Italian Automotive Giant Adler Pelzer Group To Scout For Israeli Auto Tech In New Deal

Automotive multinational Adler Pelzer Group, headquartered in Italy, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) to scout for innovative Israeli technologies in the local ecosystem, the Israeli government’s tech research and investment arm announced this past week.

The agreement was inked on Thursday in Jerusalem by the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Economy and Industry and Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, Dr. Ami Appelbaum, and President of the Adler Pelzer Group, Paolo Scudieri.

As part of the agreement, the Adler Pelzer Group, which manufactures acoustic and thermal components and systems for Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, BMW, Aston Martin, Peugeot-Citroen and Champion Motors, among others, will tap into the Israeli Innovation Authority’s deep knowledge of the tech landscape to identify innovative Israeli technologies within its specific spheres of interest.

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Israel has become a world leader in the automotive technology and mobility markets, with multinationals steadily keeping an attentive eye on technological solutions developed in the so-called Startup Nation.

To this end, the Adler Pelzer Group has established a center in Israel together with Inlight aimed at identifying companies and innovative technologies that complement the group’s business activities. The space, called the Adler Inlight Technology Observatory, will highlight the integration of Israeli, Italian, and international technological innovation, and will be managed by Inlight founder Roberta Anati.

The focus of the center’s activity, according to the IIA, will be on establishing strategic cooperation or strategic investments in fields like smart transportation and renewable energy.

Adler Pelzer Group says it has made supporting innovation a key objective and seeks to best harness its resources to develop tools and materials that will improve car comfort, acoustics, thermal insulation and reducing vehicular weight, while increasing functionality and protecting the environment.

As part of the agreement, the IIA will provide funding, should the corporation seek to further develop technologies in its field of interest, while the Adler Pelzer Group will be responsible for supporting the startups’ research and development, marketing efforts, and expansion into global markets.

Mobileye. Photo: Intel, Courtesy

The agreement is part of an Israel Innovation Authority program that fosters collaborations between multinationals and innovative Israeli companies. The program began in 2005 and past collaborative agreements have been signed with Intel, Audi, Abbot, Unilever, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Panasonic, Philips, Nielsen, Fujitsu, Renault, among others. Adler Pelzer is the first privately-owned Italian company among the Israel Innovation Authority’s corporate partners, the IIA said.

“Collaboration between a multinational corporation like Adler Pelzer and Israeli companies will lead to the development of new technologies and innovations in a variety of fields, among them renewable energy – which is important for the entire world,” said Appelbaum in a statement.

“The Adler Pelzer Group is eager to learn from scientific and technological innovation in Israel. Our cooperation will contribute greatly to Israel and to Israeli R&D. Israeli innovation is not only in the fields of information technology and communications. This agreement is a testament to Israel’s role at the forefront of innovation, which is drawing international attention in many leading fields,” he added.

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Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Eli Cohen welcomed the deal, saying “smart mobility is among the fastest growing fields in the world, and there’s no doubt that this agreement between the Adler Pelzer Group and the Israel Innovation Authority is a vote of confidence in the Israeli startup ecosystem, and further proof that in the new world of automotive – so tied to innovation and technology – Israel is a key player.”

At the signing, Scudieri said the agreement “embodies the DNA of the Adler Group, which was founded in 1957, with innovation as its banner. We are celebrating the scientific and technological progress that has been achieved over the years thanks to the work of many people. These people, and the relationships between them, enabled this important collaboration with the Israel Innovation Authority, which will be embodied in Israel by the Adler Inlight Technology Observatory.”

The Adler Pelzer Group, a key subsidiary of the Adler Group headed by Scudieri, employs 12,000 people in 65 manufacturing and 12 R&D centers around the world. Its sales in 2017 exceeded $1.7 billion, with the company investing four percent of the growth capital in development centers, which amounted about $59 million between 2013 and 2016, according to the group.