About

אודות המרכז לפלסטיקה ולגומי

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

1
1986

Plastics Center established at the Technion

1986
2
1992

Plastics Center unified with the Israel Plastics & Rubber Producers Association in the Israel Manufacturers Association

1992
3
1998
4
2002

Another branch opened at Shenkar College, with the opening of the Department of Polymers and Plastics Engineering

2002
5
2007

ISO / IEC 17025 food testing competence certification

2007

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. Anna Dotan

Senior Researcher

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 responsible on the sustainability and recycling field.

Gavriel Klin

Heads the Center’s activity at Shenkar

Heads the Center’s activity at Shenkar 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. Amos Ophir

Senior Advisor

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.

Natalie Peretz

Finance Manager