Professor Ian Smith and Professor Nikola Stosic

Enterprise winner

Current Staff

Both Professor Ian Smith and Professor Nikola Stosic formed the Centre for Positive Displacement Compressor Technology at City in 1995 which is now recognised as an international centre of excellence in twin screw machines.Twin screw machines consist of two co-rotating screws mounted inside a barrel which is used to create food, pulp paper and other compressed produce. As a result of their research in this area, Heliex Power Ltd, a spin out company was formed to commercialise their work in 2009.The collaborative work between Ian and Nikola sees Heliex systems sold across Europe in industries from glass and steel, to wood and agro-crop production, to petrochemical and chemicals. Heliex continues on its mission to cut energy costs in industry and boost sustainability in a multitude of sectors. Heliex has recently begun scaling up growth with development underway in Africa and South East Asia.In 2015 the Centre, now renamed the Centre for Compressor Technology, turned 20 year’s old, marking two decades of successful, sustainable and profitable industrial collaboration.