Match the companies to the products they manufacture. Think of adjectives that match the products.

Use the model: TheBelarusian Autoworks is the company that manufactures (produces, makes) reliable mining dump trucks.

company	describing adjective	product
Minsk Automobile Plant	well-made	fuel oil, gasoline, diesel fuel
Instrument-making plant ‘Izmeritel’	reliable	power transformers, transformer substations
Minsk Motor Plant	high-quality	integrated circuits, semiconductor devices
‘Naftan»’OJSC	competitive	incandescent bulbs, energy-saving bulbs
‘Integral’ JSC	high-tech	fridges, freezers, automatic washing machines
Minsk Bearing Plant	high-performance	fifth-wheel tractors, drop-side trucks, buses, chassis
Minsk Electrotechnical Plant	safe	dashboards for trucks, taximeters, relay-brakers
Brest Electric Lamp Plant	good-quality	diesel engines
‘Atlant’ CJSC	excellent	ball bearings, spherical roller bearings

OJSC – Open Joint Stock Company – Открытое Акционерное Общество (ОАО)

CJSC – Closed Joint Stock Company – Закрытое Акционерное Общество (ЗАО)

PA – Production Association – Производственное Объединение

Exercise 2.

Work in pairs. Your friend has just read the text ‘The Industry of Belarus’. Interview him about one of the leading branches of national economy (automotive engineering, tractor and agricultural engineering, radio-electronics, electrical engineering, chemical and petrochemical industry). Ask about:

- the leading enterprises in this sector …

- the kinds of products the industry specializes in …

- if the companies produce competitive products …

- where the manufacturing output is exported …

 

Useful Language Do you happen to know… As far as I know… I wonder if… If I’m not mistaken… I’d like to know (if)… If I remember right… Could you possibly tell me… It seems to me… One more question to you… Let me think…

Use the model:

- Could you tell me what kinds of products light industry specializes in?

- If I’m not mistaken it specializes in clothes made of cotton, flax and wool.

Exercise 3.

Have you ever been inside a factory? Describe what you saw and your general impressions. If you haven’t been there yet describe what happens in the different areas of the factory using your general knowledge. Use expressions from the Useful language box to help you.

 

Useful language A typical factory includes (consists of)…, to be located, to be situated in an industrial zone, the main production area (line), a machine hall (workshop), an assembly shop, a warehouse, a packing line, the gatehouse, large machinery, production process is fully (partially) automated, to roll off the assembly line, the conveyor belt transports goods around the factory, to run at full (half) capacity, some of the work is still done manually, to pack by hand, to wrap and load onto pallets

 

Exercise 4.

Put the words in these questions in the correct order. Then match them with the answers to make a dialogue.

1. your / does / exactly / what / do / company?

2. kind / are / company / what / of / you?

3. are / markets / your / biggest / where?

4. do / many / plants / you / how / have?

5. company / people / employ / your / many / does / how?

6. has / long / in / how / been / business/ the company?

7. business / well/ going / is?

a. We export to Eastern Europe. Our domestic market accounts for about 40% of our total sales.

b. We manufacture electric generators for hospitals and small factories. We are among the largest in the country.

c. Yes it is, the company is doing well. It has a growing position in the market.

d. We’re a Joint Stock Company.

e. We have over 500 employees.

f. For over thirty years. The original company – NT Engineering – was founded in 1981.

g. We have five domestic plants and a number of technical support centers across Europe.

 

Exercise 5.

Role-play. Work in pairs. Student A: company’s executive. Student B: interviewer. You are discussing the company Student A works for. Use the notes below and expressions from Exercises 2 and 4 to prepare for the conversation.

Company	Company’s history	Products	Workforce	Markets
BeLAZ OJSC	1946 – the year of foundation; 1950 – the first trucks were produced	Mining dump trucks, special purpose vehicles, road building equipment	12000 people; four domestic plants	25% of the world mining dump trucks market, 70 countries, the largest consumers are Russia and the Ukraine
Minsk Tractor Works PA	1946 – the year of foundation; 1953 – the first wheeled tractors were produced	Wheeled tractors, caterpillar tractors, municipal vehicles, forestry vehicles, minitractors	30000 people, 8 domestic factories, technical support centers all over the world	10% of the world wheeled tractors market, 60 countries, such as Russia, the Ukraine, China, India
Belshina OJSC	1965 – the year of foundation; 1972 – the first tires were produced	Tires for cars, trucks, buses, tractors and agricultural machinery	12000 people	Russia, Europe, Middle East, North and South America
BMZ PA	1982 – the year of foundation; 1984 – the first steel products were made	Steel cord, pipes, cast-iron casting, wire production	12000 people, 3 domestic plants	Russia, Poland, Germany, Sweden, the USA
BelOMA OJSC	1957 – the year of foundation	Optical and opto-electro­nic devices, lenses, loupes, night vision devices	More than 1000 people	Russia, Germany, China, the USA, domestic consumers
Minsk Motor Plant PA	1963 – the year of foundation	Diesel engines for cars, buses, tractors, dump trucks	2000 people, 6 domestic plants	Russia, the Ukraine, domestic consumers such as MAZ, BeLAZ, Minsk Tractor Works
Minsk Automobile Plant OJSC	1944 – the year of foundation; 1947 – the first trucks were produced	Fifth-wheel tractors, drop-side trucks, buses, chassis	26000 people, 7 domestic plants, technical support centers all over the world	More than 30 countries the largest consumers are Russia and CIS-countries, Eastern European countries

Exercise 6.