JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A malfunction in an advanced foreign-made production system that led to a shortage of Tnuva cottage cheese has highlighted a much larger challenge confronting Israeli industry. Manufacturers across the country report growing difficulties in bringing foreign technicians to Israel, as many specialists are refusing to travel to install, service, or repair critical industrial equipment.

A review by Ynet found that the problem extends across nearly every major manufacturing sector. Israeli factories rely heavily on imported machinery, making overseas technicians essential not only for installing new production lines but also for maintaining existing operations in industries ranging from steel and plastics to food production, including facilities that manufacture goods for export.

According to manufacturers, Israel’s international isolation is increasingly affecting day-to-day industrial operations. Many companies say foreign firms classify Israel as a war zone, preventing technicians from obtaining insurance coverage for work assignments in the country. In Italy, however, some manufacturers report that labor unions are refusing to allow their members to travel to Israel regardless of insurance considerations.

Asked what steps the Economy Ministry was taking to address the situation, the ministry responded: “The classification of Israel as a war zone is a diplomatic matter and does not fall under the ministry’s authority.”

Dr. Ron Tomer, former president of the Manufacturers Association of Israel and owner of pharmaceutical company Unipharm, said smaller manufacturers lacking strong engineering teams are especially vulnerable.

“We had a new machine worth 20 million shekels ($5.5 million), but with no technicians willing to come, we spent two months installing it remotely with guidance from Germany,” he said. “We had to set up an elaborate camera system so the European technicians could direct our engineering team over Zoom.”

Tomer noted that installation is only part of the challenge, as many sophisticated production systems require ongoing maintenance using proprietary equipment available only through foreign suppliers.

“We managed because we have a strong engineering department, and the supplier located a technician married to an Israeli,” he said. “We covered the cost of bringing him and his wife to Israel for two months, including their accommodation.”

He added that Israel manufactures very little of the specialized machinery used by its factories, leaving the country heavily dependent on overseas suppliers.

“For now, everyone is improvising,” he said. “The public notices only when cottage cheese disappears from supermarket shelves, not when a factory lacks a specialized blade for precision machining. This is an insane crisis that the Foreign Ministry must address.”

Shmuel Donnerstein, owner of the Rav-Bariach Group, described the situation as having severe consequences for new industrial investments. His company is constructing a glass-processing facility that requires dozens of foreign technicians to assemble its production lines. “The technicians are supposed to come from Italy, and they are not coming,” Donnerstein said.

He said efforts to recruit technicians from elsewhere had also failed. “We tried to find technicians from Colombia in South America, but the Population and Immigration Authority would not allow them to enter the country.”

As a result, a factory that had been expected to begin trial operations in July remains delayed. “After we thought everything had calmed down, we bought production lines from Italy, Austria, Spain and China,” he said. “Here too, the technicians do not come, and when they do, they leave as quickly as possible.”

Donnerstein added that one of Rav-Bariach’s door-frame production lines has been idle for a month because an Italian labor union has refused to approve sending technicians to Israel.

“How can you run a production floor when a major fault occurs in the middle of the night?” Donnerstein said. “Under the contract, they are supposed to fly technicians to us, but that is not happening. We try to make the repairs ourselves, but we are not always successful because this is not our field of expertise. Under these conditions, industry can’t operate normally.”

Tzuri Dabush, owner of aluminum systems manufacturer Klil, said his company purchased a new packaging line overseas about a year ago, but it remains unused because the foreign installation team has not arrived.

“The technicians were supposed to install the new line, which we have no experience operating, and to this day it has not been installed because they are waiting for the security situation to calm down,” Dabush said. “It is a major blow. The line cost millions, and all that money is now sitting in crates.”

While the official explanation cites insurance difficulties, Dabush believes fear is the real reason. “But the truth is that they are afraid to come,” he said. “If you were told to fly to Ukraine right now, would you go?”

He warned that the impact on manufacturing represents one of the less visible economic costs of the war. “Manufacturing has been hit extremely hard, and the country will pay for it in the future,” he said. “Some companies are seeing production disrupted, while others are deciding to build new lines abroad.”

Dabush also argued that Israeli industry faces structural disadvantages compared with Western competitors receiving significant government support and claimed some countries have intentionally disrupted Israeli supply chains. “Containers carrying Israeli exports are unloaded at transit ports, supposedly by mistake,” he said. “There are acts of sabotage that no one talks about.”

Avraham “Novo” Novogrotzky, president of the Manufacturers Association of Israel, said the issue has become apparent during visits to factories nationwide. “You see machines that are simply shut down,” he said.

While he believes training Israeli technicians is ultimately necessary, he acknowledged there is currently no comprehensive solution. “Israeli teams need to be trained, but for now there is no solution. Manufacturers that cannot find some kind of workaround are left with a machine that simply does not operate.”