Read paragraphs D-G of the article again and answer these questions.

1.	What are the potential consequences for companies when there are short delays in the supply of critical components?
2.	According to the writer, what are the potential benefits for a company that can respond to customer needs faster than its competitors?
3.	What are the consequences for companies that fail to source good-quality components and have them delivered on time?
4.	According to Hakan Hakansson, what three qualities are important for making partnership between companies and their suppliers work?

 

Vocabulary

Match these words and phrases from the article (1-10) with their meanings (a-j).

1.	controversy		a)	relationships between companies who work together
2.	transition		b)	faults or imperfections
3.	continuity		c)	happening at exactly the right time
4.	consistency		d)	strong belief and willingness to do something
5.	timeliness		e)	continuing over time without interrupts or problems
6.	knock-on delays		f)	always being of the same standard
7.	defects		g)	a strong disagreement
8.	subsidiary		h)	a change from one situation to another
9.	partnerships		i)	a company owned by a larger company
10.	commitment		j)	when a delay causes several other delays, one after the other

 

Find words or phrases in the article with a similar meaning.

1.	whole (paragraph B)
2.	are connected with (paragraph C)
3.	very important (paragraph C)
4.	extensive (paragraph D)
5.	react (paragraph D)
6.	obtain (paragraph E)
7.	owned completely (paragraph F)
8.	honest and not secretive (paragraph G)
9.	work (paragraph G)

 

Find two expressions in Exercise 1 that are used to talk about timing.

 

Find three other expressions in paragraphs D and E of the article that refer to timing.

 

Think of at least two other words or phrases you can use to describe a delivery that was late.

 

6. Use words and phrases from Exercise B to complete this description.

Because our main supplier failed to deliver o ……… t ………¹, there were serious k ………- o ……… d ………² at each stage of the manufacturing process. The result was that the new Rimo X₉ was l ……… t ……… m ………³. In company like ours, t ………⁴ is of critical importance, so we must take action. Unless they can guarantee more t ………⁵ deliveries in future, we will need to find an alternative supplier.

 

Match the adjectives (1-8) with the nouns (a-h) to make expressions from the article.

1.	serious	a)	subsidiary
2.	strong	b)	delays
3.	entire	c)	relationships / partnerships
4.	widespread	d)	quality
5.	short / knock-on	e)	business
6.	critical / good-quality	f)	use
7.	high	g)	risks
8.	wholly owned	h)	components

 

Complete these sentences using verbs from the box in the correct form.

 

build

cause

have

respond

source

 

1.	Late deliveries of materials and components can __________ knock-on delays at each stage of the production process.
2.	Companies will be more profitable if they are able to __________ to customer needs quickly.
3.	Companies that only __________ components and materials from one supplier are putting themselves at risk.
4.	__________ good relationships with your suppliers is critical for ensuring consistent supplies.
5.	Nearly 25 per cent of the products in the last delivery __________ defects.

 

Find two more phrases in this extract from the article which are used to make comparisons.

Companies that can respond more quickly than the industry average can expect to be twice as profitable as their competitors. They can also expect to grow up to three times more quickly.

 

Use similar phrases to write your own sentences making the case for just-in-time manufacturing.

●	-er / more … than
●	twice / three / four times as … as
●	three / four times more …

 

Speaking practice

1.	What are the benefits and risks of sourcing materials and components through a network of suppliers? What steps can be taken to minimise the risks? Write a short report summarising your views.
2.	What practical steps can a company take to build strong relationships with its suppliers?
3.	Write an e-mail to a supply company. You have noticed a small increase in the number of defects in its last two orders. You are also concerned that the last order was late and are worried about the potential impact it could have on your ability to meet orders if this continues.

 

MODULE 2

УЭ – 1

 

SALES FORECASTING

I. Vocabulary Work