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Richard Needham: More Research and Development Work Will Go to AsiaAsian countries which have already attracted basic production from western economies will present an increasing challenge in the battle for more sophisticated manufacturing work, a committee of MPs was warned yesterday.
Sir Richard Needham, deputy chairman of Dyson, the world's leading vacuum cleaner maker, and a former trade minister, said that Asian countries wanted to build up their ability to mount a challenge for research and development work.
"Ask me where we will be in 10 years' time, how much research and development work there would be in Britain and how much in the far east and I would say, looking at my crystal ball, that the majority would still be in England but there will be an increasing amount in Asia."
Centres such as Hong Kong were looking to develop their design capabilities by attracting top talent from educational institutions in the west, Sir Richard told the trade and industry select committee.
Dyson switched its vacuum cleaner manufacturing operations from Malmesbury in Wiltshire to Malaysia in 2002 but Sir Richard said it did not expect to move its R&D from the UK.
"We are a British company, we have British designers, British researchers, we all live here and we have no intention of changing that. You can never see [company founder] James Dyson living in Singapore.
more: www.guardian.co.uk/business/story... (65)
October 20, 2004 | Viewed 19,868 time(s)
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