The Naut Hovav Industrial Council continues to grow and develop. 21 factories and entrepreneurs are currently in various stages of the processes of joining the council and allocating land for the construction of new factories or the expansion of the existing factories in the area.
Among the plants that are in various stages of planning and approval: the Skyline plant, which is in an almost final stage to receive an agreement to develop a plot of about 100 dunams, the Ralco plant, which recycles waste that should be turned into energy, and the Clariter plant, a Swiss/South African-owned company that wants to establish a plant on an area of about 60 dunams for recycling plastic waste.
Also, the Issa Khouri plant, which will deal with heavy industry, will produce steel constructions, industrial facilities, boilers and various other facilities. In addition, the Middle East Pipe Factory, which joined the council only about a year and a half ago, is in licensing procedures for expansion – 180 dunams already exist, and it wishes to expand the activity and the area of the factory by an additional 80 dunams in order to add to the existing activity.
Michael Gulberg, director of the construction supervision unit and coordinator of land allocations: “Currently the factories in the council occupy 3500 dunams and this year an increase of more than 40 percent in the area used for industry is expected. This is a significant increase to the existing area and it is expected that the trend will be maintained in the coming years.’
The increasing demand for new areas is explained by the council as a combination of several factors, starting with the significantly cheaper land costs compared to similar areas in other parts of the country, unique development grants for the council, regular gas and electricity supply, proximity to main traffic routes including a train line and support and accompaniment in promoting licensing and building permit matters through the local committee for planning and construction.
The head of the council, Erez Badash: “We provide a complete and wide package that allows us to meet the special needs of every enterprise and entrepreneur that operates in the council’s territories.”
Badash added that there is a very wide spread of natural gas infrastructure in the council’s territories, which is a substitute for an electricity company. “Establishments in the council enjoy greater flexibility in accessing water and electricity services. Unlike a normal regional or local council, which will have difficulty providing these services to a plant that requires a lot of energy.’
In recent years, the council decided to emphasize the addition and development of plants from the concrete industry, which requires significantly larger areas in order to build a plant. Together with the Ministry of Economy, the council is developing a dedicated complex for the concrete industry factories and the council members are helping in creating connections and communication between the various government ministries and the entrepreneurs. As part of this initiative, the Sibus Rimon plant, a subsidiary of Dania Sibus, submitted the documents and are in the approval process with the Ministry of Economy to build a plant on an area of about 30 dunams. As a rock factory that produces concrete elements, is in very advanced stages of construction and is expected to open its doors in the coming months.