Global reach, single focus

The Smardt team shares more than 25 years' experience working with power electronics, magnetic bearings and oil-free centrifugal chillers.

Pioneer and world leader in high-efficiency oil-free chillers

Smardt’s founder Roger Richmond-Smith and his technical partner Ron Conry started Turbocor oil-free compressor development in 1993 in Melbourne, Australia. Their team moved to Montreal, Canada, in 2000 to complete this breakthrough technology’s development and its 2003 commercial launch. Turbocor partnered with Danfoss in 2004 when Roger retired to academia in Paris. In 2005, he partnered with the U.K.’s Direct Energy to start Smardt as the world’s first chiller company dedicated solely to high-efficiency lowest-lifetime-cost oil-free centrifugals.

Today, Smardt’s pioneering commitment since 2005 has already dramatically cut global chiller energy consumption and owner operating costs with over 10,000 Smardt chillers now operating. This decarbonization and innovation campaign continues into the long term.

Company History

RED-Rochester — 2020
Vince Canino (ex Trane and GE, Smardt COO since 2014) becomes CEO. Ashraf Abdalla (ex Johnson Controls/York) joins as COO. Roger remains as chairman. New developments continue in heat exchangers (e.g. falling film evaporators, new air-cooled condensers); oil-free compressors (e.g. Turbocor’s VTX and R1233zd low-pressure technologies); system integration (e.g. D.C. microgrids, solar, thermal storage, heat pumps, district heating and cooling) and CPECS chilled water system optimization. Please stay tuned.

Global Management Team

Ashraf joined the Smardt Group in 2020 as Chief Operating Officer, COO and oversees the company’s global business operations across all functions & regions, as well as ensures the company has effective operational procedures and strategic vision.

Ash has over 30 years of experience in the HVAC & R industry in global leadership positions having worked and lived in Europe, North America, and Asia, including leadership positions in operations, commercial, product management, technology, and manufacturing at Johnson Controls, York International, Sauter Automation and Hussmann Refrigeration.

Guy joined the TICA Group in March 2020, having over 20 years of experience in turbo-machinery, HVAC, CFD, FEA, and expertise in centrifugal compressors, aerodynamics, simulations, and design optimization. Over the last 20 years, Guy served in leadership roles with Daikin and Trane in the United States. He was Daikin’s engineering manager, and was Daikin’s project manager and lead engineer for all Daikin centrifugal compressor design and development projects.

Guy holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from RMIT University, specializing in jet propulsion. Guy also holds a PhD in aerospace engineering from Michigan State University, specializing in turbo-machinery. Among his accomplishments, Guy received an award for the design of the world’s most efficient centrifugal compressor and was also the technical chair of the ASME Process Industries Division Compressor Committee.

Roger founded Smardt in 2005 and quickly grew the business into the world leader in high-efficiency oil-free chillers. Roger founded Turbocor, Inc. in 1993 with technical partner Ron Conry and as CEO, moved the business from Melbourne, Australia to Montreal in 2000. After the technology’s launch in 2003 and the business’s joint venture with Danfoss in 2004, Roger retired to academia in Paris.

Roger was founding CEO of the Multistack International business from 1988 to 1997, after serving as founding CEO of the global Disctronics optical media group (1984-1988) and a long career in market research, marketing and new product development in major advertising agency groups (Ogilvy, Masius, Saatchi).

Roger’s MIT master’s thesis is on mathematical modelling. His work at Harvard Law was specialist international. His Ph.D. is incomplete.