Development of industry-utilised software during a 50-year career helps Ray Smith earn major BCIA award

Having spent more than five decades pushing the boundaries of innovation in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) control technology, Ray Smith, previously Technical Director and co-owner of Lloret Control Systems, was the deserving winner of this year’s Building Controls Industry Association’s (BCIA) Outstanding Contribution award.

Involved in the design, manufacture and commissioning of BMS control panels since 1971, Ray was the key driving force behind the development and implementation of ACE software – now more commonly known as SET and still utilised as a Trend configuration tool across the built environment industry today.  

Recognising the individual who has made a consistent and significant contribution to the development, reputation or growth of the building controls and BEMS industry and demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting the industry as a whole, the award rightfully acknowledged Ray Smith’s outstanding service and innovation.  

In fact, this year’s elegant awards ceremony, held at the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham on 1st May, was the perfect setting to recognise what has been such a remarkable career in the building controls and automation sector.

The entry

Since 1971, Ray has been hands-on in the designing, manufacturing and commissioning of BMS control panels and technology, converting pneumatic control to analogue.

In the 1980s, he designed automated systems for plant rooms and then pioneered the use of PLC technology for HVAC applications.

This knowledge and experience were fundamental for him working on some very complex and technologically advanced projects, such as the delivery of dual redundancy control for the BBC TV Studios. Consequently, Ray’s work has helped prevent any disruption to broadcasting to this day.

Sanj Selli, Business Development Manager at Danfoss Ltd, highlighted Ray’s extensive expertise and inspiration to others in the industry. He said: “I have worked with Ray for more than 10 years. He’s a visionary. He’s inspirational and a role model for all young engineers with his knowledge and chain of thought for solving the toughest challenges on BMS and Fieldbus designs.”

Why they won

With a passion for engineering, Ray Smith founded Lloret Control Systems in 1983 with one key question in mind – “is there a way to make this easier?”

That prompted him to adopt Trend Control Systems’ products when they entered the market in 1984. In fact, he was one of the first people to do so.

The early IQ1 controller was often time-consuming to configure, leading Ray to observe similarities to his early adoption of AutoCAD and having to create batch files using tech-streams to enable him to print drawings overnight.

Ray used the same idea of creating a tech-stream to configure the Trend controllers, reducing the time it took to program.

Consequently, he worked alongside Trevor Marsden at Trend Control Systems to develop the code and create an automated Trend wiring diagram. The concept for this was originally entitled ‘ACE’, with Ray selling his design to Trend Control Systems in 1985.

The ACE software eventually evolved into what is now known as SET and is still the basis of the Trend configuration tool that’s utilised across the world today.  

Graeme Rees, Global EcoXpert Leader – Building Automation & Security at Schneider Electric, revealed how Ray’s innovation and expertise had shaped the industry. He said: “Ray has been a central figure in the intelligent building controls industry for 50 years or more. During this time, he has always been an innovator and leader.

“His drive and innovative mindset not only changed the approaches made by numerous manufacturers; they also (as a result) shifted the industry as a whole.”

Ray described the impact winning the award has had for him, “Being nominated and then becoming the recipient of this prestigious award has led me to consider what responsibilities we all own to ensue within the next generation.

I would suggest we should all:-

Aspire, inspire, innovate, push the boundaries, challenge the norms, remember there is always a better way and then leave a legacy of success.”

Find out more about the BCIA awards