The Crate Group

What The Crate Group does

The Crate Group (Haargaz Group) is a diversified Israeli industrial manufacturing conglomerate founded on August 18, 1932, originally established as a workers' cooperative producing wooden crates for citrus fruit packaging. The group operates today through wholly-owned subsidiaries across four industrial verticals: Haargaz Transportation (assembly of buses and minibuses built on European chassis from MAN, DAF, Scania, Volvo, and Mercedes-Benz, adapted to Israeli requirements); Taditel (development and production of automotive electronics, primarily voltage regulators and diode bridges, for OEM and aftermarket customers worldwide); Haargaz HVAC Systems (industrial and commercial air conditioning systems under the UNIQUE brand, including gas cooling, water cooling, and WS condensation units, acquired from Unique Engineering in 2015); and Portable Structures (modular building solutions). The group also historically manufactured storage systems, refrigeration, and display products.

Following a severe crisis in 2000, the cooperative was acquired from the Histadrut by Major General (Res.) Hagai Shalom, who has served as Chairman since and led a comprehensive restructuring that refocused operations on transportation, portable structures, HVAC, and electronics. The group is currently described as profitable, thriving, and developing, and pursues an active roll-up strategy acquiring approximately two distressed industrial businesses per year and merging them into the group. Manufacturing operations are based in Kiryat Malakhi (transportation, electronics, and headquarters) and Barqan (HVAC), with a historical Tel Aviv site from 1932 now vacated.

The business model is B2B hardware sales through direct enterprise engagement, with quote-based pricing customized per customer specification, order volume, and contract terms. Customer segments span Israeli transportation companies (bus fleet operators), industrial and commercial facilities (HVAC buyers), automotive manufacturers worldwide (Taditel OEM and aftermarket), and construction/industrial buyers (portable structures). The company does not publicly disclose revenue, pricing, or cap table details.

Name

The Crate Group

Legal name

קבוצת הארגז (The Haargaz Group)

Website

https://haargaz.co.il

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Crate Group is a privately held Israeli industrial conglomerate founded in 1932, operating four manufacturing divisions: buses and minibuses on European chassis, automotive electronics (Taditel), industrial HVAC systems (UNIQUE), and portable structures. It sells B2B hardware directly to enterprise customers in Israel and, via Taditel, to automotive OEMs worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kiryat Malachi

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Buses and Minibuses Manufacturing: Development, planning, and production of buses and minibuses for the Israeli transportation market at competitive prices using advanced management tools. Buses are built on European chassis (MAN, DAF, Scania, Volvo, Mercedes).
2. HVAC Systems (UNIQUE): Planning and manufacturing of industrial and commercial air conditioning systems including gas cooling, water cooling, and WS condensation units, customized to customer needs.
3. Automotive Electronics (Taditel): Development and manufacturing of electronic solutions for automotive market including voltage regulators and diode bridges for OEM market (customized per customer requirements) and Aftermarket (shelf products).
4. Portable Structures: Manufacturing of portable structures for various industrial and commercial applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Crate Group (Haargaz Group / הארגז) is an Israeli industrial manufacturing conglomerate operating through subsidiaries that produce buses and minibuses (Haargaz Transportation), automotive electronic components such as voltage regulators and diode bridges (Taditel), commercial and industrial HVAC systems (UNIQUE by Haargaz HVAC Systems), as well as portable modular structures and industrial storage systems. Manufacturing is centralized at a facility in Kiryat Malachi, Israel.

Product overview

The Crate Group is a diversified Israeli industrial conglomerate operating multiple manufacturing divisions. The group operates as a multi-product portfolio under unified ownership with shared management: (1) Haargaz Transportation - bus and minibus manufacturing using European chassis; (2) Taditel - automotive electronics (voltage regulators, diode bridges) for OEM and aftermarket; (3) Unique HVAC - industrial and commercial air conditioning systems; and (4) Portable Structures - modular building solutions. The group was founded in 1932 and underwent restructuring in 2000, now focusing on transportation, portable structures, storage systems, and HVAC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Haargaz Transportation Buses and Minibuses Buses and minibuses assembled by the Haargaz Transportation division, built on European chassis for commercial passenger transport operators and fleet customers in Israel.
• Taditel Automotive Electronic Components

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Unique Engineering (יוניק הנדסה)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015One of the oldest companies in the air conditioning market with significant reputation. The Crate Group acquired the air conditioning systems business from Unique Engineering in early 2015. The activity was institutionalized, promoted, and expanded under The Crate Group - Systems company.
• Israeli Defense Forces (צה"ל)minorOthers · 1 January 1949Following establishment of the Israeli army in 1948, The Crate Group took on manufacturing of jerrycans and helmets for the newly formed IDF. The successful product led to numerous additional project orders.
• Ampa (אמפא)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1949Exclusive agent for importing Philco refrigerators from the USA. The Crate Group's collaboration with Ampa led to the establishment of Amkor - a refrigerator manufacturing company that became a leader in its field, with The Crate Group as one of its owners.
• Amkor (אמקור)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1949Refrigerator manufacturing company established through collaboration between The Crate Group and Ampa (exclusive Philco importer from USA). Became a market leader in electric refrigerators in Israel.
• The Expert (המומחה)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1933Bus manufacturing factory that specialized in wooden bus construction in the 1930s. After the citrus harvest season, The Crate Group founders sought creative employment solutions and partnered with The Expert factory, recruiting members who formed the nucleus for establishing The Crate Group's bus division.
• Yachin (יכין)minorOthers · 1 January 1932First customer of The Crate Group in 1932. Ordered 5000 wooden boxes for citrus fruit (citrus) packaging, followed by an additional order of 6500 boxes. Assisted in registering the cooperative that was established on worker shared ownership basis.
• MANcoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading European bus chassis manufacturer. Haargaz Transportation builds its buses on quality chassis from MAN and other leading European manufacturers.
• DAFcoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading European bus chassis manufacturer. Haargaz Transportation builds its buses on quality chassis from DAF and other leading European manufacturers.
• ScaniacoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading European bus chassis manufacturer. Haargaz Transportation builds its buses on quality chassis from Scania and other leading European manufacturers.
• VolvocoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading European bus chassis manufacturer. Haargaz Transportation builds its buses on quality chassis from Volvo and other leading European manufacturers.
• Mercedes-BenzcoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading European bus chassis manufacturer. Haargaz Transportation builds its buses on quality chassis from Mercedes-Benz and other leading European manufacturers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• WillScot Mobile Mini: Leading North American provider of modular space and portable storage solutions for industrial, construction, and commercial applications. Comparable to The Crate Group's portable structures division in modular building products and customer segments, though at much larger scale.
• Vishay Intertechnology: Major global manufacturer of discrete semiconductors and passive components, including voltage regulators and rectifiers serving automotive and industrial markets. Overlaps with Taditel's product offering, with broader portfolio, global scale, and automotive OEM relationships that compete for similar design wins.
• Diodes Incorporated: Global publicly-traded manufacturer of discrete semiconductor products including voltage regulators and diode bridges serving automotive OEM and aftermarket customers. Comparable to Taditel's automotive electronics product portfolio, though at significantly larger scale and with global customer breadth.
• Carrier Global: Global leader in HVAC, refrigeration, and building automation systems serving commercial and industrial customers. Comparable to Haargaz's UNIQUE HVAC division in industrial and commercial air conditioning, though at vastly greater scale with worldwide distribution.

Direct peers

• Tadiran Group: Major Israeli HVAC and air conditioning manufacturer serving industrial, commercial, and residential markets. Directly comparable to the group's UNIQUE HVAC Systems division, competing for the same Israeli industrial and commercial cooling customers.
• Elco Holdings (formerly Elco Ltd.): Israeli HVAC and climate solutions company with overlapping industrial and commercial air conditioning offerings. Comparable to Haargaz HVAC Systems' industrial and commercial product portfolio and customer segments in the Israeli market.
• Merkavim: Israel's other major bus and minibus body manufacturer, building on European chassis for the Israeli public and private transportation market. Most directly comparable to Haargaz Transportation's core business, competing for the same fleet customers and chassis supply relationships.
• OTOTRANS (Haim Lerner): Long-established Israeli bus body and minibus manufacturer serving similar transportation company customers. Competes head-to-head with Haargaz Transportation on Israeli fleet contracts and operates a comparable business model of local body assembly on imported European chassis.

Regional players

• IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries): Israel's largest defense and aerospace industrial conglomerate, with diversified manufacturing operations and deep Israeli government/defense relationships. Comparable as an Israeli industrial conglomerate with government and defense customer base, though operating in higher-technology aerospace and defense verticals.
• Plasan Sasa: Israeli defense and industrial manufacturer specializing in armored vehicle systems, with operations spanning vehicle protection, survivability solutions, and composite materials. Adjacent peer given overlapping Israeli defense manufacturing heritage, government customer relationships, and composite/vehicle engineering capabilities relevant to Haargaz Transportation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/haargaz-technopach

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Crate Group