Company size. Company background. Training. Job responsibilities. Being in charge. Team-working. Hours and holidays. Shift systems. Diesel oil. e. The petrochemical industry

3. Company size

A:How many people does your company employ?

B:We have over sixty employees. We have about forty factory workers and technical people and the rest are admin and sales staff. We started off with only ten people so our workforce has grown a lot.

A:What’s your annual turnover?

B:It was just over two million Euros last year.

4. Company background

A:How long has the company been in business?

B:For over forty years. The original company – Davies Engineering – was founded in 1960 by the Davies brothers in a small workshop near Manchester. They closed down the workshop in 1980 and opened up a new factory in Leeds.

A:When did it become IABS?

B:In 1997 – when it was bought by a German company. They set up two more businesses in the UK.

A:What does IABS stand for?

B:International Air Braking Systems.

5. Training

A:What do you do?

B:I’m an apprentice with a local engineering firm. My training lasts for two years. Two days a week I study Engineering at a local college. If I pass all my exams, I hope the company will take me on as an engineer.

6. Job responsibilities

A:What does your job involve?

B:I’m the Project Manager so I have to make sure our projects run smoothly. I work with three Project Engineers. They take care of after-sales service and look after the maintenance side of the business.

7. Being in charge

A:I’m a foreman in our assembly shop. I’m in charge of about twenty-five assembly workers. I have to liaise very closely with our inspectors. It’s their job to check the quality of the work.

B:Who do you report to?

A:I report to the Shift Supervisor, and he reports to the Factory Manager.

8. Team-working

A:Tell me about how you work here.

B:We work in teams. There are about four to six people in each team. I’m training to be a team leader. Each team member is responsible for the quality of the goods we produce. We are multi-skilled so we can rotate jobs. I like that. It stops the work getting boring.

9. Hours and holidays

A:How many hours do you work a week?

B:I do a forty-hour week. I’m on flexi-time. I usually start work at 8 a.m. and finish at 4.30 and have half an hour for lunch. But I can start and finish earlier or later if I want.

A:And how many weeks holiday do you get a year?

B:Four – plus public holidays. I usually take two weeks off in the summer and the rest at New Year.

A:Do you do overtime?

B:Yes, if we’re busy. I’m paid double-time if I work at weekends.

10. Shift systems

A:What sort of shift-system do you operate?

B:We have a three-shift system – that’s three eight-hour shifts each weekday. We’re shut at weekends. This week I’m on early shift.

A:Do you ever have to do the night shift?

B:Yes, sometimes. I don’t like working nights – I have problems sleeping during the day.

 

 

Exercise 9. Write down a question from the dialogue for the following responses:

1. Who do you sell to?

We sell mainly to domestic packaging companies.

 

 

2.                                                                                                          

 

An electronics company called Eurotron.

3.                                                                                                          

 

We design jet engines.

4.                                                                                                          

 

We have over 1000 employees worldwide.

5.                                                                                                          

 

I’m a computer engineer.

6.                                                                                                          

 

My job involves liaising carefully with our production people to plan our production schedules.

7.                                                                                                          

I report to our shift supervisor.

8.                                                                                                          

 

I work on average thirty-five hours a week.

9.                                                                                                          

 

Just over two million dollars a year.

Exercise 10. Complete the sentences with a preposition:

1. I’m on the afternoon shift this week.

2. We produce components ….. the car industry.

3. Exports account ….. 70 per cent of total sales.

4. We have factories all ….. the world.

5. We specialize ….. top-of-the-range cars.

6. We’re trying to diversify ….. more expensive models.

7. What does IBM stand …..?

8. He’s responsible ….. Quality Control.

9. I’m in charge ….. the workshop. 10.Who takes care …..after-sales service?

11.I have to liaise ….. our production planners.

Exercise 11. Complete the sentences using a word from the box below:

Apprentice

components

flexi-time workforce

shift

turnover

 

operations

plant people       overtime

 

 

1. Our turnover this year will be about $500 000.

2. I’m doing............ this week so I’ll earn more money.

3. My son is an............ at a local furniture factory.

4. She works ………. so she can start work any time between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.

5. Our company has........... in more than twenty countries.

6. What............ are you on this week?

7. Our............. has been cut because we don’t have enough orders.

8. They manufacture electronic........... for computers.

9. Our maintenance............ do all our repairs.

10. DAK is opening a new car........... in the UK next year.

Exercise 12. Match the products and industries:

1. Diesel oil

2. Car components

3. Buildings

4. Drugs

5. Jet engines

6. Cardboard boxes

7. Semi-conductors

8. Gold

9. Cloth 10.Mobile phones

a. The pharmaceutical industry

b. The construction industry

c. The textile industry

d. The electronics industry

f. The aerospace industry

g. The               telecommunications industry

h. The automotive industry

i. The packaging industry

j. The mining industry

Exercise 13. Add a verb to the preposition to make a two-part verb:

1. The company is planning to openupa factory in China next year.

2. We will have to ………. onsome more machine operators as we are behind with orders.

3. Our IT people............ afterthe maintenance of our computer systems.

4. They had to ………. downtheir German factory because costs were too high.

5. I’m going to ………. offthe whole of July this year. I need a good holiday.

6. I would like to become self-employed and ………. upmy own car repair business.

Exercise 14. Add the if necessary to these geographical areas:

a. European Union (EU)

b. South-East Asia

c. China

d. South America

e. United States (USA)

f. United Kingdom (UK)

g. Russia

h. Western Europe

i. Germany

j. Middle East

Exercise 15. Match the following descriptions with one of the jobs below: