Gas turbines, steam turbines, nuclear power plants, high-speed trains, these are the areas he believes Hitachi can still be aworldbeater, especially in the developing world.
Petrobras became a world-beater in offshore drilling only after two-fifths of its shares were floated on the stock exchange and it began to act more like a private company.
The English take so many team sports seriously that they do not have the time, the resources or the single-mindedness to be a world-beater at any one of them.
According to Mr Thomas, the reactor could be a world-beater in terms of capital costs, operating performance and running costs, and yet still be more expensive than new gas-fired plants.