Johnson Controls International (JCI), a major supplier of ammonia (R717)-based industrial refrigeration equipment, yesterday announced the acquisition of M&M Carnot, a leading North American provider of CO2 (R744)-based industrial and commercial refrigeration as well as low-charge ammonia units.
The acquisition of M&M Carnot enables Johnson Controls to enter the growing market for industrial and commercial CO2 refrigeration in North America.
Based on Cork, Ireland, JCI makes ammonia-based compressors, chillers and heat pumps for commercial and industrial use from various sub-brands, including Frick, Hybrid Energy and Sabroe. In January, Johnson Controls announced the acquisition of the Norway-based Hybrid Energy to expand JCI’s offerings of high-temperature ammonia industrial heat pumps.
M&M Carnot, headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, manufactures industrial (cold storage and food processing) and commercial (supermarket) transcritical CO2 systems at its plants in Federalsburg, Maryland, and Trois- Rivières, Quebec, Canada. It also provides CO2 solutions to data centers and ice rinks. Its low-charge ammonia Pure Refrigeration packages are made in Federalsburg.
M&M Carnot formed from the 2019 merger of U.S. OEM M&M Refrigeration and Canadian OEM Carnot Refrigeration. In 2022, M&M Carnot acquired Logix, a Washington state-based provider of controls for the industrial refrigeration market.
“It’s an exciting time in our industry as we continuously seek new opportunities to accelerate the deployment and adoption of safe and sustainable solutions and services,” said Claude Allain, president, Johnson Controls HVAC/R and data centers, in a statement. “M&M Carnot is well-positioned in its ability to deliver ultra-sustainable industrial refrigeration solutions and will allow us to better serve our growing customer base in this vertical.”
“We’re excited to join global leader Johnson Controls to accelerate our passion for providing sustainable, natural refrigeration solutions that are safe for people and the planet,” said David Sholtis, CEO, M&M Carnot. “The support and resources of Johnson Controls will allow us to scale the business faster by bringing our innovative, environmentally friendly refrigeration and cooling technologies to a growing market in search of energy efficient, green technology. We believe that together, we’ll bring exciting new opportunities for our customers and employees alike.”
Ceremony for plant expansion
On June 14, M&M Carnot held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of phase one of its 50,000ft2 (4,645m2) expansion to its Federalsburg manufacturing plant for industrial CO2 packages.
The ceremony featured Maryland’s Secretary of Commence Kevin A. Anderson, Senior Business Development Nancy Lajoie, Federalsburg Mayor Kimberly M. Abner, and Executive Director of the Caroline County Chamber Tracey Snyder as well as county commissioners and many other local state government officials.
This new expansion, which creates over 100 new highly technical jobs, will be for manufacturing the Aquilon industrial CO2 package product line. The space has been configured to efficiently manufacture standard CO2 packages with an assembly line approach, “ensuring maximum quality and lowest lead times,” said M&M Carnot.
This expansion will be the first of others to come in the next 12 to 24 months, the company said.
“We are bringing safe, sustainable, energy efficient refrigeration solutions that help prevent global warming to be manufactured in Federalsburg, Maryland,” said Sholtis.
The Aquilon CO2 products provide end users with “alternative natural refrigeration solution to ammonia, while also removing the perceived complexity of CO2 solutions by offering a fully packaged system,” said M&M Carnot.
In April M&M Carnot began building Aquilon systems in the initial 25,000ft2 (2,323m2) factory space in Federalsburg, Maryland, with another 25,000ft2 in a contiguous area in development.
“We’re excited to join global leader Johnson Controls to accelerate our passion for providing sustainable, natural refrigeration solutions that are safe for people and the planet.”
David Sholtis, CEO, M&M Carnot
