IAI to set up US electronic defense systems co

Article published by GLOBES Israel's Business Arena

October 25, 2011

By Ran Dagoni

ELTA North America is to be located in Maryland and will produce radar and combat communications systems.

The board of directors of Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1) has decided to set up a new company in the US to be called ELTA North America to market electronic defense products in the western hemisphere, IAI North America president Uzi Rosen has told "Globes."

Rosen stressed that planned production in the US will not result in layoffs at IAI unit ELTA's plant in Israel. The new company, which will be located in Maryland, will be part of IAI North America. ELTA Systems Ltd., based in Ashdod, is one of the world's leading electronic defense systems companies, which develops, designs and manufactures radar and electronic combat communications systems.

Rosen said, "This is an important strategic decision, which will deepen IAI's penetration into the US and other markets."

He added that the decision was based on the positive experience gained by IAI's first subsidiary in the US, Stark Aerospace in Mississippi, which was established five years ago to manufacture and market Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and electro-optic payloads to North American customers.

Rosen said, "Stark is growing at a satisfactory rate and we are planning to add new production lines for other avionics and payloads."

According to Rosen, ELTA North America will be virtually a mirror image of Stark Aerospace from the organizational structure point of view but will specialize in products developed by ELTA. Stark is a US company in every sense. It is managed by Americans, and does not employ any Israelis. This will be the organizational format of ELTA North America. The company is expected to begin the final assembly of products, inspect quality and deliver products to clients before the end of 2011.

IAI decided to locate the new company in Maryland because of the availability of appropriate skilled labor. Rosen said, "Following the economic crisis there are fantastic human resources here looking for work. I've been in the US for five years and I've interviewed many prospective employees but I've never before encountered workers of this level. Today, it is very easy task to hire quality people in the US."

He added that IAI is preparing to put ELTA's technology onto the US market with an emphasis on ground radar to detect people and equipment. The company is focusing marketing efforts on two types of customers: the US military and all its arms, which have for years been developing infrastructures to defend mainly its overseas bases and installations, and internal security agencies engaged in defending the country's lengthy borders with Mexico and Canada.

Rosen said, "IAI already provides ground radar to the US market because its quality is far better than that being offered by the local market."

He was very much in favor of opening a US plant but he stresses that the final decision was reached by IAI's board of directors in Israel, which understood the potential of such a large market for the venture. Rosen expects a major rise in orders for ELTA's products once ELTA-North America begins to provide customers with local support.

Questioned on whether production in the US will lead to layoffs in Israel, Rosen said, "The very opposite. We are not moving production lines from Israel to the US. We are duplicating production lines. IAI management understands that if it does not open US production lines then it will not get more orders from the American market. The way I see it every extra order from the US market will in the end require more production of sub-systems in Israel and only the final assembly will be implemented in the US. Every new order in the US will add 100% - 50% going to Israel and 50% to the US."

He insists that ELTA's workforce understands this new decision and that the works committee realizes that more orders in the US means more work in Israel.

Rosen expects that within five years ELTA North America will record annual profit of $200 million.

Turning gray water green

Article published on ISRAEL21c July 21, 2011

By Karin Kloosterman

A simple Israeli system for collecting, treating and reusing household water arrives right on time for global water shortages.

The facts on the ground are stark: Israel is in a serious water deficit. The Sea of Galilee is shrinking every year, as are its underground aquifers. Yet water needs are increasing along with energy costs.

One answer to this crisis may be found in the water we send down the sink and bathtub drains. Much of this "gray water" can be lightly treated and reused to flush toilets and water gardens.

Putting that ideal into action on a large scale is the target for Gil Ben-Meir, inventor of the Evergreen gray water solution developed by his company, Green Solutions. Some 150 family Israeli homes have already installed Evergreen. This business owner, working since 2009 on the project, is intent on making a dent in the foreign market with Israel's already well-known water solutions that work.

Water levels in the Sea of Galilee are dropping dramatically year by year.

Speaking at the 15th annual Cleantech Exhibition in Tel Aviv in July, he tells ISRAEL21c that the Evergreen system is a small, affordable and easy-to-maintain gray-water processing device that can treat up to 600 liters of household water a day, or about 150 gallons.

Fitted to every pipe but the kitchen sink and toilet - wastewater from these drains contains too much organic material and oil to be safely recycled -- the system collects gray water from baths, showers, hand-washing basins and washing machines. Running through a specially developed biofilter, the treated gray water is then sent to the toilet and to the garden, where it can be reused instantly.

The system may be just the solution needed in chronically dry areas, including the Greek Isles, other Middle Eastern countries and American states like California and Nevada.

Rinse and repeat

The average household in America consumes about 350 gallons of water per day, according to the website drinktap.org. About one third of that could be salvaged, treated and reused with this new Evergreen system.

It's easy to install, the filters are self-cleaning and the maintenance is simple - "once every three or four months," says Ben-Meir. "Everything one needs to operate it is supplied with the system."

With the average cost for parts and installation about $4,000, or NIS 15,000, the return on investment is about five years, and the system runs on the same amount of electricity as it takes to burn a 70-watt bulb all day. Evergreen can be scaled up for apartment complexes and other higher demand locations.

Quieter than an air conditioner, Evergreen measures about 180 by 70 centimeters (71 by 27.5 inches) -- much smaller than similar solutions, says Ben-Meir. "The innovation here is its adaptation to smaller applications with a small footprint. What usually takes three to four square meters of space is now contained in less than two square meters, at a 50 percent cost reduction."

He assumes the tool would also work in cold climates like Canada and northern Europe, since the system can be installed in a basement and operates on the temperature of the water fed into the system.

Evergreen can be fitted with a holding tank to process water and store it for use during peak hours and days.

Energized by Israel's challenges

Ben-Meir founded Green Solutions after living in the United States for 13 years and studying energy management at the New York Institute of Technology.

"I came back from a long stay in the States, where I was doing something completely different, and in 2005 I decided to switch to the environment field -- to the clean-tech sector," says Ben-Meir. "I completed a master's degree and decided to come back to Israel and to work on solutions for gray water."

At that time, Israel was at the start of five years of drought. "There was a serious shortage of fresh water, and I was looking for ways to recycle and save water. Here is the fruitful soil to grow on and develop it," he adds, referring to Israeli expertise in water reclamation.

Based in Zichron Yaakov, Green Solutions currently employs three people, and also provides solar energy solutions for homeowners.

Kishon River: From poison to pristine | environment

Kishon River: From poison to pristine | environment

The volunteers from Boston

Article published on Ynetnews.com March 31, 2010
By Danny Spector

Every year, Steve and Carol Doppelt gather a number of American friends and volunteer in Haifa for an entire month.

Steve and Carol Doppelt have been living in the United States for four generations. At first the family lived in New York and then moved to Boston, where they live to this day. And yet every year they arrive in Israel with a growing group of volunteers for an entire month of voluntary activities in the Haifa area.
Why? Because they feel like it.

"We visited Israel for the first time to celebrate our son's bar mitzvah in Jerusalem," says Steve. "After that time we simply fell in love with the country and realized that we wanted to come back here again and again.

"Since then we try to come every year, just to volunteer. We bring along good Jews who love the country and try to do all they can to develop Haifa and help educate the next generation."

The latest delegation, which landed here about two months ago, included 15 people who volunteered in the northern city's schools for four weeks. They taught the children English and tried to help in whichever way they could, even with matters requiring labor.

All this took place thanks to the Boston-Haifa Partnership which flew them here, while the city's residents took care of their accommodation.

"We feel like we've come home when we arrive here," Steve adds. "We want Israelis know that in spite of the situation there are always people who will come and stand by them here. We do it every year and we're happy to see the positive effect of what we do. Let's hope we can continue coming and doing this for many more years."

Why don't you just make aliyah?

"The truth is that we've also taken the opportunity to study Hebrew in an ulpan. Who knows, maybe in the future we'll even make aliyah."

Israel brings a cold sport to a hot country

Article publishe on ISRAEL21c February 23, 2011
By Harvey Stein

Toronto it's not, but Metulla's Canada Centre provides a cool venue for immigrant and native Israelis thirsting for fast-paced fun on the ice.


A mere kilometer from the Lebanese border, Israel's only permanent regulation-size ice rink draws hockey players of all ages from throughout the country. It's not a sport normally associated with the Middle East, but for Israel's many Russian and Canadian immigrants, ice hockey is part of their culture. And they're willing to drive for hours to maintain it.


Hockey lovers drive for hours across Israel just to get a chance to skate on the ice.

Since its start in 1989, the federation has started drawing native Israelis as well, and competing in an international division. Kids come for two-day mini-camps on the ice, and senior leagues - with players from 16 to 60 -- meet weekly. When they're not at the Metulla rink, most players must practice on rollerblades for lack of an appropriate venue.

Plans are afoot to build a second Olympic-size rink in central Israel. For now, however, the diehards are happy to trek up north to the Canada Centre for a bracing breath of cold air and an action-packed, competitive workout.

Forever21 to open first Israeli store in September

Article published by GLOBES Israel's Business Arena

January 23, 2011

By Ilanit Hayut

The fashion store will open in Tel Aviv's Azrieli Center.

Sources inform ''Globes'' that fashion chain Forever21 will open its first store in Israel at Tel Aviv's Azrieli Center, in September 2011, just before Rosh Hashana. The two-floor store will cover 1,500 square meters, apparently replacing the Yotvata In the City dairy outlet on the first floor.
After negotiating with a number companies, Forever21 decided to operate in Israel directly, rather than through franchises. Gillerman Global Ltd., owned by Dan Gillerman, will manage the brand in Israel.
Gillerman told "Globes", "I strongly hope that we'll meet the timetable, and that the first store will open by Rosh Hashana."

Ancient human remains found in Israel

Article published by YAHOO! news December 27, 2010

By Daniel Estrin

Israeli archaeologists said Monday they may have found the earliest evidence yet for the existence of modern man, and if so, it could upset theories of the origin of humans.

A Tel Aviv University team excavating a cave in central Israel said teeth found in the cave are about 400,000 years old and resemble those of other remains of modern man, known scientifically as Homo sapiens, found in Israel. The earliest Homo sapiens remains found until now are half as old.

"It's very exciting to come to this conclusion," said archaeologist Avi Gopher, whose team examined the teeth with X-rays and CT scans and dated them according to the layers of earth where they were found.

He stressed that further research is needed to solidify the claim. If it does, he says, "this changes the whole picture of evolution."

The accepted scientific theory is that Homo sapiens originated in Africa and migrated out of the continent. Gopher said if the remains are definitively linked to modern human's ancestors, it could mean that modern man in fact originated in what is now Israel.

Sir Paul Mellars, a prehistory expert at Cambridge University, said the study is reputable, and the find is "important" because remains from that critical time period are scarce, but it is premature to say the remains are human.

"Based on the evidence they've cited, it's a very tenuous and frankly rather remote possibility," Mellars said. He said the remains are more likely related to modern man's ancient relatives, the Neanderthals.

According to today's accepted scientific theories, modern humans and Neanderthals stemmed from a common ancestor who lived in Africa about 700,000 years ago. One group of descendants migrated to Europe and developed into Neanderthals, later becoming extinct. Another group stayed in Africa and evolved into Homo sapiens — modern humans.

Teeth are often unreliable indicators of origin, and analyses of skull remains would more definitively identify the species found in the Israeli cave, Mellars said.

Gopher, the Israeli archaeologist, said he is confident his team will find skulls and bones as they continue their dig.

The prehistoric Qesem cave was discovered in 2000, and excavations began in 2004. Researchers Gopher, Ran Barkai and Israel Hershkowitz published their study in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.