Engineers at Caparo, the UK-based engineering company, are experimenting with using bamboo instead of metal in cars and aircraft. This surprising use of a plant usually associated with panda food underlines the innovation that Angad Paul, chief executive of Caparo, is trying to inject into the family-owned group founded 40 years ago by Lord Paul, his father.

His strategy of moving Caparo into more sophisticated areas of engineering and design, combined with expansion in India where the Paul family has its roots, illustrates how even established companies sometimes need to adapt.