Tecumseh Appoints Jay Pittas New CEO, Strengthens Leadership Team

U.S. manufacturer Tecumseh has strengthened its global leadership team, appointing Jay Pittas as CEO, with previous CEO Doug Murdock moving to a new position as President of the Americas, and Ricardo Maciel joining as president of EMEA and Asia, the company announced in a statement in December.

Tecumseh manufactures hydrocarbon condensing units and specializes in hermetic reciprocating, rotary and scroll compressors using refrigerants like propane (R290) and isobutane (R600a). 

Pittas has been the chair of Tecumseh’s board of directors since April 2020. He previously served as President and CEO of Remy International, a manufacturer of automotive parts, and as President of Wolverine Specialty Materials, which supplies coated metals for automotive and electronic applications. 

Murdock was previously Tecumseh CEO for five years. Maciel is a former CEO of Secop.

“As we all work through these most challenging times, Tecumseh is taking every step possible to further strengthen our leadership team and in turn strengthen the service we deliver to our customers,” Pittas said. “The steps we’re announcing today speak to that commitment.”

In October 2020, Tecumseh introduced a new series of smaller, more efficient R290 compressors suitable for food retail applications like display cases, reach-in coolers and ice machines. The AL series has a 15% better energy efficiency and is roughly 5% smaller in height than similar products, Tecumseh stated at the time.

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