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History2020-02-20T11:37:45+00:00

1953

ZF Switches & Sensors as it is known today began as the CHERRY Corporation which was founded by Walter L. Cherry, He founded a company for the manufacture of snap switches in 1953 in the US federal state of Illinois

1964

As early as 1964, CHERRY expanded its commitment to Germany in the form of POPP-CHERRY GmbH in Bad Berneck in Fichtelgebirge

1979

In 1973, CHERRY opened a subsidiary in Auerbach in the Upper Palatinate. No sooner had the plant been finished than it had to be expanded in order to be able to meet the increasing demand. In just four years, the production area of 200 m2 grew to 4600 m2.

1992

CHERRY had a global expansion of business activities during this time, one of which was the foundation of subsidiaries in the Czech Republic

1996

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 - these are still marketed under the CHERRY brand

2005

In 2005, CHERRY expanded their global footprint further by opening a manufacturing plant in Zhuhai China

2008

Acquisition of CHERRY Corporation by ZF Friedrichshafen AG - Peter Cherry, son of the company’s founder, retired from the company. 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.

2016

Today, ZF acts on a global basis – with sites throughout the world: in North America and Europe as well as in Asia and Australia. Proximity on location allows us to react quickly to regional or individual requirements. Being part of a worldwide network, we can thus be even more responsive to customer and market requirements.