UK auto industry gossip

[NDT]

This is vaguely off topic, but I am guessing that a lot of people in the UK automotive industry (consultancy, oems, suppliers) read this site as a lot of us (particularly those in engineering consultancy) are car enthusiasts...

what about a forum for news / gossip from the industry?

I'll start it off.... can anyone tell me who the senior Ricardo guy who resigned last week was?

[Marquis_Rex]

I'm not sure Nick, but I do know that Clive Hickman has joined TATA automotive UK. Do you know him?
He used to work at MIRA and Ricardo apparently

[Pickled Piper]

Yes I know him from many years ago.

Also, the latest news is that parking spaces at Jaguar Whitley are getting harder to find this is despite Engineers taking VR (voluntary redundancy) in droves before they get the push. Concensus is that its all the purchasing guys from Browns Lane.

What possible interest is this to general PH readers? How would you feel if some other sector of the car industry, dealerships perhaps, set up their own mini forum / clique?

pp

[dieseljohn]

Pickled Piper said:

What possible interest is this to general PH readers? How would you feel if some other sector of the car industry, dealerships perhaps, set up their own mini forum / clique? pp

What does it matter? There are loads of forums on here I'm not interested in. I just don't read them.

An auto industry forum would be quite interesting.

[runflat]

Only problem is that we're not allowed say what we're up to, I know I could get in serious trouble if I told something on here and it got back to my bosses. We have to sign an industry secrecy thing, so it might be risky for others too.

I'll post info from our quarterly mag though, that's industry news that's allowed

[runflat]

Oh and by the way it was Westhead.

[dieseljohn]

runflat said:

Only problem is that we're not allowed say what we're up to, I know I could get in serious trouble if I told something on here and it got back to my bosses. We have to sign an industry secrecy thing, so it might be risky for others too. I'll post info from our quarterly mag though, that's industry news that's allowed

I'm working on a flying car.

Oh sh*t I just told everyone.

[dieseljohn]

There must be enough of us on here to form our own consultancy. May be best if we don't have internet connections in the office though.

[DJC]

dieseljohn said:

There must be enough of us on here to form our own consultancy. May be best if we don't have internet connections in the office though.

Im game for that John.

[Worzel]

Westhead was retirement rather than resigned though. Shemmans takes his place.

[ridds]

Yep, Westhead's resigned, Hickman left and went to pastures new (just after recently being promoted too, usual story) and Shemans is next in line. His office is just 50 yads from me now. :lol

As for the rest of the gossip, I signed a bit of paper that tells me I can't tell you. It's a bit like speeding and bragging about it on the net, they catch you eventually and usually your boss will punish you harder than the old bill!

[bor]

I worked out of the same office as Clive Hickman about twenty years ago at Rover. Small world.

[Worzel]

Ridds said:

His office is just 50 yads from me now. :lol

And it would appear, yours is just 20 feet from mine......

[ridds]

Oi! Go and sort those Cats out!!!! They're still in that cupboard!

[Marquis_Rex]

bor said:

I worked out of the same office as Clive Hickman about twenty years ago at Rover. Small world.

I had assumed you were about the same age as me.....
20 years ago I was riding my Raleigh Grifter - and saving up for a BMX

[Worzel]

Ridds, have a plan to do just that, except with someone else doing the moving!

>> Edited by Worzel on Friday 25th November 11:07

[NDT]

Marquis_Rex said:

I'm not sure Nick, but I do know that Clive Hickman has joined TATA automotive UK. Do you know him? He used to work at MIRA and Ricardo apparently

yes, but I wasn't referring to Clive.
Or Rodney Westhead (whose retirement was announced months ago anyway).
I was tryin to get a bit of competitor info....