Engine 'detox' specialist EDT Automotive has recruited Jon Tatnall, formerly dealer principal at Yeomans Peugeot and Hyundai in Hastings, as its national sales manager.

A motor trade man through and through, Tatnall started his career as a trainee sales executive at Sidlow Group, before taking increasingly senior roles at Lifestyle, Pinewood and Pendragon.

Shortly after becoming dealer principal at Yeomans in 2013, Tatnall discovered EDT during a profit clinic for Peugeot general managers at Charters in Aldershot. Within two weeks he had an EDT machine installed at Hastings.

The former EDT customer will now head a team tasked with growing the company’s UK network. He will report directly to EDT managing director, David Holmes.

Tatnall said: “In these days of exhausted revenue streams, EDT is close to a fairy tale. The ‘detox your car’ message is very effective. At Yeomans we were doing 25-30 treatments a month, earning a healthy profit on each job card.

“As well as providing a new professional challenge, joining EDT gives me the change in lifestyle I was looking for. My previous role was very dealership-based, whereas my time will now be split between working from home and being out on the road meeting everyone from vehicle manufacturers to small business owners.

“My target is to add 65 more UK sites in my first year. Filling open points in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is our top priority. We’ll also be looking to recruit regional managers to serve our expanding network.”

With an effect likened to descaling a dishwasher, the hand-built EDT machine is claimed to clean petrol or diesel engines with an environmentally friendly solution.

The company says it takes 13 minutes to remove up to half a litre of thick black sludge (carbon and metallic particles, varnish, even the odd broken-off dipstick) - substances that are usually missed in an ordinary oil change.

David Holmes, managing director at EDT Automotive, said: “We are delighted that Jon has agreed to become our national sales manager.  Having run a successful dealership with a busy aftersales department, he understands our workshop partners’ needs. The fact that he was a customer first speaks volumes about the quality of the product, our approach to business and where this company is headed. To misquote Victor Kiam, he liked EDT so much he decided to join us!”

EDT operates a pay-as-you-go model similar to a vending machine company, providing the unit, sales and technical training, the consumables and ongoing support.