Our story
Then and now
PEER Group® opened its doors in February 1992. Back then, the company comprised a small office and two engineers, co-founders Bob Harris and Mike Kropp, who met while working at ATS developing integrated assembly systems for precision manufacturing. PEER Group spun out of the idea to develop reusable software that connects automated equipment with factory information systems. During these early days, PEER Group focused on custom factory floor data collection systems.
Today, we are a global company headquartered in Kitchener, Canada, with European headquarters in Dresden, Germany and a satellite office in Toronto, Canada.
PEER Group has grown to provide the largest portfolio of factory automation software products. We have shipped more than 100,000 licenses, making us the largest supplier of automation software for OEMs and factories in the semiconductor and related industries. Our Professional Services team is engaged with leading tool manufacturers and fabs to deliver innovative automation solutions.
Our brand story
The word “PEER” stems from the idea of interconnected software objects that communicate with each other as “peers”. Our employees are the heart of our organization and a “peer group” is a group of likeminded individuals.
The pentagon shape in our brand mark represents the typical outline of a semiconductor cluster tool.
The three lines depict the factors which, when combined, help us enable Smart Manufacturing for our customers:
- Products, Professional Services, and Support and Maintenance
- People, Technology, and Innovation
Our tagline originates from our first business idea: to develop reusable software that connects automated equipment with factory information systems – integrating automation and information. It has held true through the years.
Our customers
We help lower the cost of automation for our customers by solving their most challenging equipment automation, data management, and process control problems.
The success of a high-technology factory is achieved by the collective performance of its manufacturing equipment. Superior automation software is key to improving equipment productivity.
We have the best-in-class software and industry-leading Professional Services needed to manage the complexities of equipment automation for high-technology manufacturing, from the rigors of SEMI Standards for mature 300mm wafer fabs to varied production processes of the latest solar or LED factory. Our customers include every type of high-technology manufacturer and the equipment suppliers that serve them.
From this position, we’re able to supply both sides with functionally rich and high quality automation software and solutions for Smart Manufacturing.
Company facts
President and CEO:
Mike Kropp
Founded:
1992
Founders:
Robert Harris
Mike Kropp
Ownership:
Private
Primary Industries Served:
Semiconductor
Solar
LED
MEMS
Disk
Electronics
Number of Employees:
200+ (September, 2026)
Revenue Distribution (2025):
Global Headquarters:
Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Toronto Office:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
European Headquarters:
Dresden, Germany
Distributors / Sales representatives:
Awards
PEER Group is proud to highlight our employees who have been recognized for the contributions, expertise, and leadership they provide the semiconductor industry.
As a company, PEER Group has received various awards recognizing our commitment to innovation and growth, workplace culture, and employee achievements. Scroll through our history timeline below to read highlights of these achievements.
Albert Fuchigami
Senior Standards Specialist
Albert is heavily involved in the SEMI International Standards program. He is co-chair of both the North America Information and Control Technical Committee and the NA DDA Task Force, and has authored various articles and tech briefs. His contributions to the SEMI Standards Program have been lauded by peers and colleagues.
- 2026 SEMI International Standards Excellence Award (SEMI, 2026)
- 2022 Leadership Award (SEMI, 2022)
- Japan Information and Control Technical Committee Award (SEMI Japan, 2021)
Conner Henry
Software Developer - Intermediate
Since joining PEER Group in 2022, Conner has quickly proven himself as a skilled developer, natural leader, and inspiring mentor. A key contributor on several crucial projects, he consistently looks for ways to improve internal processes and excels at building strong, service-focused relationships with our customers. In 2025, Conner was recognized as one of the semiconductor industry’s future leaders when he was named a SEMICON West 20 Under 30 awards program winner.
- 20 under 30 (SEMICON West, 2025)
Mitchell Smith
Senior Software Developer
Mitchell, who joined PEER Group in 2018 and quickly rose the ranks to Senior Software Developer, has earned a reputation for acquiring and applying new skills which benefit the entire PEER Group development team. This dedication to professional growth was recognized by the 2024 SEMICON West 20 Under 30 selection committee as an exemplary quality that made him one of the top young leaders in the semiconductor industry.
- 20 under 30 (SEMICON West, 2024)
Josh Zhou
Senior Quality Assurance Specialist and Senior Support Specialist
Respected for his mentoring skills and aptitude for designing robust test programs, Josh is a highly valued member of PEER Group’s QA and customer support teams. His commitment to customer service excellence played a large part in his successful nomination as a 2024 SEMICON West 20 Under 30 award recipient.
- 20 under 30 (SEMICON West, 2024)
Savanah Wille
Senior Quality Assurance Specialist
Long recognized by her managers and peers, Savanah’s motivation and drive to provide high quality tool automation software to our customers in the semiconductor industry resulted in her receiving the SEMICON West 20 Under 30 award for 2023.
- 20 under 30 (SEMICON West, 2023)
Kristen Matsumoto
Senior Quality Assurance Specialist
Kristen’s commitment to excellence in his career and his leadership in developing and organizing an internal lecture series led to his nomination and recognition as one of the semiconductor industry’s up and coming stars.
- 20 under 30 (SEMICON West, 2022)
PEER Group history
Over the years, we have helped high-volume manufacturers and equipment suppliers in all high-technology industries including semiconductor, optoelectronics, MEMS, electronics assembly, and photovoltaic. The following timeline highlights our significant company milestones.
2026
- PEER Group's Albert Fuchigami wins prestigious SEMI International Standards Excellence Award.
2025
- Launched PEER E187 Compliance Assessment, a third-party SEMI E187 assessment for OEMs.
- Launched DiDaCT 2, a robust and powerful test application used to validate SEMI Standards-based equipment automation in semiconductor manufacturing environments.
- Appointed IBM Japan Ltd. as new exclusive distributor of all products and services for customers in Japan.
2024
- Earned the Intel EPIC Distinguished Supplier Award.
- PEER Group Co-Founders, Mike Kropp and Bob Harris, inducted in the Waterloo Region Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.
- Mike Kropp awarded the Ontario Professional Engineers Awards Engineering Medal – Engineering Excellence in Industry.
2023
- Celebrated the 20th anniversary of the opening of PEER Group’s European headquarters in Dresden Germany.
- Launched GWGEM ®Plus , our next-generation multiplatform GEM communications framework for C/C++.
- Earned the Intel EPIC Distinguished Supplier Award.
- PEER Group’s Co-founder, President, and CEO, Mike Kropp, is unanimously selected by his peers to join the SEMI North American Advisory Board.
2022
- Opened our Toronto office.
- Earned the Intel EPIC Outstanding Supplier Award.
- Certified as a Great Place to Work® for the seventh year and recognized as one of Canada's Best Workplaces (11th time) and a Best Workplace for Hybrid Work, Youth, Technology, Mental Wellness, and Ontario.
- Celebrated our 30th anniversary.
2021
- Earned Intel's Preferred Quality Supplier (PQS) award for 6th consecutive year.
- Partnered with Toward Future Inc. to accelerate growth in South Korea.
- Named by Great Place to Work to the 2021 lists for Best Workplace (10th year), Women, Inclusion, Mental Wellness, Ontario, Giving Back, Today's Youth, Technology and certified as a Great Place to Work.
2020
- Received Intel’s Preferred Quality Supplier (PQS) award for 5th consecutive year.
- Completed the BDC Growth Driver Program (GDP), a three-year program designed to support high-potential and high-growth companies. Upon completion, PEER Group’s successful involvement in the program earned BDC the Canadian CMC Project of the Year Award.
- Named by Great Place to Work to the 2020 lists for Best Workplace (8th consecutive year), Inclusion, Women, Giving Back, Today's Youth, Technology and certified as a Great Place to Work.
2019
- Received Intel’s Preferred Quality Supplier (PQS) award (4th consecutive year).
- Named by Great Place to Work to the 2019 lists for Best Workplace (7th consecutive year), Women, Inclusion, Giving Back, Millennials, Mental Wellness and certified as a Great Place to Work.
- Named one of Canada’s top tech companies by Branham300 (8th consecutive year).
- Introduced PFSC™ to help semiconductor factories build station controllers easily and integrate equipment quickly.
2018
- Received Intel’s Preferred Quality Supplier (PQS) award (3rd consecutive year).
- Named by Great Place to Work to the 2018 lists for Top 5 Best Workplaces, Women, Inclusion, Technology, Millennials, and certified as a Best Workplace for 2018.
- Celebrated the 15th anniversary of our European branch, PEER Group GmbH.
- Named one of Canada’s top tech companies by Branham300 (7th consecutive year).
- Partnered with DKSH (Shanghai) Ltd to accelerate growth in China and Taiwan.
2017
- Received Intel Preferred Quality Supplier (PQS) award (2nd consecutive year), recognized for innovative factory automation software solutions for high-volume Smart Manufacturing in 2016.
- Celebrated our twenty-fifth anniversary in business.
- Named by Great Place to Work® to the 2017 lists for Best Workplace (5th consecutive year), Technology, and certified as a Best Workplace for 2017.
- Named one of Canada's best tech companies by Branham300 (6th consecutive year).
2016
- Received Intel's Preferred Quality Supplier Award for 2015, recognized for innovative factory automation software solutions for high-volume precision manufacturing.
- Named a Best Workplace in Canada by Great Place to Work® (4th consecutive year) and certified as a Best Workplace for 2016.
- Recognized by the Branham300 for the fifth consecutive year as one of Canada’s leading technology companies (ranked #130).
- Renewed into the Microsoft Partner Network Gold Application Development Competency.
- Attained the Gold Application Development competency in the Microsoft Partner Network program for work in our Dresden, Germany office (PEER Group GmbH).
2015
- Renewed into the Microsoft Partner Network Gold Application Development Competency.
- Named a Best Workplace in Canada for the third year in a row by the Great Place to Work Institute.
- Jumped to #121 on the Branham300 listing for top ICT companies in Canada.
- Launched Remicus™, the remote connectivity product that enables tool experts to manage manufacturing equipment via the web.
- Contributed SECS Message Language (SML) and all related rights to the public, as a benefit to the semiconductor industry.
2014
- Ranked #13 in the Globe and Mail’s Best Workplaces in Canada and received a special “Camaraderie Award”.
- Recognized by Branham300 as one of Canada’s leading technology companies for the third year in a row.
- Ranked #33 on the Deloitte® Technology Fast 50™ listing which recognizes the Canadian technology companies with the highest revenue growth over five years.
- Ranked #321 on the 2014 Deloitte® North American Technology Fast 500™ listing, an annual ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology, media, and telecommunications companies throughout the United States and Canada.
2013
- Ranked #5 in the Globe and Mail’s Best Workplaces in Canada.
- Purchased rights from acpIT for the exclusive ownership of the Process Control System, Equipment Connector, and portA software products (and product team), providing enhanced host connectivity and process control capabilities to OEM and fab customers.
- Recognized by Branham300 as one of Canada’s leading technology companies for the second year in a row.
- Selected ELIM Technology as South Korean distributor, strengthening our offerings in Asia.
2012
- Received the SEMI Standards Honor Award for long-standing dedication to the advancement of SEMI Standards.
- Launched EIB 300, the next-generation GEM300 connectivity product for OEMs.
- Entered the automated pharmacy market.
- Recognized by Branham300 as one of Canada’s leading technology companies.
- Achieved Microsoft Silver Software Development Competency.
- Achieved Microsoft Gold Application Development Competency.
2011
- Launched the next-generation PTO 5.0, which accelerates automation development time.
- Renewed into the Microsoft Partner Network as an Independent Software Vendor Gold-level Competency Partner.
2010
- Launched EIB GEM, our next-generation GEM connectivity product for OEMs.
2009
- Acquired all of Asyst Technologies’ software products: SDR™, GWGEM®, ConX300™ and EIB® for host and equipment connectivity, and SECSIM Pro®+, a test application.
- Selected Mizuho Information & Research Institute, Inc. as exclusive distributor of our products in Japan.
- Received the SEMI Europe Standards Merit Award for the work on SEMI PV02 Standard.
2008
- Entered the test applications market.
- Acquired the CCS Envoy™ product from Applied Materials.
- Launched PFAT™, our next-generation dynamic scenario test application.
- Named one of the best 50 workplaces in Canada by the Globe and Mail, as compiled by Great Place to Work® Institute of Canada.
- Acquired the IP rights from CenterPoint for the following products: APC and Yield Management Scenarios, APC\Platform, EDAfactoryController, and portA.
2007
- Won the Semiconductor International Best Product award for PEER Tool Orchestrator (PTO).
2006
- Became a member of the Microsoft Partner Program.
- Accepted into the Microsoft Partner Program Independent Software Vendor (ISV)/Software Solutions Competency and became a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.
2005
- Accepted into the Microsoft Partner Program Networking Infrastructure Solutions Competency.
2004
- Began a shift from a services-oriented company offering several niche products to a product-oriented company that can broaden delivery of cost-saving automation software.
- Entered the electronics test solutions market, building a Test Control System for Microsoft's Xbox 360 manufacturing.
2003
- Entered equipment automation and control market.
- Partnered with Asyst Technologies to integrate their SECS/GEM products.
- Launched PTO, a tool automation and control platform for 200mm/300mm automation.
- Acquired the European division of TRW’s high-technology systems integration business and established an EU office (PEER Group GmbH) in Dresden, Germany which provides expertise in automation testing, supplier management, equipment integration, and Advanced Process Control (APC) solutions.
2002
- Created PEER FACTORY®, a component-based MES for high-tech manufacturing.
- Released Plex4SECS™, offering SECS communications multiplexing with hardware failover protection.
2001
- Launched SECS/GEM products, GEM4Tools™ and SECS4Hosts®, including GEMTool and SECSHost branded for Rockwell Automation.
2000
- Moved into our current offices in a renovated warehouse in the heart of Downtown Kitchener in what would later become known as the "Innovation District".
1999
- Launched equipment supplier business, developing two specialty automation software products for Applied Materials.
1997
- Started to support several customers' migration from a UNIX environment to the increasingly popular Windows environment.
- Relocated from Guelph to Kitchener to be closer to the talent pool of technical professionals in the Waterloo Region.
1993
- Continued as part of the FACTORYworks development team for key infrastructure components.
- Developed products for DOS and MAC clients to receive CELLworks messages over MBX, CELLworks' messaging technology.
1992
- Mike Kropp and Bob Harris founded The PEER Group Inc., focusing on custom factory floor data collection systems using FASTech's CELLworks integration products and ORACLE RDBMS.
- Started development of FASTech's MES prototype which would later become FACTORYworks.