Abbey Logistics Group has appointed Motor Transport Hall of Fame resident David Batty to lead its engineering department.

Former chief operations engineer of supermarket Somerfield, Batty joins the company with more than 40 years of industry experience.

He was awarded the Motor Transport Award for Service to Industry in 2007, and earlier this year was inducted into the Scania-sponsored Motor Transport Hall of Fame.

At Abbey, Batty will be responsible for the company’s maintenance depots across the country, and manage the company’s fleet of vehicles, trailers and tankers.

He will also oversee the purchase of new vehicles, to make sure the company buys those best-suited to its and its customers’ needs.

Abbey Logistics Group chief executive Steve Granite said: “David possesses a unique mix of skills and experience that strengthens our commitment to engineering excellence.

“His knowledge will ensure engineering supports the overall group strategy to drive efficiency in every area and provide our customers with the certainty that they are receiving the very highest engineering standards in the industry.”

Abbey recently welcomed former Suttons MD Andrew Palmer to its management team.