13 July 2026
Place:Milan, Italy
CP Advisors originated and executed the sale of Control Systems S.r.l., a Cremona-based company specialized in the design and manufacturing of advanced electronic and mechatronic systems for industrial control, to the TACH Systems Group, an investment platform in the mechatronics and industrial electronics sector, sponsored by the pan-European private equity fund Investindustrial.
Founded in Cremona in 1977 by the Cortellazzi family, Control Systems has established itself as a leading manufacturer in the design and full-custom manufacturing of high-tech electronic and mechatronic devices based on state-of-the-art embedded technologies, with architectures based on high-performance microprocessors integrated with FPGA components. The Company operates with a fully integrated ("all-in-house") model, covering the entire product life cycle - from feasibility studies to engineering, production, commissioning and maintenance - through its own facility, and is SIL 2 and UNI EN ISO 9001 certified.
Control Systems currently operates in three verticals: Tolling & SOS Systems, the Company's historic and core business, includes automatic vehicle classifiers, lane controllers, and SOS columns. Control Systems designed the first automatic highway toll system for vehicles in 1990, and its axle measurement solution is considered by its main customer to be among the most advanced in the world. Railway covers electronic devices for emergency door control and On-Board Units for passenger door lateral adjustment, all SIL 2 certified; Tire & Rubber Testing offers automated solutions for tire testing, applied to customers' R&D and quality control functions.
Recognized for the quality of its production process and capacity for innovation, Control Systems has built long-lasting relationships with leading Italian highway and railway operators and a global premium tire manufacturer, positioning itself as a trusted technology partner for the supply of highly reliable electronic components and control systems.
The transaction, codenamed Project Stradivari, allows the Cortellazzi family to leverage the entrepreneurial journey built over decades of business and, at the same time, to reinvest alongside its new partner in the growth project promoted by Investindustrial through the TACH Systems platform. The project envisions the creation of a European hub for advanced mechatronics and industrial electronics, through the aggregation of leading Italian high-tech manufacturing companies - including TSM Sensors, High Tech Products and Almec, which have already joined the group.
Despite significant interest from industrial operators and leading investment funds, the Cortellazzi family chose TACH Systems as a partner to ensure the company's operational continuity, leverage its accumulated technical expertise, and accelerate its international growth, benefiting from the network and resources made available by Investindustrial.
TACH - an acronym for Technology, Automation, Connectivity, and Hardware - positions itself as a systems engineering control solutions provider, offering customers a complete technological ecosystem of integrated engineering solutions and services. Applications range from industrial automation to pneumatics, from robotics for handling and lifting to ecology and agricultural machinery, as well as aerospace & defense, infrastructure, and the marine and railway sectors. Before Control Systems' acquisition, the group had aggregate revenues of approximately €40 million and over 250 employees, distributed across production sites in Italy, China, Japan, and Mexico, and a network of sales offices in the USA, Japan, and India.
The industrial project with TACH Systems involves co-investment by the Cortellazzi family and the confirmation of the operational management team - with Simone Cortellazzi continuing to lead the company and holding group-wide position - with the aim of ensuring managerial continuity, expanding the customer base, strengthening production capacity, and developing new applications in the high-potential segments of industrial automation and infrastructure and rail mobility. This is in line with Investindustrial's strategy of focusing on high-quality manufacturing companies, leaders in specialized niches, to be developed through organic growth and strategic acquisitions.
CP Advisors, led by Salvo Mazzotta and Giovanni Nucera, initiated and managed the sale process, assisting the entrepreneurs throughout the entire transaction. Furthermore, CP Advisors, through its investment holding company MQuattro Holding, will continue to support and assist the Cortellazzi family, reinvesting alongside them in TACH Systems.
KPMG provided financial and tax due diligence services, with a team led by Lorenzo Brusa, Gianluca Belcastro, Davide Duchi, and Massimo Agnello, Alberto Bogoni and Martina Marcon. Orrick's legal team, including partner Fabio Fauceglia and the team composed of Eugenio Zupo, Lucrezia Marchionni and Riccardo Galet, provided legal assistance for the transaction.
TACH Systems was assisted by Spada Partners for financial and tax due diligence, with Antonio Zecca, Francesco Debuglio, Mara Lorusso, Guido Sazbon, Matteo Danelli, Massimo Deluca, Mara Lorusso and Elio Pansini, and by Studio Pedersoli Gattai, with partner Alessandro Marena and the team composed of Francesca Leverone, Elisa Bertoni and Giulio Battuello, for legal assistance.