Analysis
Happy 60th Birthay, Cherry!
The cherry logo stands for the best quality, technical innovation and design on the desktop. And this has been the case for more than 60 years now! The brand name CHERRY does not originate from a marketing idea, but rather from Walter L. Cherry, who founded a company for the manufacture of snap switches in 1953 in the US federal state of Illinois. As early as 1963, Cherry expanded its commitment to Germany in the form of POPP-CHERRY GmbH in Bad Berneck in Fichtelgebirge. The shifting of production to Upper Franconian Bayreuth in 1967 is a milestone in computer history. It was here that the first keyboards in the world were manufactured.
In 1Growth was also dynamic during the 90’s. From a components manufacturer CHERRY became an innovative partner for subsystems. In 1996, the manufacture of products for the automotive sector began in a newly established plant in Bayreuth. Alongside this, CHERRY advanced to become the European market leader for standard keyboards and industry-specific designs.
In 2008, Peter Cherry, son of the company’s founder, retired from the company for age reasons. As his successor would not come from within the family, potential buyers were sounded out. With ZF Friedrichshafen AG, finally, a satisfied customer became the new parent company. By this time, CHERRY had made a name for itself in the B2C- and B2B-markets, and this with sophisticated product innovations such as the first solar keyboard and a keyboard for reading electronic health cards. CHERRY’s B2C portfolio represents timeless product design which combines first-class functionality with subtle elegance. It is not without reason that CHERRY products have been honoured with prestigious awards such as the red dot and the iF Design Award.
The quality brand CHERRY, known among private users as well as corporate clients, continues under the auspices of ZF Friedrichshafen. The success story continues.