required to achieve our planned broadening of our product offerings and client base, improvements in our 3D printers and materials used in our 3D printers, and our planned international growth. In particular, we must increase our marketing and services staff to support new marketing and service activities and to meet the needs of both new and existing customers. Our ability to successfully increase our marketing efforts is not guaranteed, and if we are not able to successfully increase our marketing efforts, we may not be able to grow our business as intended. Our future success will depend in part upon the ability of our management to manage our growth effectively. If

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our management is unsuccessful in meeting these challenges, we may not be able to achieve our anticipated level of growth, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

Our operations could suffer if we are unable to attract and retain key management or other key employees.

Our success depends upon the continued service and performance of our senior management and other key personnel. Our senior management team is critical to the management of our business and operations, as well as to the development of our strategy. The loss of the services of any members of our senior management team could delay or prevent the successful implementation of our growth strategy, or the commercialization of new applications for our 3D printers or other products, or could otherwise adversely affect our ability to manage our company effectively and carry out our business plan. Members of our senior management team may resign at any time. High demand exists for senior management and other key personnel in the additive manufacturing industry, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to retain such personnel. We do not carry key-man insurance on any member of our senior management team.

Our growth and success will also depend on our ability to attract and retain additional highly-qualified scientific, technical, sales, managerial and finance personnel. We have experienced and expect to continue to experience intense competition for qualified personnel. While we intend to continue to provide competitive compensation packages to attract and retain key personnel, some of our competitors for these employees have greater resources and more experience, making it difficult for us to compete successfully for key personnel. If we cannot attract and retain sufficiently qualified technical employees for our research and development and manufacturing operations, we may be unable to develop and commercialize new products or new applications for existing products. Furthermore, possible shortages of key personnel, including engineers, in the regions surrounding our European facilities could require us to pay more to hire and retain key personnel, thereby increasing our costs.

We may need to raise additional capital from time to time in order to meet our growth strategy and may be unable to do so on attractive terms, or at all.

We intend to continue to make investments to support the growth of our business and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges, including the need to implement our growth strategy, increase market share in our current markets or expand into other markets, or broaden our technology, intellectual property or service capabilities. Accordingly, we may require additional investments of capital from time to time, and our existing sources of cash and any funds generated from operations may not provide us with sufficient capital. For various reasons, including any noncompliance with existing or future lending arrangements, additional financing, including lease financing for sale and leaseback transactions, may not be available when needed, or may not be available on terms favorable to us. If we fail to obtain adequate capital on a timely basis or if capital cannot be obtained on terms satisfactory to us, we may not be able to achieve our planned rate of growth, which will adversely affect our results of operations.

We face significant competition in many aspects of our business, which could cause our revenues and gross profit margins to decline. Competition could also cause us to reduce sales prices or to incur additional marketing or production costs, which could result in decreased revenue, increased costs and reduced margins.

We compete for customers with a wide variety of producers of equipment for models, prototypes, other 3D objects and end-use parts as well as producers of print materials and services for this equipment. Some of our existing and potential competitors are researching, designing, developing and marketing other types of competitive equipment, print materials and services. Many of these

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competitors have financial, marketing, manufacturing, distribution and other resources that are substantially greater than ours.

We also expect that future competition may arise from the development of allied or related techniques for equipment and print materials that are not encompassed by our patents, from the issuance of patents to other companies that may inhibit our ability to develop certain products, from our entry into new geographic markets and industries and from improvements to existing print materials and equipment technologies.

We intend to continue to follow a strategy of continuing product development to enhance our position to the extent practicable. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our current position in the field or continue to compete successfully against current and future sources of competition. If we do not keep pace with technological change and introduce new products, our revenues and demand for our products may decrease.

There is no guarantee that purchase orders that relate to 3D printers in our backlog will be consummated.

Our backlog, which represents 3D printers for which a customer has signed a purchase order, but which we have not shipped yet, has grown steadily as we continue to experience growing demand for our 3D printers. Our backlog as of June 30, 2013 was €4.4 million and consisted of six 3D printers. The underlying purchase orders and, thus, total backlog are subject to adjustments inherent in our line of business. While we anticipate that the vast majority of 3D printers in our backlog will ship prior to December 31, 2013, with the remainder expected to ship prior to June 30, 2014, we have had a customer cancel a purchase order in the past without a penalty. In addition, the purchase orders related to our backlog are still subject to installation and a satisfactory dry run at the customer's site. As a result, there is no guarantee that these purchase orders will be consummated.

Our operations outside of Germany subject us to various risks, and our failure to manage these risks could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our business is subject to certain risks associated with doing business globally. Our sales outside of Germany represented 53% and 34% of our total sales in 2012 and 2011, respectively. One of our growth strategies is to pursue opportunities for our business in several areas of the world, both inside and outside of Germany and Europe, any or all of which could be adversely affected by the risks set forth below. Accordingly, we face significant operational risks as a result of doing business internationally, such as:

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fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;



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potentially longer sales and payment cycles;



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potentially greater difficulties in collecting accounts receivable;



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potentially adverse tax consequences;



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challenges in providing solutions across a significant distance, in different languages and among different cultures;



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different, complex and changing laws governing intellectual property rights, sometimes affording reduced protection of intellectual property rights in certain countries;

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difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations, particularly in new geographic locations;



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restrictions imposed by local labor practices and laws on our business and operations;



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rapid changes in government, economic and political policies and conditions, political or civil unrest or instability, terrorism or epidemics and other similar outbreaks or events;



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operating in countries with a higher incidence of corruption and fraudulent business practices;



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seasonal reductions in business activity in certain parts of the world, particularly during the summer months in Europe;



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costs and difficulties of customizing products for foreign countries;



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compliance with a wide variety of complex foreign laws, treaties and regulations;



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transportation delays;



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tariffs, trade barriers and other regulatory or contractual limitations on our ability to sell or develop our products in certain foreign markets; and



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becoming subject to the laws, regulations and court systems of multiple jurisdictions.

Our failure to manage the market and operational risks associated with our international operations effectively could limit the future growth of our business and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our international operations pose currency risks, which may adversely affect our operating results and net income.

Our operating results may be affected by volatility in currency exchange rates and our ability to effectively manage our currency transaction risks. In general, we conduct our business, earn revenues and incur costs in the local currency of the countries in which we operate. In 2012, 75% of our revenues were generated and 97% of our costs were incurred in euros. Although currency exchange rate fluctuations have not had an impact on our operations to date, as we realize upon our strategy to expand internationally, our exposure to currency risks will increase. We do not manage our foreign currency exposure in a manner that would eliminate the effects of changes in foreign exchange rates. Therefore, changes in exchange rates between these foreign currencies and the euro will affect our revenues, cost of goods sold, and operating margins, and could result in exchange losses in any given reporting period.

We incur currency transaction risks whenever we enter into either a purchase or a sale transaction using a different currency from the currency in which we report revenues. In such cases we may suffer an exchange loss because we do not currently engage in currency swaps or other currency hedging strategies to address this risk.

Given the volatility of exchange rates, we can give no assurance that we will be able to effectively manage our currency transaction risks or that any volatility in currency exchange rates will not have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

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We may engage in future acquisitions that could disrupt our business, cause dilution to our shareholders and harm our financial condition and operating results.

While we currently have no specific plans to acquire any other businesses, we may, in the future, make acquisitions of, or investments in, companies that we believe have products or capabilities that are a strategic or commercial fit with our current business or otherwise offer opportunities for our company. In connection with these acquisitions or investments, we may:

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issue ADSs or other forms of equity that would dilute our existing shareholders' percentage of ownership;



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incur debt and assume liabilities; and



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incur amortization expenses related to intangible assets or incur large and immediate write-offs.

We may not be able to complete acquisitions on favorable terms, if at all. If we do complete an acquisition, we cannot assure you that it will ultimately strengthen our competitive position or that it will be viewed positively by customers, financial markets or investors. Furthermore, future acquisitions could pose numerous additional risks to our operations, including:

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problems integrating the purchased business, products or technologies;



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challenges in achieving strategic objectives, cost savings and other anticipated benefits;



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increases to our expenses;



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the assumption of significant liabilities that exceed the limitations of any applicable indemnification provisions or the financial resources of any indemnifying party;



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inability to maintain relationships with key customers, vendors and other business partners of the acquired businesses;



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diversion of management's attention from their day-to-day responsibilities;



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difficulty in maintaining controls, procedures and policies during the transition and integration;



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entrance into marketplaces where we have no or limited prior experience and where competitors have stronger marketplace positions;



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potential loss of key employees, particularly those of the acquired entity; and



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that historical financial information may not be representative or indicative of our results as a combined company.

Global economic, political and social conditions have adversely impacted our sales and may continue to do so.

The uncertain direction and relative strength of the global economy, difficulties in the financial services sector and credit markets, continuing geopolitical uncertainties and other macroeconomic factors all affect spending behavior of potential end-users of our products. The prospects for economic growth in Europe, the United States and other countries remain uncertain and may cause end-users to further

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delay or reduce technology purchases. In particular, a substantial portion of our sales are made to customers in countries in Europe, which is experiencing a significant economic crisis. If global economic conditions remain volatile for a prolonged period or if European economies experience further disruptions, our results of operations could be adversely affected. The global financial crisis affecting the banking system and financial markets has resulted in a tightening of credit markets, lower levels of liquidity in many financial markets and extreme volatility in fixed income, credit, currency and equity markets. These conditions may make it more difficult for our end-users to obtain financing.

Failure to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other applicable anti-corruption legislation could result in fines, criminal penalties and an adverse effect on our business.

We operate in a number of countries throughout the world, including countries known to have a reputation for corruption. We are committed to doing business in accordance with applicable anti-corruption laws. We are subject, however, to the risk that our officers, directors, employees, agents and collaborators may take action determined to be in violation of such anti-corruption laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 and the European Union Anti-Corruption Act, as well as trade sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Any such violation could result in substantial fines, sanctions, civil and/or criminal penalties or curtailment of operations in certain jurisdictions, and might adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, actual or alleged violations could damage our reputation and ability to do business.

We rely on our information technology systems to manage numerous aspects of our business and customer and supplier relationships, and a disruption of these systems could adversely affect our results of operations.

We rely on our information technology, or IT, systems to manage numerous aspects of our business and provide analytical information to management. Our IT systems allow us to efficiently purchase products from our suppliers, provide procurement and logistic services, ship products to our customers on a timely basis, maintain cost-effective operations and provide service to our customers. Our IT systems are an essential component of our business and growth strategies, and a disruption to our IT systems could significantly limit our ability to manage and operate our business efficiently. Although we take steps to secure our IT systems, including our computer systems, intranet and internet sites, email and other telecommunications and data networks, the security measures we have implemented may not be effective and our systems may be vulnerable to, among other things, damage and interruption from power loss, including as a result of natural disasters, computer system and network failures, loss of telecommunication services, operator negligence, loss of data, security breaches, computer viruses and other disruptive events. Any such disruption could adversely affect our reputation, brand and financial condition.

Defects in new products or in enhancements to our existing products that give rise to product returns or warranty or other claims could result in material expenses, diversion of management time and attention, and damage to our reputation.

Our 3D printing systems may contain undetected defects or errors when first introduced or as enhancements are released that, despite testing, are not discovered until after a system has been used. This could result in delayed market acceptance of those systems or claims from sales agents, end-users or others, which may result in litigation, increased end-user service and support costs and warranty claims, damage to our reputation and business, or significant costs to correct the defect or error. We may from time to time become subject to warranty or product liability claims related to product quality issues that could lead us to incur significant expenses.

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We could face liability if our 3D printers are used by our customers to print dangerous objects.

Customers may use our 3D printers to print parts that could be used in a harmful way or could otherwise be dangerous. For example, there have been recent news reports that 3D printers were used to print guns or other weapons. We have little, if any, control over what objects our customers print using our 3D printers, and it may be difficult, if not impossible, for us to monitor and prevent customers from printing weapons with our 3D printers. While we have never printed weapons in our service center, there can be no assurance that we will not be held liable if someone were injured or killed by a weapon printed by a customer using one of our 3D printers.

A loss of a significant number of our sales agents would impair our ability to sell our products and services and could reduce our revenues and adversely impact our operating results.

We expect most of our sales of our products to be made with the assistance of our network of sales agents. We rely heavily on these sales agents to facilitate sales of our products to end-users in their respective geographic regions. Furthermore, we rely on sales agents to service our products. These sales agents are generally not precluded from selling our competitors' products in addition to ours. In addition, they may not be effective in selling our products or servicing our end-users. Further, if a significant number of these sales agents were to terminate their relationships with us or otherwise fail or refuse to facilitate sales of our products, we may not be able to find replacements that are as qualified or as successful. If these sales agents do not perform as anticipated or if we are unable to find qualified and successful replacements, our sales will suffer, which would have a material adverse effect on our revenues and operating results.

Workplace accidents or environmental damage could result in substantial remedial obligations and damage to our reputation.

Accidents or other incidents that occur at our facilities or involve our personnel or operations could result in claims for damages against us. In addition, in the event we are found to be financially responsible, as a result of environmental or other laws or by court order, for environmental damages alleged to have been caused by us or occurring on our premises, we could be required to pay substantial monetary damages or undertake expensive remedial obligations. The amount of any costs, including fines or damages payments that we might incur under such circumstances could substantially exceed any insurance we have to cover such losses. Any of these events, alone or in combination, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and could adversely affect our reputation.

Our operations are subject to environmental laws and other government regulations which could result in liabilities in the future.

We are subject to domestic and foreign environmental laws and regulations governing our operations, including, but not limited to, emissions into the air and water and the use, handling, disposal and remediation of hazardous substances. A certain risk of environmental liability is inherent in our production activities. Under certain environmental laws, we could be held solely or jointly and severally responsible, regardless of fault, for the remediation of any hazardous substance contamination at our facilities and at facilities where our products are used and the respective consequences arising out of human exposure to such substances or other environmental damage. We may not have been and may not be at all times in complete compliance with environmental laws, regulations and permits, and the nature of our operations exposes us to the risk of liabilities or claims with respect to environmental and worker health and safety matters. If we violate or fail to comply with environmental laws, regulations and permits, we could be subject to penalties, fines, restrictions on operations or other sanctions, and our operations could be interrupted.

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The cost of complying with current and future environmental, health and safety laws applicable to our operations, or the liabilities arising from past releases of, or exposure to, hazardous substances, may result in future expenditures. Any of these developments, alone or in combination, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not have adequate insurance for potential liabilities, including liabilities arising from litigation.

In the ordinary course of business, we have been, and in the future may be, subject to various product and non-product related claims, lawsuits and administrative proceedings seeking damages or other remedies arising out of our commercial operations, including litigation related to defects in our products. We maintain insurance to cover our potential exposure for most claims and losses. However, our insurance coverage is subject to various exclusions, self-retentions and deductibles, may be inadequate or unavailable to protect us fully, and may be cancelled or otherwise terminated by the insurer. Furthermore, we face the following additional risks related to our insurance coverage:

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we may not be able to continue to obtain insurance coverage on commercially reasonable terms, or at all;



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we may be faced with types of liabilities that are not covered under our insurance policies, such as environmental contamination or terrorist attacks, and that exceed any amounts that we may have reserved for such liabilities;



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the amount of any liabilities that we may face may exceed our policy limits; and



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we may incur losses resulting from the interruption of our business that may not be fully covered under our insurance policies.

Even a partially uninsured claim of significant size, if successful, could have a material adverse affect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. However, even if we successfully defend ourselves against any such claim, we could be forced to spend a substantial amount of money in litigation expenses, our management could be required to spend valuable time defending these claims and our reputation could suffer, any of which could adversely affect our results of operations.

If our manufacturing facility or on-demand parts service center is disrupted, sales of our products may be affected, which could result in loss of revenues and unforeseen costs.

We manufacture our machines at our facility in Europe. Our on-demand parts service center is also located in Europe. While we plan to add additional facilities in the future, all of our operations are currently performed at our facilities in Europe. If the operations of these facilities are materially disrupted, whether by natural disasters, demonstrations, acts of terror, or otherwise, we would be unable to fulfill customer orders for the period of the disruption, we would not be able to recognize revenues on orders, we could suffer damage to our reputation, and we might need to modify our standard sales terms to secure the commitment of new customers during the period of the disruption and perhaps longer. Depending on the cause of the disruption, we could incur significant costs to remedy the disruption and resume product shipments. Such a disruption could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

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New regulations related to conflict-free minerals may cause us to incur additional expenses and may create challenges with our customers.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act contains provisions to improve transparency and accountability regarding the use of "conflict" minerals mined from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries, collectively, the DRC. The SEC has established new annual disclosure and reporting requirements for those companies who use "conflict" minerals sourced from the DRC in their products. As we use tungsten, a "conflict" mineral, in our research and development department, these new requirements could limit the pool of suppliers who can provide conflict-free minerals, and, as a result, we cannot ensure that we will be able to obtain these conflict-free minerals in sufficient quantities or at competitive prices. Compliance with these new requirements may also increase our costs. In addition, we may face challenges with our customers in the future if our customers require that all our products are certified as "conflict" mineral-free and we are unable to sufficiently verify the origins of the minerals used in our material sets.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

If we are unable to obtain patent protection for our products or otherwise protect our intellectual property rights, our business could suffer.

We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, trade secrets and confidentiality agreements and other contractual arrangements with our employees, end-users and others to maintain our competitive position. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to obtain patent protection for or maintain as trade secrets our proprietary products, technologies and inventions and to maintain the confidentiality of our trade secrets and know-how, operate without infringing upon the proprietary rights of others and prevent others from infringing upon our business proprietary rights.

Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, it is possible that competitors or other unauthorized third parties may obtain, copy, use or disclose our technologies, inventions, processes or improvements. We cannot assure you that any of our existing or future patents or other intellectual property rights will be enforceable, will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, or will otherwise provide us with meaningful protection or any competitive advantage. In addition, our pending patent applications may not be granted, and we may not be able to obtain foreign patents or elect to file applications corresponding to our U.S. and E.U. patents. The laws of certain countries outside the United States and European Union may not provide the same level of patent protection as in the United States and the European Union, so even if we assert our patents or obtain additional patents in countries outside of the United States and the European Union, effective enforcement of such patents may not be available. If our patents do not adequately protect our technology, our competitors may be able to offer additive manufacturing systems or other products similar to ours. Our competitors may also be able to develop similar technology independently or design around our patents, and we may not be able to detect the unauthorized use of our proprietary technology or take appropriate steps to prevent such use. Any of the foregoing events would lead to increased competition and lower revenues or gross margins, which could adversely affect our operating results.

We may not be able to protect our trade secrets and intellectual property.

While some of our technology is licensed under patents belonging to others or is covered by process patents which are owned or applied for by us, much of our key technology is not protected by patents. Furthermore, patents are jurisdictional in nature and therefore only protect us in certain markets, rather than globally. In particular, in fast-growing markets such as China and India, our technology is not protected by patents. We have devoted substantial resources to the development of our technology, trade secrets, know-how and other unregistered proprietary rights. While we enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements intended to protect such rights, such agreements can be difficult

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and costly to enforce or may not provide adequate remedies if violated. Such agreements may be breached and confidential information may be willfully or unintentionally disclosed, or our competitors or other parties may learn of the information in some other way. Since we cannot legally prevent one or more other companies from developing similar or identical technology to our unpatented technology, it is likely that, over time, one or more other companies may be able to replicate our technology, thereby reducing our technological advantages. If we do not protect our technology or are unable to develop new technology that can be protected by patents or as trade secrets, we may face increased competition from other companies, which may adversely affect our results of operations.

We enjoy license rights and exclusivity of certain patents and intellectual property and cannot adequately estimate the effects of their expiration upon the entrance or advancement of competitors into the additive manufacturing industrial market.

We have exclusive and non-exclusive license rights to certain patents that we utilize in the industrial market. Some of these patents have already expired, and others will expire within the next three-to-five years. We cannot adequately estimate the effect that the expiration of these patents will have upon the entrance or advancement of other additive manufacturing manufacturers into the industrial market. See "Business — Intellectual Property."

We may be subject to claims alleging patent infringement.

Our products and technology, including the technology that we license from others, may infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties. Patent applications in the United States and most other countries are confidential for a period of time until they are published, and the publication of discoveries in scientific or patent literature typically lags actual discoveries by several months or more. As a result, the nature of claims contained in unpublished patent filings around the world is unknown to us, and we cannot be certain that we were the first to conceive inventions covered by our patents or patent applications or that we were the first to file patent applications covering such inventions. Furthermore, it is not possible to know in which countries patent holders may choose to extend their filings under the Patent Cooperation Treaty or other mechanisms. In addition, we may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims from individuals, vendors and other companies, including those that are in the business of asserting patents, but are not commercializing products in the field of 3D printing. Any claims that our products or processes infringe the intellectual property rights of others, regardless of the merit or resolution of such claims, could cause us to incur significant costs in responding to, defending and resolving such claims, and may prohibit or otherwise impair our ability to commercialize new or existing products. Any infringement by us or our licensors of the intellectual property rights of third parties may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement successfully asserted against us may require us to redesign infringing technology or enter into costly settlement or license agreements on terms that are unfavorable to us, prevent us from manufacturing or licensing certain of our products, subject us to injunctions restricting our sale of products and use of infringing technology, cause severe disruptions to our operations or the markets in which we compete, impose costly damage awards or require indemnification of our sales agents and end-users. In addition, as a consequence of such claims, we may incur significant costs in acquiring the necessary third-party intellectual property rights for use in our products or developing non-infringing substitute technology. Any of the foregoing developments could seriously harm our business.

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We may incur substantial costs enforcing or acquiring intellectual property rights and defending against third-party claims as a result of litigation or other proceedings.

In connection with the enforcement of our intellectual property rights, opposing third parties from obtaining patent rights or disputes related to the validity or alleged infringement of our or third-party intellectual property rights, including patent rights, we have been and may in the future be subject or party to claims, negotiations or complex, protracted litigation. Intellectual property disputes and litigation, regardless of merit, can be costly and disruptive to our business operations by diverting attention and energies of management and key technical personnel, and by increasing our costs of doing business. We may not prevail in any such dispute or litigation, and an adverse decision in any legal action involving intellectual property rights, including any such action commenced by us, could limit the scope of our intellectual property rights and the value of the related technology. We have previously been involved in patent litigation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, and Z Corporation, or Z Corp, which we resolved through a settlement agreement with MIT and Z Corp and by entering into a subsequent license agreement with Z Corp. While we strive to avoid infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties, we cannot provide any assurances that we will be able to avoid any infringement claims.

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, documentary, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

Periodic maintenance fees on any issued patent are due to be paid to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, and foreign patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of the patent. The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. While an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include, but are not limited to, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we or our exclusive licensors fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our products and processes, our competitive position would be adversely affected.

We may be subject to claims that our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.

Certain of our past and present employees were previously employed at other additive manufacturing companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Some of these employees executed proprietary rights, non-disclosure and non-competition agreements in connection with such previous employment. Although we try to ensure that our employees do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these employees have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such employee's former employer. We are not aware of any threatened or pending claims related to these matters, but in the future litigation may be necessary to defend against such claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable personnel or intellectual property rights. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management. As we expand our operations into the United States and elsewhere, we may face similar claims with regard to our future employees in these countries.

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Certain of our employees and patents are subject to German law.

Almost all of our employees work in Germany and are subject to German employment law. Ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions made by such employees and consultants are subject to the provisions of the German Act on Employees' Inventions ( Gesetz über Arbeitnehmererfindungen ), which regulates the ownership of, and compensation for, inventions made by employees. We face the risk that disputes can occur between us and our employees or ex-employees pertaining to alleged non-adherence to the provisions of this act that may be costly to defend and take up our management's time and efforts whether we prevail or fail in such dispute. In addition, under the German Act on Employees' Inventions, certain employees retained rights to patents they invented or co-invented prior to 2009. Although most of these employees have subsequently assigned their interest in these patents to us, there is a risk that the compensation we provided to them may be deemed to be insufficient and we may be required under German law to increase the compensation due to such employees for the use of the patents. In those cases where employees have not assigned their interests to us, we may need to pay compensation for the use of those patents. If we are required to pay additional compensation or face other disputes under the German Act on Employees' Inventions, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

If we fail to comply with our obligations under our intellectual property-related agreements, we could lose rights that are important to our business or be subject to restrictions on the conduct of our business.

We have license agreements with respect to certain intellectual property that is important to our business with both Z Corp and The ExOne Company, or ExOne, that impose restrictions on our use of certain intellectual property. We are party to other intellectual property-related agreements that also are important to our business. Disputes may arise between the counterparties to these agreements and us that could result in termination of these agreements or in costly litigation or arbitration that diverts management attention and resources. If we fail to comply with our obligations under our intellectual property-related agreements, or misconstrue the scope of the rights granted to us or restrictions imposed on us under these agreements, the counterparties may have the right to terminate these agreements or sue us for damages or equitable remedies, including injunctive relief. Termination of these agreements, the reduction or elimination of our rights under these agreements, or the imposition of restrictions under these agreements that we have not anticipated may result in our having to negotiate new or reinstated licenses with less favorable terms, or to cease commercialization of licensed technology and products. This could materially adversely affect our business.

Certain technologies and patents have been developed with partners and we may face restrictions on this jointly-developed intellectual property.

We have entered into cooperation agreements with a number of industrial and commercial partners, as well as university partners. We have, in some cases individually and in other cases along with our partners, filed for patent protection for a number of technologies developed under these agreements and may in the future file for further intellectual property protection and/or seek to commercialize such technologies. Under some of these agreements, certain intellectual property developed by us and the relevant partner may be subject to joint ownership by us and the partner and our commercial use of such intellectual property may be restricted, or may require written consent from, or a separate agreement with, the partner. In other cases, we may not have any rights to use intellectual property solely developed and owned by the partner. If we cannot obtain commercial use rights for such jointly-owned intellectual property or partner-owned intellectual property, our future product development and commercialization plans may be adversely affected.

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Risks related to the ADSs and this offering

As a new investor, you will experience substantial dilution as a result of this offering.

The public offering price per ADS will be substantially higher than the net tangible book value per ADS prior to this offering. Consequently, if you purchase ADSs in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $14.00, the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, you will incur immediate dilution of $9.47 per ADS. For further information regarding the dilution resulting from this offering, please see the section entitled "Dilution" in this prospectus. This dilution is due in large part to the fact that our earlier investors paid substantially less than the assumed initial public offering price when they purchased their ordinary shares. In addition, if the underwriters exercise the overallotment option, you will experience additional dilution.

There is no established trading market for the ADSs or our ordinary shares.

This offering constitutes our initial public offering of ADSs, and no public market for the ADSs or our ordinary shares currently exists. We have been authorized to list the ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange subject to completion of customary procedures in the United States. Any delay in the commencement of trading of the ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange would impair the liquidity of the market for the ADSs and make it more difficult for holders to sell the ADSs. We do not intend to list our ordinary shares on a trading market and therefore do not expect that a trading market will develop for our ordinary shares not represented by the ADSs.

Even if the ADSs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the ADSs will develop or be sustained after this offering is completed. The initial offering price has been determined by negotiations among the lead underwriters and us. Among the factors considered in determining the initial offering price were our future prospects and the prospects of our industry in general, our revenue, net income and certain other financial and operating information in recent periods, and the financial ratios, market prices of securities and certain financial and operating information of companies engaged in activities similar to ours. However, there can be no assurance that following this offering the ADSs will trade at a price equal to or greater than the offering price.

In addition, the stock market generally has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of listed companies. Broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. The market price and liquidity of the market for our ADSs that will prevail in the market after this offering may be higher or lower than the price you pay and may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include:

•

significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of securities of companies in our sector, which is not necessarily related to the operating performance of these companies;



•

the mix of products that we sell, and related services that we provide, during any period;



•

delays between our expenditures to develop and market new products and the generation of sales from those products;



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changes in the amount that we spend to develop, acquire or license new products, technologies or businesses;

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changes in our expenditures to promote our products and services;



•

changes in the cost of satisfying our warranty obligations and servicing our installed base of 3D printers;



•

success or failure of research and development projects of us or our competitors;



•

announcements of acquisitions by us or one of our competitors;



•

the general tendency towards volatility in the market prices of shares of companies that rely on technology and innovation;



•

changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines;



•

changes or perceived changes in earnings or variations in operating results;



•

any shortfall in revenues or net income from levels expected by investors or securities analysts; and



•

general economic trends and other external factors.

Our principal shareholders and management own a significant percentage of our ordinary shares and will be able to exert significant influence over matters subject to shareholder approval.

Prior to this offering, members of our supervisory and management boards and holders of 5% or more of our ordinary shares beneficially owned 100% of our ordinary shares and, upon consummation of this offering, that same group will hold approximately 58.3% of our outstanding ordinary shares (including ordinary shares represented by ADSs), assuming no exercise of the underwriters' over-allotment option. These shareholders will have significant influence over the outcome of all matters requiring shareholder approval. For example, these shareholders may be able to influence the outcome of elections of members of our supervisory board, amendments of our organizational documents, or approval of any merger, sale of assets, or other major corporate transactions. This may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our ordinary shares or ADSs that you may feel are in your best interest as one of our shareholders. The interests of this group of shareholders may not always coincide with your interests or the interests of other shareholders, and they may act in a manner that advances their best interests and not necessarily those of other shareholders, including seeking a premium value for their ordinary shares, which might affect the prevailing market price for our ADSs.

Substantial future sales of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the price of the ADSs to decline.

Additional sales of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the public market after this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of the ADSs to decline. Upon completion of this offering, we will have 6.5 million ADSs outstanding representing 1.3 million ordinary shares. All ADSs sold in this offering will be freely transferable without restriction or additional registration under the Securities Act. The ordinary shares and ADSs held by the members of our management board and supervisory board and the selling shareholders will be available for sale upon the expiration of a lock-up period, which will expire 180 days after the date of this prospectus. Any or all of these ordinary shares or ADSs may be released prior to expiration of the lock-up period with the prior written consent of Piper Jaffray & Co. and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. To the extent

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ordinary shares or ADSs are released before the expiration of the lock-up period and these ordinary shares or ADSs are sold into the market, the market price of the ADSs could decline.

You may not have the same voting rights as the holders of our ordinary shares and may not receive voting materials in time to be able to exercise your right to vote.

Except as described in this prospectus and the deposit agreement, holders of the ADSs will not be able to exercise voting rights attaching to the ordinary shares evidenced by the ADSs on an individual basis. Under the terms of the deposit agreement, holders of the ADSs will appoint the depositary or its nominee as their representative to exercise the voting rights attaching to the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs. You may not receive voting materials in time to instruct the depositary to vote, and it is possible that you, or persons who hold their ADSs through brokers, dealers or other third parties, will not have the opportunity to exercise a right to vote.

You may not receive distributions on our ordinary shares represented by the ADSs or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to holders of ADSs.

Under the terms of the deposit agreement, the depositary for the ADSs has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on our ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of our ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, in accordance with the limitations set forth in the deposit agreement, it may be unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to holders of ADSs. We have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of the ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or anything else to holders of the ADSs. This means that you may not receive the distributions we make on our ordinary shares or any value from them if it is unlawful or impractical to make them available to you. These restrictions may have a material adverse effect on the value of your ADSs.

We have no present intention to pay dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future and, consequently, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment during that time is if the price of our ADSs appreciates.

We have no present intention to pay dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. Any recommendation by our management and supervisory boards to pay dividends will depend on many factors, including our financial condition, results of operations, legal requirements and other factors. Accordingly, if the price of our ADSs declines in the foreseeable future, you will incur a loss on your investment, without the likelihood that this loss will be offset in part or at all by potential future cash dividends.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from a number of rules under the U.S. securities laws and are permitted to file less information with the SEC than U.S. companies. This may limit the information available to holders of ADSs.

We are a "foreign private issuer," as defined in the SEC rules and regulations, and, consequently, we are not subject to all of the disclosure requirements applicable to companies organized within the United States. For example, we are exempt from certain rules under the Exchange Act that regulate disclosure obligations and procedural requirements related to the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations applicable to a security registered under the Exchange Act. In addition, members of our management board and supervisory board and our principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and "short-swing" profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and related rules with respect to their purchases and sales of our securities. Moreover, we are not required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. public

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companies. Accordingly, there may be less publicly available information concerning our company than there is for U.S. public companies.

As a foreign private issuer, we will file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the close of each year ended December 31 and furnish reports on Form 6-K relating to certain material events promptly after we publicly announce these events. However, although we intend to issue quarterly financial information, because of the above exemptions for foreign private issuers, we are not required to do so, and, therefore, our shareholders will not be afforded the same protections or information generally available to investors holding shares in public companies organized in the United States.

As a foreign private issuer, we are not subject to certain New York Stock Exchange corporate governance rules applicable to U.S. listed companies.

In connection with this offering, we will be relying on provisions in the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual that permit us to follow our home country corporate governance practices with regard to certain aspects of corporate governance. This allows us to follow German corporate law and the German Corporate Governance Code, which differ in significant respects from the corporate governance requirements applicable to U.S. companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

In accordance with our New York Stock Exchange listing, our Audit Committee is required to comply with or satisfy an exemption from the provisions of Section 301 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act, both of which are also applicable to listed U.S. companies. Because we are a foreign private issuer, however, we generally are permitted to follow home country practice in lieu of the corporate governance standards provided in the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual. In particular, we are not required to comply with the requirements that the members of our Audit Committee satisfy financial literacy standards, that a majority of the members of our supervisory board must be independent, that our Audit Committee and Compensation and Nominating Committee adopt written charters and that we adopt and disclose corporate governance guidelines. If some investors find the ADSs less attractive as a result of these differences, there may be a less active trading market for the ADSs and the price of the ADSs may be more volatile. See "Management — Differences between Our Corporate Governance Practices and Those Set Forth in the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual."

We may lose our foreign private issuer status in the future, which could result in significant additional costs and expenses.

As a foreign private issuer, we are not required to comply with all the periodic disclosure and current reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and related rules and regulations. The determination of foreign private issuer status is made annually on the last business day of an issuer's most recently completed second fiscal quarter. Accordingly, we will next make a determination with respect to our foreign private issuer status on June 30, 2014. There is a risk that we will lose our foreign private issuer status in the future.

We would lose our foreign private issuer status if, for example, more than 50% of our assets are located in the United States and we continue to fail to meet additional requirements necessary to maintain our foreign private issuer status. As of June 30, 2013, an immaterial amount of our assets were located in the United States. The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws as a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly greater than the costs we incur as a foreign private issuer. If we are not a foreign private issuer, we will be required to file periodic reports and registration statements on U.S. domestic issuer forms with the SEC, which are more detailed and extensive in certain respects than the forms available to a foreign private issuer. We would be required under current SEC rules to prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP and modify

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certain of our policies to comply with corporate governance practices associated with U.S. domestic issuers. Such conversion and modifications would involve additional costs. In addition, we may lose our ability to rely upon exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements on U.S. stock exchanges that are available to foreign private issuers such as the ones described above and exemptions from procedural requirements related to the solicitation of proxies.

We are an "emerging growth company" and we intend to take advantage of reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, which could result in our ADSs being less attractive to investors.

We are an "emerging growth company," as defined in the JOBS Act, and we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting and governance requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and other public filings. We cannot predict if investors will find the ADSs less attractive because we will rely on such exemptions. If some investors find the ADSs less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for the ADSs and the price of the ADSs may be more volatile. We may take advantage of these reporting and governance exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company, which in certain circumstances could be as late as the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of ADSs in this offering. See "Prospectus Summary — Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company."

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We currently prepare our financial statements in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB, which do not have separate provisions for publicly traded and private companies. However, in the event we convert to U.S. GAAP while we are still an emerging growth company, we may be able to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period and, as a result, during such time that we delay the adoption of any new or revised accounting standards, our financial statements may not be comparable to other companies that comply with all public company accounting standards.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting in the future, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us .

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, in the future, we will be required, under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to perform system and process evaluations and testing of our internal controls over financial reporting to allow management and our independent registered public accounting firm to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting identified by our management or our independent registered public accounting firm. A material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting that results in more than a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also generally requires an attestation from our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of the exemption permitting us not to comply with the independent

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registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. At the time when we are no longer an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating. Our remediation efforts may not enable us to avoid a material weakness in the future.

Our compliance with Section 404 will require that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts. We currently do not have an internal audit group, and we will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge, and compile the system and process documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404. We may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. We cannot assure you that there will not be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness or significant deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of the ADSs could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the New York Stock Exchange, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict our future access to the capital markets.

We will incur significant increased costs as a result of operating as a company whose ADSs are publicly traded in the United States, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.

As a company whose ADSs will be publicly traded in the United States, we will incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses that we did not previously incur. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and related rules implemented by the SEC and the New York Stock Exchange have imposed various requirements on public companies, including requiring establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls. These costs will increase at the time when we are no longer an emerging growth company eligible to rely on exemptions under the JOBS Act from certain disclosure and governance requirements. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. We estimate that our annual compliance expenses following the completion of this offering will be approximately €1 million in each of the next two fiscal years. For example, we expect these rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to incur substantial costs to maintain the same or similar coverage. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult and expensive for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our supervisory board or its committees or on our management board. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of the ADSs, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.

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U.S. investors may have difficulty enforcing civil liabilities against our Company or members of our management and supervisory boards and the experts named in this prospectus.

The members of our management and supervisory boards and certain of the experts named in this prospectus are non-residents of the United States, and all or a substantial portion of the assets of such persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may not be possible, or may be very difficult, to serve process on such persons or us in the United States or to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts against them or us based on civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States. In addition, awards of punitive damages in actions brought in the United States or elsewhere may be unenforceable in Germany. An award for monetary damages under the U.S. securities laws would be considered punitive if it does not seek to compensate the claimant for loss or damage suffered and is intended to punish the defendant. The enforceability of any judgment in Germany will depend on the particular facts of the case as well as the laws and treaties in effect at the time. Litigation in Germany is also subject to rules of procedure that differ from the U.S. rules, including with respect to the taking and admissibility of evidence, the conduct of the proceedings and the allocation of costs. Proceedings in Germany would have to be conducted in the German language, and all documents submitted to the court would, in principle, have to be translated into German. For these reasons, it may be difficult for a U.S. investor to bring an original action in a German court predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us, the members of our management and supervisory boards and certain of the experts named in this prospectus. The United States and Germany do not currently have a treaty providing for recognition and enforcement of judgments (other than arbitration awards) in civil and commercial matters, though recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in Germany is possible in accordance with applicable German laws.

You may be subject to limitations on the transfer of your ADSs.

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems doing so expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may close its books from time to time for a number of reasons, including in connection with corporate events such as a rights offering, during which time the depositary needs to maintain an exact number of ADS holders on its books for a specified period. The depositary may also close its books in emergencies, and on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of our ADSs generally when our share register or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks that it is advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement. As a result, you may be unable to transfer your ADSs when you wish to.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our ADSs, the market price for our ADSs and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our ADSs will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade our ADSs, the market price for our ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which, in turn, could cause the market price or trading volume for our ADSs to decline.

Your rights as a shareholder in a German corporation may differ from your rights as a shareholder in a U.S. corporation.

We are organized as a stock corporation ( Aktiengesellschaft ) under the laws of Germany, and by participating in this offering you will become a holder of ADSs with underlying shares in a German

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stock corporation. You should be aware that the rights of shareholders under German law differ in important respects from those of shareholders in a U.S. corporation. These differences include, in particular:

•

Under German law, certain important resolutions, including, for example, capital decreases, measures under the German Transformation Act ( Umwandlungsgesetz ), such as mergers, conversions and spin-offs, the issuance of convertible bonds or bonds with warrants attached and the dissolution of the German stock corporation apart from insolvency and certain other proceedings, require the vote of a 75% majority of the capital present or represented at the relevant shareholders' meeting. Therefore, the holder or holders of a blocking minority of 25% or, depending on the attendance level at the shareholders' meeting, the holder or holders of a smaller percentage of the shares in a German stock corporation may be able to block any such votes, possibly to our detriment or the detriment of our other shareholders.



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As a general rule under German law, a shareholder has no direct recourse against the members of the management board or supervisory board of a German stock corporation in the event that it is alleged that they have breached their duty of loyalty or duty of care to the German stock corporation. Apart from insolvency or other special circumstances, only the German stock corporation itself has the right to claim damages from members of either board. A German stock corporation may waive or settle these damages claims only if at least three years have passed and the shareholders approve the waiver or settlement at the shareholders' meeting with a simple majority of the votes cast, provided that a minority holding, in the aggregate, 10% or more of the German stock corporation's share capital does not have its opposition formally noted in the minutes maintained by a German civil law notary.

For more information, we have provided summaries of relevant German corporation law and of our articles of association under "Management" and "Description of Share Capital."

Exchange rate fluctuations may reduce the amount of U.S. dollars you receive in respect of any dividends or other distributions we may pay in the future in connection with your ADSs.

Under German law, the determination of whether we have been sufficiently profitable to pay dividends is made on the basis of our unconsolidated annual financial statements prepared under the German Commercial Code ( Handelsgesetzbuch ) in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in Germany. Exchange rate fluctuations may affect the amount in U.S. dollars that our shareholders receive upon the payment of cash dividends or other distributions we declare and pay in euro, if any. Such fluctuations could adversely affect the value of our ADSs and, in turn, the U.S. dollar proceeds that holders receive from the sale of our ADSs.

We have broad discretion to determine how to use the funds raised in this offering and may use them in ways that may not enhance our operating results or the price of the ADSs.

Our management will have broad discretion over the use of proceeds from this offering, and we could spend the proceeds from this offering in ways the holders of our ADSs may not agree with or that do not yield a favorable return, if any. We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering for the following purposes: (i) expansion of our on-demand parts service center in Europe and establishment of new on-demand parts service centers in North America and Asia; (ii) research and development and sales and marketing initiatives; and (iii) general corporate purposes, including, without limitation, potential acquisitions. However, our use of these proceeds may differ substantially from our current plans. You will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether proceeds are

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being used appropriately. You must rely on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the net proceeds of this offering. If we do not invest or apply the proceeds of this offering in ways that improve our operating results, we may fail to achieve expected financial results, which could cause the price of our ADSs to decline.

In order to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we may need to hire qualified accounting and financial personnel with appropriate public company experience.

As a newly public company, we will need to establish and maintain effective disclosure and financial controls and make changes in our corporate governance practices. We may need to hire additional accounting and financial personnel with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge, and it may be difficult to recruit and retain such personnel. Even if we are able to hire appropriate personnel, our existing operating expenses and operations will be impacted by the direct costs of their employment and the indirect consequences related to the diversion of management resources from research and development efforts.

In the event we are or become treated as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, U.S. holders of our ADSs could be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

In the event we were treated as a PFIC, U.S. holders (as defined in "Taxation — U.S. Taxation of ADSs") of our ADSs could be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences. These consequences include the following: (i) if our ADSs are "marketable stock" for purposes of the PFIC rules and a U.S. holder makes a mark-to-market election with respect to its ADSs, the U.S. holder will be required to include annually in its U.S. federal taxable income an amount reflecting any year-end increase in the value of its ADSs, (ii) if a U.S. holder does not make a mark-to-market election, it may incur significant additional U.S. federal income taxes on income resulting from distributions on, or any gain from the disposition of, our ADSs, as such income generally would be allocated over the U.S. holder's holding period for its ADSs and subject to tax at the highest rates of U.S. federal income taxation in effect for such years, with an interest charge then imposed on the resulting taxes in respect of such income, and (iii) dividends paid by us would not be eligible for reduced individual rates of U.S. federal income tax. In addition, U.S. holders that own an interest in a PFIC are required to file additional U.S. federal tax information returns.

A U.S. holder may in certain circumstances mitigate adverse tax consequences of the PFIC rules by filing an election to treat the PFIC as a qualified electing fund, or a QEF. However, in the event that we are or become a PFIC, we do not intend to comply with the reporting requirements necessary to permit U.S. holders to elect to treat us as a QEF. See "Taxation — U.S. Taxation of ADSs — Additional United States Federal Income Tax Consequences — PFIC Rules."

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