Netafim
"Grow more with less"
Israeli drip irrigation company founded in 1965, now 80% owned by Orbia, supplying driplines, fertigation and GrowSphere digital farming controls.
Netafim is an Israeli manufacturer of precision irrigation equipment and the company credited with introducing the first commercial drip irrigation dripper. It was founded in 1965 by water engineer Simcha Blass in partnership with Kibbutz Hatzerim in the Negev, and launched its first commercial dripper in 1966. Its headquarters is in HaShahar Tower, 4 Ariel Sharon Street, Givatayim, Israel, while its original base and manufacturing roots remain at Kibbutz Hatzerim.
Netafim's core business is drip and micro-irrigation for agriculture: driplines and drippers, subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) systems, micro-emitters and sprinklers, precision fertigation equipment that delivers nutrients through the irrigation water, greenhouse projects, and water management and monitoring tools. Its principle is to deliver water and nutrients directly to the root zone in the right amount at the right time. Alongside hardware, Netafim sells digital farming tools under the GrowSphere brand, including GrowSphere Crop Advisor and GrowSphere controllers for automated, remotely managed irrigation and fertigation, plus design software such as NetSpeX and the HydroCalc 3.0 hydraulic calculator, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. These digital and control products link field sensors, irrigation controllers and agronomic models so that irrigation and fertigation can be scheduled and executed automatically.
Netafim is one of the largest companies in micro-irrigation, with an estimated global market share of about 30%. It employs about 4,500 people and operates in about 110 countries through 33 subsidiaries, 19 manufacturing plants and two recycling facilities, including a production facility in Yinchuan, China. Its 2019 revenue was reported at USD 1.063 billion, and it generates roughly USD 250 million in annual sales in the United States. Gaby Miodownik serves as president and CEO.
Ownership has changed several times. The company was kibbutz-controlled until 2011, when private equity firm Permira bought a 61% stake. In 2017 Mexichem, the Mexican group since renamed Orbia Advance Corporation, agreed to acquire 80% of Netafim, with Kibbutz Hatzerim keeping 20%; the transaction closed in early 2018. Netafim now forms the core of Orbia's Precision Agriculture business. In October 2025 Orbia hired Evercore to run a sale process for Netafim. Reported bidders have included Chinese businessman Haoyu Wang, chairman of Dayu, at a valuation of about USD 1.4 billion, Israeli fund Fortissimo Capital, and Spanish industrial group MatHolding. As of July 2026 no agreement had been signed, and Netafim remains an 80%-owned subsidiary of Orbia.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
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Contact Netafim
WEBSITE
https://www.netafim.comPHONE
+972 73 327 3000HEADQUARTERS
Israel
Company Facts
Founded
1965
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Middle East
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
Subsidiary / Acquired
Funding Total
-
