Profile: Social-Hearted Industrialist

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THE photographer wanted sugar in his coffee. Robert Bischof, searching in his rented London flat, could not find any. The photographer suggested honey instead. Bischof was delighted. "A German would panic if he could not find sugar; a Briton would use honey!"

But if German-born Bischof is entranced by the British ability to improvise, he is appalled by other habits. And the way we run industry is top of his hit list.

Bischof is chairman of Boss Group - formerly Lancer Boss - the forklift truck company bought by Jungheinrich after a messy receivership in May. He has spent most of his career with the Hamburg company, almost all of it in Britain. As a result, he has …