About
The Israel Plastics & Rubber Center is involved in applied research and development. The company is active in the field of advanced materials, in an academic environment, for the benefit of the industry. The company is owned by the Israel Plastics & Rubber Producers Association.
History
Plastics Center established at the Technion
Plastics Center unified with the Israel Plastics & Rubber Producers Association in the Israel Manufacturers Association
Another branch opened at Shenkar College, with the opening of the Department of Polymers and Plastics Engineering
ISO / IEC 17025 food testing competence certification
Our Vision
Lead applied research on advanced materials. Promote innovation in the Industry through ground-breaking R&D, to give the companies added value and competing edge, and thus be partner in processes that affect everyday life: health, defense, communications, energy and environment.
Our activity is customer-oriented and focuses on two directions: identifying industry needs and providing creative and quality solutions, and marketing the Israel Plastics & Rubber Center patents (IP).
Company Values
Our people are a main pillar of our success. They embody commitment, excellence, customer orientation, integrity and professional ethics.
- Personal and organizational excellence – enables us to lead projects with uncompromising professionalism.
- The customer at the center – it is our responsibility to understand the customer and identify customer needs. Our service is based on our professionalism and creativity.
- Integrity – we act fairly and with professional ethics both within the organization, towards our employees, and externally towards our customers.
- Commitment – we are committed to the employees, customers, research and results. This commitment creates the motivation to strive to do more for our customers and our future.
- Link to our Quality Control Policy
Professional Team
Prof. Naum Naveh
CEO, The Israel Plastics & Rubber Center
CEO and Senior Researcher at the Israel Plastics and Rubber Center. Doctor of Science (D.Sc.), with 20 years of experience, including extensive experience in Israel’s defense industry. Currently also a faculty member in the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering at Shenkar College. Serves as the President of the Israel Polymers & Plastics Society and is Israel’s representative at the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).
Specializes in R&D of composite materials, elastomers/rubber, 3D printing and nanotechnology (including multilayer nanometric structures for optical, energy and other applications).
Prof. Amos Ophir
Chief Scientist
Associate Professor, Department of Polymer Materials Engineering at Shenkar College. Holds a Ph.D. and is an expert in polymer materials science and technology.
Has filled various positions as a senior and leading researcher at the Israel Plastics and Rubber Center since 1996, and in 2014-2020 served as the Center’s CEO. Head of the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering at Shenkar College since October 2019.
Main specialization and research fields:
Hybrid and nanocomposite polymeric systems, biodegradable biopolymers, ‘smart’ polymeric systems for advanced technologies and applications, technologies for polymeric materials processing.
Prof. Anna Dotan
Heads the Center’s activity at Shenkar
A researcher at the Israel Plastics and Rubber Center and an Associate Professor in the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering at Shenkar College. Prof. Dotan also manages the Center’s research site at Shenkar College in which she coordinates the sustainability and recycling field.
Gavriel Klin
Business Development Manager
Business Development Manager at the Israel Plastics and Rubber Center.
Gavriel Klin holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Bar Ilan University and a Bachelor’s degree in Polymer Engineering from Shenkar College.
Throughout her career has a R&D engineer, Gavriel has specialized in polymers for medical applications and biodegradable polymers.
Prof. Dan Lewitus
Senior Researcher
A senior researcher at the Israel Plastics and Rubber Center, a consultant in the plastics field and a senior faculty member in the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering at Shenkar College.
Prof. Lewitus earned a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University in New Jersey, U.S., an M.Sc. from UMass in Plastics Engineering and a B.Sc. in Plastics Engineering from Shenkar College. Over the years, Prof. Lewitus was active in the polymeric additives industry in Israel and Germany, and also conducted medical polymer research in the U.S.
His main areas of expertise include: polymers for medical uses, degradable polymers in regenerative medicine and in drug release, 3D printing for medical use, and polymeric mixtures and additives. He has published articles in world leading scientific journals and has registered patents in these fields.
Dr. Orli Weizman
Researcher and responsible for plastics and composites testing
Holds a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. cum laude in Plastics Engineering from Shenkar College. Earned a Ph.D. in Plastics Engineering from UMass Lowell in Massachusetts, as part of the collaboration with the department at Shenkar College. Her doctoral thesis focused on carbon nanotube yarns.
Orli is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering at Shenkar College. She has published articles in scientific journals in the polymers and plastics field.
Orli specializes in the development of “smart packaging”, such as biodegradable oxygen barrier packaging and durable plastic film and sheet for greenhouses and water reservoirs. She was also involved in the development of engineering adhesives, fire-retardant polymer mixtures, and in the restoration of membranes for seawater desalination.
Gilad Otorgust
Researcher and responsible for the processing laboratory
Holds a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in Polymer Engineering from Shenkar College. A researcher and project leader in the fields of 3D printing, nanocomposites, processing technologies and plastic product design. Responsible for all the processing infrastructures at the Israel Plastics and Rubber Center. An adjunct lecturer in the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering at Shenkar College.
Chagit Yehieh
Responsible for food compatibility testing and certification
Chemist, experienced with polymers. Responsible for testing plastic packaging for food, and also conducts R&D projects.
Abraham (Avri) Inbar
Researcher and responsible for rubber testing
Holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the Technion. Responsible for rubber testing at the Israel Plastics and Rubber Center, and also conducts R&D projects.
Prof. Shmuel Kenig
Senior Academic Advisor
Senior Academic Advisor at the Israel Plastics and Rubber Center. Among the founders of the Center and served as its CEO. He is world renowned in the polymers field and currently serves as Vice President of Shenkar College.
Natalie Peretz
Finance Manager