The Warwick Manufacturing Group has secured Kumar Bhattacharyya a place in the landscape of his beloved Midlands
one of Margaret Thatcher’s lieutenants, once proposed a “cricket test” to see how well assimilation was going. Did immigrants cheer for England or their country of origin? Kumar Bhattacharyya would have failed Lord Tebbit’s test—he liked to say that “I support England in the Test matches, except when they are playing India.” But he was one of the great Englishmen of his generation.
Born in Bangalore to a wealthy Brahmin family that had made its money in tea and steel, the young Mr Bhattacharyya moved to Britain in 1961 to work for Lucas Industries and study engineering at Birmingham University. He quickly fell in love with the country, despite finding the food inedible and the weather intolerable. But he worried that the object of his affection was bent on self-destruction. Academics looked down on industry. Manufacturing companies were in a dismal state.
The result was a powerhouse of research and training called the Warwick Manufacturing Group. It now has a staff of 650 carrying out cutting-edge research in everything from lean production to battery technology and allowing students to combine an academic education with working for local firms. The jewel in its crown, a 355,000-square-foot National Automotive Innovation Centre, is under construction.
Lord Bhattacharyya, as he became in 2004, also did more than anyone to persuade the Tata Group to buy Corus, an ailing steel giant, in 2007 and Jaguar Land Rover the year after. The second was a particular coup. Worried that Ford was planning to sellto a private-equity company that would gut it, Lord Bhattacharyya invited his good friend Ratan Tata to see what was on offer.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Man kills another man who tried to kiss him, gets off with anger management courseLGBTI group outraged at the “gay panic' defense used in the case.
Read more »
EU ready to give Britain more guarantees 'backstop' is temporary - BarnierThe European Union is ready to give Britain more guarantees that the Irish "...
Read more »
Iran condemns Britain for listing ally Hezbollah as 'terrorist' groupIran criticized Britain for its decision to list Hezbollah as a terrorist organi...
Read more »
EU ready to give Britain more guarantees 'backstop' is temporary: BarnierThe European Union is ready to give Britain more guarantees that the Irish "...
Read more »
After a no-deal Brexit, should Britain abolish all tariffs?Embracing unilateral free trade would lower consumer prices by only 1%, according to a paper from Sussex University
Read more »
Algerian protests, the world’s nearly-dead leaders and knife crime in BritainIn today's episode of 'The Intelligence': protests in Algeria, knife crime in Britain and the surprising perks of nearly-dead dictators
Read more »
Britain, EU locked in talks as Brexit vote nearsIntensive talks between the European Union and Britain are underway to help get ...
Read more »
Britain to grant jailed British-Iranian aid worker diplomatic protection
Read more »