Hanson plc bought companies, culled them, and brought them back to life. Lord Hanson was the head of the company, and a controversial character, along with Gordon White, an even more controversial figure. They had a nose for value and waste, and were good at creating good viable companies from under-performing industrial companies.
Key to the Hanson philosophy, and the reason they walked away from an opportunity to acquire Avis, the car rental company, was that they believed "never risk more than you can afford to lose."
