Following the acquisition of U.S. OEM M&M Carnot by Ireland-based Johnson Controls International (JCI) on June 21, David Sholtis, CEO of M&M Carnot, said his company plans “to spend the coming months learning more about the business to identify ways we can maximize growth opportunities by leveraging the products and services Johnson Controls has to offer.”

Johnson Controls is a major supplier of ammonia (R717)-based industrial refrigeration equipment,  while M&M Carnot is a leading North American provider of CO₂ (R744)-based industrial (cold storage and food processing) and commercial (supermarket) refrigeration as well as low-charge ammonia units.

M&M Carnot, headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, manufactures its industrial and commercial 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.

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.

Based on Cork, Ireland, JCI makes ammonia-based compressors, chillers and heat pumps for commercial and industrial use from various sub-brands, including U.S,.-based Frick, Hybrid Energy and Denmark-based 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.

Sholtis said he sees the resources of Johnson Controls allowing M&M Carnot “to scale the business faster by bringing environmentally friendly refrigeration and cooling technologies to a growing market.” Asked about whether M&M Carnot would work specifically with Johnson Controls’ U.S. based subsidiary Frick, he replied, “We are still assessing the future opportunities and determining how the new brands will work together in the future.”

Sholtis noted that M&M Carnot brings expertise in transcritical CO₂ to Johnson Controls, allowing it to enter the growing market for industrial and commercial CO₂ refrigeration in North America. “Together, this will broaden and enhance the capabilities of our combined portfolio, thereby allowing us to serve more customers across holistic HVAC&R markets,” he said.

Following the acquisition, M&M Carnot will continue to operate under its name, though “we will begin to reference M&M Carnot, now part of Johnson Controls,” said Sholtis. In addition, there are no changes to the management or operational structure of either business. “M&M Carnot will report into the Industrial Refrigeration organization, part of the part of the Global Products function within Johnson Controls,” he said.

Low-charge ammonia units being built

In April M&M Carnot announced that, with four orders, it had started building low-charge ammonia (R717) packaged refrigeration units for industrial applications under its Pure Refrigeration line at its factory in Federalsburg.

The Pure Refrigeration line of configurable modular systems consists of three models: Pure Chill, Pure Freeze and Pure Cold. All three models have a low ammonia charge of 0.5lbs or less per TR (64g or less per kW) and are offered in sizes ranging from 50 to 200TR (176 to 703kW), according to the company’s website.

M&M Carnot introduced its Pure line of low-charge ammonia units in a “soft launch” over the past year, and “is now starting to get orders,” Jamie Young, COO of M&M Carnot, said at a vendor meeting in April near its headquarters in Annapolis, Maryland. The company received its first Pure order last December, followed by three in 2023.

“Together, this will broaden and enhance the capabilities of our combined portfolio, thereby allowing us to serve more customers across holistic HVAC&R markets.”

David Sholtis, CEO of M&M Carnot