Michelin Tyre Plc has appointed Carl Williams as customer engineering support team manager UK & Ireland across all product lines.

Michelin Tyre Plc has appointed Carl Williams as customer engineering support team manager UK & Ireland across all product lines.

He will take over from Rob Blurton, who is set to retire from Michelin at the end of September after 44 years with the business – the majority of which has been spent supporting truck and bus fleet customers.

Williams, who is a Michelin veteran of 36 years, moves into the role after nearly three years as a beyond road regional sales manager.

He originally joined Michelin in 1987 on a youth training scheme modern apprenticeship, developing his career to take on roles including regional fleet account manager, external training instructor and training centre manager.

During his time with the training department, he spent a fortnight on secondment with international development organisation Transaid in Tanzania – which involved working with professional driver trainers within the truck and bus sector to highlight how better tyres mean safer roads, and safer roads mean fewer casualties.

Williams said: “I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead, and the opportunity to work with our technical managers across all areas of the business, from two-wheel and four-wheel B2C, to our on-road and off-road B2B fleets.

“In many ways, this is my dream job within Michelin. I get to support all product lines, lead a fantastic team, and put my three and a half decades of experience with the company to best use.”

Blurton will retire after a long career with Michelin, which began aged 18 as a direct-entry technician apprentice working within its Stoke-on-Trent factory. More recently he has spent the last five years heading up the technical team, prior to which he was part of the wider Michelin technical team for more than 40 years.