JLR: Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya backs Tata
And in the process Tata got through its most pressing period, financial markets are freeing up, a few more car buyers are starting to dip their feet into the water and now the group feels able to chart its own course.
Such positive action shows how strong and robust Tata is. It is a happy ending all round.
It no longer matters who was at fault.
And I accept there has been a history of previous crises when the car industry cried wolf.
But this was not about aid. Loan guarantees were only being sought because normal international commercial lending had frozen solid.
However it is difficult to change perceptions. So one can understand the reticence of the Government and how it has taken time for it and the public to appreciate the different circumstances.
What does matter is keeping the West Midlands at the forefront of the car industry. Nobody wanted the sort of ill-judged outcome which befell MG Rover.
I was one who felt strongly that JLR should be purchased by Tata, so it was becoming on me, and a moral commitment, to highlight the company’s plight and stress the importance for the West Midlands and the whole country that it survived.
And I would like to thank the Birmingham Post and Mail for taking up the campaign. Their impact was vital in terms of focusing minds while also showing Tata how much goodwill existed towards them. As an Indian company, new on the scene, they wanted to be sure they were welcome.
And welcome they are.
Had private equity purchased JLR it could have been a completely different story. Thousands more JLR jobs would probably have gone, the model programme – preserved by Tata – would most likely have been savaged, and the company itself would no longer be in existence.
Change is still going to happen – as Post editor Marc Reeves has commentated, JLR’s break-even level is far too high and must be lowered.
Nevertheless, the future is bright.
This is not about green shoots; it is about flowering in all seasons.
