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).