Paskal’s R&D in Israel as a Global Leader in World Agriculture

Q&A with Paskal’s Technical Manager of the R&D Department, Amos Nudler

Already, Paskal is world renowned as one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of today’s most advanced products and solutions in protected horticulture, but it didn’t happen overnight. Throughout the years, helping growers gain access to high quality products and monitoring solutions equipment became more than just a goal for Paskal, but a way of life for many of our experts and employees. One of those experts is Amos Nudler, a senior technical manager of the R&D department at Paskal.

With his ear to the ground, Amos shares an insider’s perspective on the operations at Paskal that have empowered growers worldwide to break new ground. From optimizing existing market products, to planning new and innovative product developments – functionality, behavior, and performance are just a few of the factors that go into designing competitive products that make all the difference and give Paskal growers that added value in the field.

Join us in this Q&A session with Amos Nudler, the expert behind many Paskal products;

1.   Hi, Amos! How long have you been with Paskal Group?

Hello and thank you for the introduction and the opportunity to have this interview. My name is Amos Nudler and I’ve been working with Paskal for over 21 years. Having finished my degree in Economics, I started my journey with Paskal working in operations. Later on I entered the R&D and started 3D design using SolidWorks CAD. While working closely with more and more growers, we recognized there was room for improvement in many existing products which presented me with the opportunity to optimize them. In many cases, we made multiple revisions and improvements that sometimes took years to get right, but at the end, it has helped position Paskal as the industry leader that it is today.

2.   How did Paskal originally gain an international presence?

Paskal was established in Israel in 1991, and in 1995, they first expanded their activities to Spain. Later, Paskal established subsidiaries in Spain, Mexico, USA, Netherlands, Turkey, and Russia. Our method of cultivating relationships in close collaboration with our growers, combined with the support of our distributors and affiliates led to providing efficient and fitted solutions that helped establish our international presence. After all my experience here, we at Paskal strive to sustain high quality and provide leading innovation to growers worldwide.

3.   How has Paskal contributed to a “greener” economy?

That’s a great question and one that we get quite often as more and more greenhouse growers transition into more sustainable solutions. Paskal has been heavily invested in working with materials that are eco-friendly and safer for the environment. From the various types of trellising twine options, to the sustainable products that are made from totally biodegradable ingredients, another one of our goals is to help reduce the use of plastic in existing products while keeping high-quality with the lowest waste and by that lowering our carbon footprint. At the end of the day, that’s what matters most to our growers and clients.

4. What challenges do modern greenhouses face today?

I foresee that shifting towards more sustainable solutions is still one of the biggest challenges that the industry faces today. Another major challenge is labor cost savings as it is difficult to find skilled employees. Paskal offers an array of modern greenhouse solutions that are designed specifically to support sustainability, and enhance workflow and productivity in the field, by using products that are quick and easy to use and don’t demand training or high-skilled human performance.

5. How Does Paskal’s R&D Work?

The R&D department operates on a few levels. We have the designing department in the plant, but that is only part of the picture. We actively and closely work with the sales department and also with the growers to define the challenges and needs. Regular projects take about a year to complete-from defining need, presentation of optional solutions, prototype production, up to field testing and final approval. Some projects can take years to solve and refine such as when we first started developing bio-compostable products. Several design revisions and improvements had to be made in order to create a high-quality product

6. Where Is Paskal’s Greatest Impact on Our Food Industry?

The world’s need is for more food. That demands greater yield from the current growing areas. Paskal makes products that are part of the most advanced growing methods in the protected horticulture industry. When using our products, a grower can use less labor force, and still gain higher and quality yields. Russia, for example, has a harsh growing climate. Every inch of growing space counts. If you gained more yield and in better quality, you have it all. We received positive feedback on Paskal products and their strong impact on the growing season.

7. What Is Your Motivation for this Role?

Knowing that Paskal is taking part in supporting the environment and food security for all is a great reason to wake up in the morning.

8. Has anyone ever told you that being headquartered in Israel sounds like an oxymoron? What are your thoughts on that?

Yes, we get that a lot actually. Israel is located in unique, sub-tropical weather conditions, meaning that in a very small area, we can find multiple climate conditions such as drought in the desert, tropical like areas, and cooler areas as well. This diversity challenges the growers and the R&D in designing different and innovative solutions to fit those needs in different climate areas. Paskal was developed by farmers inside a vast-agricultural region, in the area of the Galilee and succeeded in recruiting and training skilled staff that were the entrepreneurs. All of these conditions and efforts resulted in creating a good industrial plant.

9. What does Paskal have planned for the future of protected horticulture solutions?

In our core business, Paskal is investing a lot of resources in supporting the growers by creating a new generation of efficient labor and cost savings products. Aside from that, Paskal is researching other aspects to provide the horticultural world with new solutions that will break new ground. When the industry speaks, Paskal listens – and based on the market’s needs, we know how and where to focus our efforts and attention for a successful outcome. As the industry continues to grow, we at Paskal will be there to provide the best solutions.