Arad at 80—Where we are and how we got here

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Arad at 80—Where we are and how we got here

Seven years before the establishment of the modern state of Israel, Arad was already in the field of water meters. In 1941 Mr. Rakabi, the proprietor of a small workshop that manufactured parts for high precision water meters, joined forces with the two-year-old Kibbutz Daliya, and moved the factory 35 kilometers southwest from Haifa to the kibbutz. 

In 1954 we combined forces with neighboring Kibbutz Ramot Menashe. This partnership allowed us to grow and develop at a much faster pace than we could have done alone. Kibbutz Daliya and Kibbutz Ramot Menashe are located in the heart of a UN-recognized biosphere and we are proud that Arad is headquartered in such a special setting.

The name Arad is the initials of “Alliance Rakabi Daliya.”

We continuously added superior products to our lines and became the recognized leader in the Israel water meter market. In 1985 we took another huge leap forward when we set up Master Meter, our wholly owned US subsidiary. In the year 2000 we launched Arad Technologies, a division that is completely dedicated to developing software-defined water management platforms. So in addition to distributing our water meters in the US, Master Meter provides our US customers with advanced water management solutions.

With the company’s continuous growth in Israel and in new markets around the world, as well as with changes in the kibbutz’s organizational structure, the decision was made to go public. Since 2004 Arad’s stock has been traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (ARD).

Five years later, in 2009, we launched our first ultrasonic water meter, Octave. This very precise and stable bulk water meter was and still is surprisingly competitively priced.

Octave was well received around the world, supported by our newly established Asian subsidiary, Arad China (2009).

Towards the end of 2013 we partnered up with Contazara, the first manufacturer of smart water meters in Spain. Today Contazara is the largest vendor of water meters in the Spanish market, with a 40% market share.

In 2014 we released Allegro, our first end-to-end two-way AMI system that gives end users and utility operators real-time water meter data and control, wherever they are. Also, our partnership with Cicasa around the same time gave us a serious presence in the Mexican and Latin American markets. In 2016 we launched Sonata, our award winning residential ultrasonic meter.

Two years later, in 2018 we joined forces with WaterTech in Italy and Colombia to strengthen our total water management solutions in Europe and the Colombian market.

At the same year we entered the world of IoT and have never looked back. Using LoRa and other technologies we now offer fully automated and continuous water meter reading and control. Our smart IoT water meters integrate seamlessly with smart city initiatives around the globe.

One of our major achievements over the past 80 years is to meet the regulatory requirements of local markets. Whether it is the AS/NZS 4020 Certificate for Australia and New Zealand, the WRAS Certificate for the UK, or meeting the requirements of the American Water Works Association, Arad’s water meters and water management solutions are certified for installation around the globe.

These first 80 years have shown what determination, clear cut goals and hard work can accomplish. We have grown from a small machine shop to an industry leader, with five fully owned subsidiaries and sales representation in more than sixty countries worldwide. What once seemed like science fiction is now a reality. As we enter our ninth decade, we are confident that the future is ours.

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