Pleasant Prairie, WI (December 9, 2015) - The company ZF Friedrichshafen AG, parent company of ZF Electronic Systems Pleasant Prairie LLC and owner of the CHERRY brand, will turn the Computer Input Devices (CID) product line into an organizationally and legally independent unit as of January 1, 2016, fully owned by ZF. The company will be positioned in the market under the name Cherry Americas LLC. As a result, CHERRY switch and sensor products will no longer be sold under the well-known CHERRY brand name. There will be a transition during 2016, and by January 1, 2017 all CHERRY switch and sensor products will be sold under the ZF brand name.
“While we recognize how well-known the CHERRY brand name is in the electronic component industry, this brand name change will be positive for our organization”, said Ryan Eder, Product Marketing Manager, ZF Electronic Systems Pleasant Prairie LLC. “The only change taking place is the brand name marked on the products; otherwise everything else remains the same as ZF has owned the CHERRY brand and product line since 2008”.
These changes are not the result of a new acquisition or merger. ZF, one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, purchased CHERRY in 2008 and operated both the Computer Input Devices (CID – keyboards, mice, card reader product line) and Industrial Solutions (IS – switch and sensor product line) businesses under the CHERRY name for nearly 8 years.
“Both CID and IS are strong companies in their respective industries” said Eder. “This organizational change will ensure that to continue and allow each business to operate favorably within their respective markets”.
ZF Electronic Systems Pleasant Prairie LLC (formerly Cherry) recently released a new line of wireless Energy Harvesting switches that operate without use of wires or batteries. There are new sensor products (Angle Position Sensor and Linear Position Sensor) set to debut in 2016 as well. The switch and sensor product lines will both continue to grow under the ZF brand name.
About ZF
ZF is a global leader in driveline and chassis technology and on May 20, 2015 ZF acquired TRW Automotive. The company is now represented in 230 offices in 40 countries. In 2014 both companies operated independently. Collectively, the group achieved sales exceeding €30 billion euros with approximately 134,000 employees. The Industrial Solutions (IS) product line in the Electronic Systems business unit develops and manufactures electromechanical components, specifically snap switches, panel-mount switches, rocker and sealed rocker switches, a full range of sensor products as well as Energy Harvesting wireless products. Target customers for the Industrial Solutions product line include (but are not limited to) home appliance, HVAC, medical equipment and non-automotive equipment such as agricultural and commercial equipment and power sports vehicle (including marine and RV) OEM’s and distributors.