Press Report : Employees have their say on Rover-Honda collaboration

John Cranage, Birmingham Post, 19th January, 2009

The story of what happened when Rover and Honda began an unprecedented collaboration in 1979 is told in the words of former employees in a new book. The partnership, which resulted in cars such as the Rover 200, 400 and 600, was one of the most ambitious and complex programmes of its kind.

It was a major step toward transferring Japanese approaches to so-called lean manufacturing to the West and affected the working lives of thousands of people in both companies. Each contributor to the book, When Rover met Honda – Insights and Memories, tells a different story, commenting on how it felt to be involved in what was a ground-breaking experiment.

The book is the brainchild of a former Rover executive, Mike Carver, and is co-edited by Nick Seale and Anne Youngson. The contributors include Japanese and British engineers from design and manufacturing, as well as people from other areas of the company – including finance and the shop floor – whose lives were affected. Honda, which now builds its own cars at a factory at Swindon, broke off the partnership when Rover was sold to BMW in 1994.

When Rover met Honda – Insights and Memories published by CSY Publishing, £14.99, through the Heritage Motor Centre (www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk), selected bookshops or csypublishing@virgin.net

[Source: Birmingham Post]

2 Comments

  1. Ahh, the golden age of modern Rovers: R3s, HHRs, 600s and 800s. How I wish that alliance had prevailed!

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