Kollekt U.S., Inc., a new U.S.-based provider of waste and recycling collection equipment, has named Marc de Smidt vice president of engineering and operations. With more than a decade of experience in the refuse industry, de Smidt will lead the establishment of Kollekt’s U.S. assembly operations and work with engineering partners to adapt equipment for the North American market.
De Smidt joins CEO Don Ross as one of Kollekt’s founding leaders. The two first started working together in 2017 on a project involving the integration of refuse truck chassis and bodies. “I’ve known Marc for years, and I’ve seen firsthand how he approaches engineering challenges,” said Ross. “He understands what it takes to develop a product and then make it work on the production floor and for real-world use. That experience will be especially valuable as we get our U.S. operations up and running.”
Originally from South Africa, de Smidt began his career working with heavy machinery and mining equipment before entering the refuse industry in 2014. He later joined a large American refuse truck OEM as chief engineer, where he helped lead the development of new refuse vehicle technologies which included the introduction of automatic emergency braking systems. His responsibilities eventually expanded to managing production operations at the OEM’s Birmingham, Alabama, facility. That experience gave him a different perspective on the engineering process because he was responsible for the entire process from design to fabrication.
“Engineering and operations often approach things differently,” said de Smidt. “Engineers design a product assuming someone can build it, and production teams have to figure out how to make that design work every day. I’ve been on both sides, and that experience has influenced how I approach engineering.”
De Smidt also spent time developing electric vehicles in California before returning to the refuse industry with New Way Trucks, where he worked in research and development.
De Smidt’s immediate focus with Kollekt will be getting the company’s new assembly operations in Greenville, South Carolina, up and running. He will oversee the development of production processes and work with U.S. chassis manufacturers to ensure Kollekt’s collection equipment is suited to North American specifications.
As operations develop, de Smidt will also help recruit and build Kollekt’s U.S. team. He and Ross have placed particular emphasis on creating a workplace where employees can contribute their expertise and take an active role in the company’s development.
De Smidt also sees the opportunity to help establish Kollekt as a chance to introduce collection technologies that have been used successfully in other markets. “We’re bringing technology to the U.S. that has already been proven elsewhere,” said de Smidt. “There’s a lot of work involved in adapting it to this market, but that’s what makes this opportunity exciting. I can’t wait to see these trucks on American streets, knowing we are taking crews out of harm’s way and into the cab, while fundamentally modernizing dense, high-volume collection.”