Ackerstein Group

Ackerstein Group Ltd. (Hebrew: קבוצת אקרשטיין בע"מ) is an Israeli holding company operating in the building-materials and income-producing real-estate sectors. Its roots go back to 1925, when Zvi Ackerstein founded a small floor-tile workshop in Tel Aviv. Over the following decades the business grew into one of Israel's largest producers of paving stones, kerbstones and other concrete products, and in 1982 it went public on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. After a period of restructuring and delisting in the early 2000s, the group returned to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in June 2021 under the name Ackerstein Group Ltd. Today the group operates through three main segments: industry, engineering and real estate. In the industrial segment it manufactures off-the-shelf concrete products such as pipes, pedestrian crossings, safety railings, retaining and acoustic walls, kerbstones and cladding and paving tiles. In engineering it produces and supplies made-to-order concrete products according to client specifications. In income-producing real estate it owns office buildings for lease in the Herzliya Pituah industrial zone. The group holds three production sites across Israel and also operates internationally through subsidiaries in the United States (California and Arizona), Cyprus and Romania. Ackerstein is particularly known in Israel for popularizing interlocking paving stones, which became the standard paving for sidewalks and so-called "Dutch streets" and are colloquially called "Ackersteins." The company has supplied materials to large-scale projects including the breakwater of the Southern Port in Ashdod and the IDF training base named after Ariel Sharon. Its product range spans environmental development and landscape design, architectural concrete cladding, precast construction and underground infrastructure. The group is controlled by the Ackerstein family and is traded publicly on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Its subsidiaries include Ackerstein Industries Ltd., Clarem Ltd., Acker Stone Industries Inc. (California), Acker Stone Industries (Arizona) Inc., Ackerstein Overseas Ltd. (Cyprus), S.C. Ackerstein RO.S.R.L. (Romania), Ackerstein Zvi Ltd., Ackerstein Towers Ltd. (50%) and Nofer-Ackerstein Solar Energy Limited Partnership (79.95%).

The Ackerstein Group's history began in 1925, when Zvi Ackerstein (1906–1974) founded a small floor-tile factory in Tel Aviv at the corner of Yehoshua Ben and Arlozorov streets. Ackerstein, born in the town of Piaski in Poland, immigrated to Palestine at age 14 and first worked as a laborer in orchards and later at the "Martzefia" factory in Petah Tikva. The work at his own factory was largely manual, producing about 50 tiles per day. Ackerstein decided to introduce mechanization, which increased output and productivity; after competing factories closed, his plant—by then relocated to the Herzliya Pituah industrial zone—became one of the largest in Israel. The factory expanded into paving stones and kerbstones for sidewalks and became the largest in Israel in that field. Among other projects, the company supplied paving for major sites such as Kings of Israel Square (today Rabin Square), the Tel Aviv promenade and the Yad Eliyahu arena complex. In May 1974, founder Zvi Ackerstein died and his son Giora took over management. Under his leadership the company began producing and marketing interlocking paving stones, which became the standard paving solution in Israel for sidewalks and combined streets ("Dutch streets"). In 1978 the company established another plant in Yeruham. In December 1982 the company made an initial public offering and its shares were listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. In 1986 the company acquired a competing plant, "HaMaslul" of Netanya, reaching a 70% share of the Israeli paving-stone market. In 1987 it established an additional production site in Ashdod and expanded its product range to include concrete pipes, railway sleepers and heavy precast products. In 1988 the company began operating in the United States, establishing three production sites in Arizona and California. In early 1989 the company was split into three entities: "Ackerstein Industries," "Ackerstein South" (a financing and investment company managed by Zvi Altshuler) and Ackerston in the United States. The veteran parent company, named after its founder, "Ackerstein Zvi Ltd.," became a holding company. A real-estate company was also established. In July 1989 the subsidiary "Ackerstein Industries" was listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The group's real-estate company began constructing a five-story office building at the northern entrance to the Herzliya industrial zone. In 1994 the company established a plant in the TzaHar industrial zone near Rosh Pina. This plant replaced the company's veteran Herzliya plant, which closed. In 1995 the company signed a combination agreement with Mivnei Ta'asiya to build a project comprising four nine-story office towers with four parking levels and a commercial boulevard between them, on the site of the former Herzliya plant. Under the deal, Mivnei Ta'asiya would build the towers in two phases (each pair separately) in exchange for 58% of the building rights on the lot, and Ackerstein would receive 42% of the built areas in the project. Phase A was occupied in 2003, but Mivnei Ta'asiya froze further construction, claiming economic non-viability. A dispute erupted between the companies and it was agreed to change the ownership structure so that the third tower would become fully owned by Ackerstein. It later sold the tower to Clal Insurance. In March 1999, "Ackerstein Zvi" distributed its holdings in "Ackerstein Industries" to its shareholders as a dividend in kind, with the aim of separating the activities of the two companies. In September 2002 it was delisted from trading following a tender offer by Giora Ackerstein. In February 2003, shares of "Ackerstein Industries" were also delisted from the stock exchange following a tender offer that valued it at about 150 million shekels. In June 2021 the company's shares were again listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the name Ackerstein Group Ltd. As of the end of 2023, the group included the following companies: Ackerstein Industries Ltd. (100%), Clarem Ltd. (100%), Acker Stone Industries Inc. (active in California, 100%), Acker Stone Industries (Arizona), Inc. (active in Arizona, 100%), Ackerstein Overseas Ltd. (active in Cyprus, 100%), S.C Ackerstein RO.S.R.L (active in Romania, 100%), Ackerstein Zvi Ltd. (100%), Ackerstein Towers Ltd. (50%), Ackerstein Zvi Initiation and Investments Ltd. (100%) and Nofer-Ackerstein Solar Energy, a limited partnership (79.95%). In September 2022, Ackerstein Group acquired Clarem, a company specializing in the planning, manufacturing and installation of perimeter defense systems for the institutional sector. The group operates in three sectors: industry, engineering and real estate. In industry, it manufactures off-the-shelf concrete products such as pipes, pedestrian crossings, safety railings, retaining and acoustic walls, kerbstones and cladding and paving tiles. In engineering, it produces and sells concrete products made and supplied specifically according to client needs and requirements. In income-producing real estate, it holds office buildings for lease in the Herzliya Pituah industrial zone. Over the years the company has been involved in large-scale projects such as the construction of the breakwater of the Southern Port in Ashdod and the construction of the IDF training base named after Major General Ariel Sharon, where the company built, among other things, four buildings.

• 2022

  Acquires Clarem Ltd., specializing in perimeter defense systems.

• 2021

  Company re-listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange as Ackerstein Group Ltd.

• 2003

  Ackerstein Industries delisted from TASE following tender offer valuing it at ~150 million shekels.

• 2002

  Ackerstein Zvi delisted from TASE following tender offer by Giora Ackerstein.

• 1999

  Ackerstein Zvi distributes holdings in Ackerstein Industries as dividend in kind.

• 1995

  Signs combination agreement with Mivnei Ta'asiya for office tower project in Herzliya.

• 1994

  Establishes plant in TzaHar industrial zone near Rosh Pina, replacing Herzliya plant.

• 1989

  Company splits into three entities; Ackerstein Industries listed on TASE in July.

• 1988

  Begins operations in the United States with three production sites in Arizona and California.

• 1987

  Establishes production site in Ashdod and expands product range.

• 1986

  Acquires competing plant "HaMaslul" of Netanya, reaching 70% market share in paving stones.

• 1982

  Initial public offering on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

• 1978

  Company establishes another plant in Yeruham.

• 1974

  Founder Zvi Ackerstein dies; his son Giora takes over management.

• 1925

  Zvi Ackerstein founds a small floor-tile factory in Tel Aviv.

Leading Israeli manufacturer of precast concrete products for construction, development and infrastructure, with a century-long tradition of innovation.

• Interlocking paving stones

  Became the standard paving in Israel for sidewalks and "Dutch streets"; colloquially called "Ackersteins".

• Architectural concrete cladding

  Innovative concrete solutions for architectural design, used in projects in Israel and abroad.

• Precast construction elements

  Produced on industrialized construction lines nationwide under strict quality control.

• Underground infrastructure products

  Concrete pipes, drainage, water, communications and transport infrastructure products.

• Environmental development and landscape products

  Paving stones, floor tiles, acoustic walls and other landscape solutions.

1. 1אקרשטיין - מסורת של חדשנות לבניה ותשתיותackerstein.co.il
2. 2Ackerstein Group - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3קבוצת אקרשטיין - Wikipedia (Hebrew)he.wikipedia.org