CHERRY ANNOUNCES THE ACQUISITION OF THEOBROMA SYSTEMS

FOR MORE DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION CAPACITIES:
CHERRY ACQUIRES VIENNA-BASED
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE PRODUCER THEOBROMA SYSTEMS


Auerbach,
October 14th, 2020

CHERRY, a leading global manufacturer of computer input devices and switches for mechanical keyboards announced today the acquisition of Theobroma Systems Design and Consulting GmbH, an Austrian-based developer and trusted manufacturer of embedded systems. These support various industrial applications in the field of IoT and Industry 4.0. With this acquisition, CHERRY is specifically expanding its development and production capacities in the security sector.

The two companies already have a long-standing development partnership with a focus on security computer input devices. The acquisition gives CHERRY access to Theobroma Systems’ comprehensive expertise in embedded Linux software development and the production facilities throughout the product development process. The newly acquired development skills will initially be used at CHERRY in the security areas. In the medium term, it is planned that CHERRY’s entire portfolio will benefit from the expanded expertise.

CHERRY is thus increasing its existing capacities for the development of embedded industrial systems and trustworthy IT systems. The initial focus will be on development activities, especially hardware development and engineering for Linux, Android, and RTOS (Real-time Operating Systems).

“The acquisition of Theobroma Systems is an important impulse for us in the areas of engineering and development,” says Rolf Unterberger, CHERRY’s Chief Executive Officer. “We see this as an important step to further expand our technology leadership for modern and secure input devices. This is also a further milestone on our expansion course, which has received a decisive boost from our new majority shareholder Argand Partners. The market is in motion, and customer expectations of our products are constantly changing. With the expanded software expertise in our own company, we are ideally positioned to meet these challenges promptly and precisely.”

“Combining Theobroma Systems’ technology portfolio with the resources and the strong market presence of CHERRY will allow us to finally harness the full potential of the platforms and technologies we have developed since the start of our journey,” explains Dr. Philipp Tomsich, Theobroma Systems’ Chief Technology Officer, and Founder.

About CHERRY

CHERRY, headquartered in Auerbach/OPf., Germany, is a world-leading manufacturer of computer input devices with a focus on office, gaming, industry, security, eHealth solutions, and switches for mechanical keyboards. CHERRY employs approximately 400 people in production facilities and subsidiaries in Germany, France, Great Britain, China (Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan), and the USA. Since its foundation in 1953, CHERRY has stood for German quality products designed in Germany and developed specifically for the needs of its customers. In December 2019, the company opened a new headquarters in Auerbach, Germany, reflecting CHERRY’s new values of the Workplace of the Future and New Work. CHERRY brings high quality, passion, and design to the world of work, addressing end customers and companies alike who demand high performance, durability, and functionality from their computer input devices.

Further information on CHERRY can be found on the website:

www.cherry.de

Media Contact:

CHERRY GmbH
Monika Götzmann
pr@cherry.de

sugarandspice communications GmbH
Cornelia Krannich / Fatma Scharl
cherry@sugarandspice.online
+49 (0) 89 / 26 20936-0

About THEOBROMA SYSTEMS

Theobroma Systems designs and manufactures embedded systems supporting various industrial applications for IoT and Industry 4.0 solutions. Our products are complemented by solid expertise in hardware and software and support projects that require vision and computational expertise, high IT security in the areas of governmental vulnerability, and risk assessment. To increase the quality of our products, we offer in-house manufacturing and end-of-line testing, fully controlled by our Vienna-based team. We offer our customers the opportunity to develop their desired products based on our existing validated modules.

For more information about Theobroma Systems please visit our website:

The Solution is Embedded