Terry M. Murphy, executive vice president and chief financial officer of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS), has announced he plans to retire from the global manufacturer of electric motors and water heaters effective May 1.<br /><br />“Terry has brought a financial discipline to the company focused on cost reduction, working capital management, cash generation, and the use of return on invested capital to measure our company’s performance,” Paul W. Jones, chairman and chief executive officer said.<br /><br />“Our shareholders have benefited from his vigilance as demonstrated by the fact that A. O. Smith’s returns on invested capital have exceeded the company’s cost of capital in each of the five years he has been with the company,” Jones continued.  “We wish him well as he enters this new phase of his life.”<br /><br />Murphy, 62, joined A. O. Smith in January 2006 after serving as senior vice president and chief financial officer of Quanex Corporation of Houston, Texas.<br /><br />The company also announced that John J. Kita, 55, senior vice president-corporate finance and controller, will succeed Murphy on May 1.