He was given an inefficient cement plant to manage in Torren, about 350 kilometers west of Monterrey.

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After turning around the Torren plant and another in Monterrey, by the early 1980s Zambrano was battling his boss over who would run the company.

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For both Life shareholders, who wanted out, and Thermo, who can probably make the numbers work, this looks like a good deal, with limited downside and lots of potential upside if Torren does become a player in medicine, not just benchtop science.

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