the largest uk motorcycle manufacturer at the time was bsa-triumph, comprising birmingham small arms company in birmingham, and triumph motorcycles in meriden. bsa-triumph faced difficulties caused by poor management, outdated union practices, old-fashioned motorcycle designs and antiquated factory conditions. a merger with norton motorcycles was proposed; but although dennis poore's norton motorcycles was by far the smaller partner, poore effectively secured a take-over of bsa-triumph, forming norton villiers triumph (nvt). the triumph factory meriden was the least modern; but workers engaged in a "sit-in", forming a workers' co-operative. poore was ceo of manganese bronze holdings, a company apparently more concerned with asset stripping than with motorcycle production. subsequent political manoeuvrings led to the downfall of nvt, as taxpayer-assisted wranglings over amalgamations and sell-offs all but killed the once extensive uk motorcycle industry.