Keter Group: founded 1948 in Jaffa by Sami Sagol. World's largest resin consumer products manufacturer. 20 plants in 10 countries. 80% sold to BC Partners in 2016 for $1.7 billion.
From a Jaffa Workshop in 1948 to the World's Largest Resin Consumer Products Company
Keter Group (קבוצת כתר), formerly Keter Plastic, is the Israeli multinational that Sami Sagol built from a small plastics workshop in Jaffa in 1948 — the year of Israel's founding — into the world's largest manufacturer of resin-based consumer products. In July 2016, private equity firm BC Partners and Canada's PSP Investments acquired 80% of Keter for €1.4 billion (approximately $1.7 billion), with the Sagol family retaining a minority stake.
Today, Keter operates 20 manufacturing plants across 10 countries, employs approximately 4,900 people, distributes products in more than 100 countries through 25,000+ retail outlets, and holds leading market positions in resin outdoor furniture, storage solutions, and garden products — with an estimated 26.4% market share in Europe and 15.3% in North America.
Sami Sagol and the Jaffa Workshop: 1948
Sami Sagol (סמי סגול) founded Keter Plastic in 1948 amid the economic chaos of Israel's independence. The first workshop was in Jaffa (יפו) — a small operation producing basic plastic products for the young state's growing domestic market. Sagol built the business over six decades, expanding from household items into outdoor furniture, garden storage, tool organization, and home accessories.
The transformation was gradual but total. By the 2000s, Keter had become a vertically integrated manufacturer — designing, engineering, injection-molding, and distributing resin products at industrial scale. Sagol's strategy: move up from commodity plastics into design-driven consumer products that compete on aesthetics and functionality, not just price.
Key to Keter's growth was its innovation rate — at the time of the BC Partners acquisition, 50% of revenues came from products launched in the previous three years.
The BC Partners Acquisition: 2016
In July 2016, BC Partners (a London-based private equity firm) and PSP Investments (one of Canada's largest pension investment managers, with over $116 billion in net assets) acquired a majority stake from the Sagol family. The transaction valued Keter at approximately $1.7 billion.
The Sagol family retained a minority stake and reinvested alongside BC Partners. The deal was one of the largest industrial buyouts in Israeli history — and one of the rare cases where an Israeli manufacturing company (not technology, not pharma) commanded a multi-billion-dollar valuation.
Global Manufacturing Footprint
Keter operates 20 manufacturing plants in 10 countries: Israel, the United States, Canada, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. North American plants are located in North Carolina, Indiana, Pittsburgh, and Milton (Ontario, Canada).
Product categories include outdoor furniture (Adirondack chairs, sun loungers, benches, rocking chairs), deck boxes, outdoor storage sheds, planters, cabinets, shelving units, tool organization systems, kitchen carts, and cool bars. Keter is one of the world's largest manufacturers of the monobloc chair — the ubiquitous stackable plastic chair found on patios worldwide.
Proprietary technologies include DUOTECH and EVOTECH — resin engineering systems that enhance the look and feel of plastic furniture, giving it a wood-grain or wicker-like appearance while maintaining the durability and weather resistance of resin.
Sustainability and Recycled Content
In 2021, Keter partnered with UBQ Materials — an Israeli climate-tech company that converts household waste into a thermoplastic substitute — to increase the use of recycled content in Keter products to 55% by 2025. Five of Keter's manufacturing plants achieved zero landfill waste by 2022.
The Sagol Legacy
Sami Sagol is one of the least-known Israeli industrialists of his generation — a founder whose products are in millions of homes worldwide but whose name is almost entirely unrecognized by the consumers who buy them. His philanthropic footprint is concentrated in neuroscience and longevity research: the Sagol Network funds 12+ Israeli research centers across brain science and aging.
Keter's current CEO is Udi Sagi. The chairman is Zachi Wiesenfeld. The company is headquartered in Herzliya (הרצליה).
Key Facts
Founded: 1948 · Jaffa (יפו), Israel
Founder: Sami Sagol (סמי סגול)
Headquarters: Herzliya (הרצליה), Israel
Ownership: Majority: BC Partners + PSP Investments (since 2016) · Minority: Sagol family
Acquisition valuation: ~$1.7 billion (€1.4B) for 80% stake
Employees: ~4,900
Manufacturing: 20 plants in 10 countries
Distribution: 100+ countries · 25,000+ retail outlets
Market share: ~26.4% Europe · ~15.3% North America (outdoor resin products)
CEO: Udi Sagi · Chairman: Zachi Wiesenfeld
Key technologies: DUOTECH · EVOTECH resin engineering
Sustainability partner: UBQ Materials (Israeli climate-tech)