Just In Time Strategy
准时制策略
对话 Dialogue
I called this meeting today in order to discuss our manufacturing plan. As I’m sure you’re all aware, with the credit crunch, and the global financial crisis, we’re obligated to look for more cost efficient ways of producing our goods. We don’t want to have to be looking at redundancies. So, we’ve outlined a brief plan to implement the just-in-time philosophy.
今天召集大家开会，主要是讨论生产计划。大家都知道，信贷紧缩和全球金融危机下，我们必须寻找更经济的生产方式。我们不想裁员，所以初步制定了实施准时制生产的方案。
We have two basic points that we want to focus on. First of all, we want to reduce our lead time.
我们重点要抓两点。第一，缩短前置时间。
Why would want to do that? I think this is not an area that really needs to be worked on.
为什么要缩短？我觉得这块不需要花太多功夫。
Well, we want to reduce production and delivery lead timesfor better overall efficiency.
缩短生产和交付的前置时间，是为了提高整体效率。
Right, production lead times can be reduced by moving work stations closer together, reducing queue length, like for example, reducing the number of jobs waiting to be processed at a given machine, and improving the coordination and cooperation between successive processes. Delivery lead times can be reduced through close cooperation with suppliers, possibly by inducing suppliers to locate closer to the factory or working with a faster shipping company.
对，生产前置时间可以通过把工作站拉近、减少排队数量（比如减少每台机器等待处理的工件数）、加强前后工序的协调合作来缩短。交付前置时间则可以通过与供应商紧密合作，比如让他们迁到离工厂更近的地方，或者找更快的物流公司。
I see. That makes sense.
明白了，有道理。
The second point is that we want to require supplier quality assurance and implement a zero defects quality program. We currently have far too many errors that lead to defective items and therefore, they must be eliminated. A quality control at the source program must be implemented to give workers the personal responsibility for the quality of the work they do, and the authority to stop production when something goes wrong.
第二，我们要推行供应商质量保证，实施零缺陷质量计划。目前错误太多导致次品，必须消除。要实施源头质量控制，让工人对自己工作的质量负责，并在出问题时有权停止生产。
I’m with you on this one. It’s essential that we reduce these errors; we’ve got to force our suppliers to reduce their mistakes.
这点我同意。减少错误很关键，我们必须迫使供应商降低失误。
Exactly. Well, let’s look at how we’re going to put this plan into action. First...(fade out)
没错。那好，我们来看看具体怎么实施这个计划。首先……
完整节目 Full Program
Hello English learners! Welcome back to EnglishPod! My name is Marco.
And I’m Erica.
And we’re bringing you a very advanced lesson today.
That’s right. Um, we’re talking about another business topic, aren’t we?
It’s a topic that’s kind of popular these days all about efficiency and reducing costs. So, we’re gonna be talking about the just-in-time philosophy.
Um, I don’t know much about this philosophy, uh, so good thing we’ve got Marco here.
Hehe. Well, what we’re gonna be looking at is not really in-depth. We’re just gonna be looking at some basic points of what a just-in-time philosophy would be like in a company.
Uhu, but what we’re really gonna be looking at is the language to do with this philosophy, right?
Exactly. We’re gonna be looking at some, uh, technical terms, some, uh… and some other useful phrases that you can use when you’re talking in a business setting.
Okay, well, why don’t we get started with the language then?
Okay, let’s take a look at “vocabulary preview”. Voice: Vocabulary preview.
On vocabulary preview today we have the word lead time.
Lead time.
Lead time.
L-E-A-D. Lead. Lead time.
Right, like lead. This is something that factories usually would use.
Yep, yeah. I guess lead time is the time in between point A and point B in a production schedule, right?
Right, so, you could have, for example, production lead time.
So, that’s the time between when you make an order, um, and when the… the product is finished.
Exactly. And you could also have delivery lead time.
So, the time between when you place an order and when, uh, the product gets delivered to you.
So, depending on the companies you have differently time. Some are three days, other are five days…
Yeah.
Other are forty five days.
Hm, and we at EnglishPod have a two-week lead-time for our… our podcast, right?
But our delivery lead time is every other day.
That’s true.
Nice. Okay, that’s all we’re gonna be previewing today. So, why don’t we just listen to the dialogue and then we’ll come back and explain some of these, uh, tricky vocabulary words that we’ll see.
Okay, so, they’re gonna implement just-in-time in their company.
Yes! Yeah, I guess they’re putting in some… some cost control measures. So… so, Marco, there’s some great language in here, um, why don’t we look at it now in “language takeaway”? Voice: Language takeaway.
Okay, the first word today - redundancies.
Redundancies.
Redundancies.
Redundancies.
So, this is kind of a strange word, because usually a redundancy is when you’re speaking, right?
Um, yeah, maybe when you… you say something that’s already been said.
Exactly, you say something that has already been said, but we also use it in the busine ss world.
Right, and it comes from the base word redundant, right?
Okay.
Um, meaning “extra”, more than what’s needed.
Okay.
So, when a person or position is made redundant, um, basically it means they get laid off, right?
Right, so, redundancies are a synonym of… of layoffs.
Exactly.
Okay.
Yep.
Alright, let’s take a look at our next word - workstations.
Workstations.
Workstations.
Workstations.
So, workstation could be anything from your desk…
Yeah, or maybe a workbench.
A workbench.
Or even a place on a production line.
Right, so, your, uh… uh, certain machine or something like that.
Yeah, so, basically, a workstation is the area where you work.
Okay. Okay, so, you can say “can we get a new workstation for the new team member?”
Uhu. Or I could say, um, “I wanna move my workstation closer to my employees”.
Alright, so, workstation.
Uhu.
Okay, let’s take a look at our next word - at a given machine.
At a given machine.
At a given.
At a given.
This is an interesting way to say “at any machine”?
Exactly, um…
Okay.
Yeah, given here is operating exactly the say… same as… here the word given is operating exactly the same way as any.
As any.
Yep.
Okay, so, let’s listen to some examples of… of how we can change it up a little bit and we can use this given word. Voice: Example one.
In this factory how many cars are in production at any given time? Voice: Example two.
On any given day about forty million people use the Internet. Voice: Example three.
Firefighters have to be ready to attend an emergency at any given moment.
Alright, so, any given time, at any given moment.
Yep. Um, any given day.
Okay, now let’s take a look at our last word today - defective.
Defective.
Defective.
Defective.
So, if something is defective…
It has a problem with it.
It has a problem.
Yeah.
We can say defective is an adjective.
Right, and the noun is defect.
Defect.
Yep.
So, if something has a defect it is defective.
Right, so, for example, maybe you produce chairs and… and you… you make one and this chair is missing a wheel.
Okay, so, it’s defective.
Yes! The defect is the missing wheel.
The defect is the mi… Okay.
Uhu.
So, before we listen to our dialogue again, I wanna take a look at this phrase I’m with you on this one.
I’m with you on this one.
I’m with you on this one.
I’m with you on this one.
So, what does that… what does that mean exactly? I’m with you on this one.
I… I agree with you.
I agree with you on this point.
Exactly.
Okay. So if you agree with somebody on s… on a certain point you would say “oh, I’m with you on this one”, I agree with you.
Exactly.
Okay. So, now let’s listen to our dialogue again and, uh, we’ll come back and talk a little bit more about the history of this just-in-time.
Alright, so, Marco, I mentioned at the beginning of the lesson that I don’t know much about just-in-time.
Uhu.
Um, but luckily you do, right?
Hehe. Yeah. I… I know a little bit about it.
So… So, tell me a little bit about where this philosophy came from. What are the origins of this idea?
It actually became really popular with Toyota and it was called the Toyota Production System.
Uhu.
So, many people think it’s Japanese but in reality the Japanese got it from the United States. It’s a philosophy that was thought up by Ford Motor Company…
Yep.
In order to improve their production line, but when the Japanese visited Ford Motor Company it wasn’t fully implemented yet.
Uhu.
And, oddly enough, they found this philosophy working already in a Piggly Wiggly.
What’s a Piggly Wiggly?
Piggly Wiggly was a chain of, uh… of grocery stores in the United States.
Okay.
Uh, I’m not sure if they’re still around, but, um… but, yeah, they were really big and basically Piggly Wiggly was using this to improve their whole system of shipping and of stocking and everything.
Okay, so, how does it work?
So, basically, what you try to do is make your processes more efficient, reduce the amount of space you’re using, etcetera.
Yep.
And this was really important for Japanese because, of course, they don’t have that much space in Japan to have these huge warehouses like in other countries.
So, what you’re saying is they’re producing goods, um, just for the time they need it, right?
Exactly, so, trying to not be overstocked.
Yeah.
Or…
Or have like a long lead time or something.
Long lead times when you have to keep something… in a warehouse.
Like in a warehouse, yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah
So, that’s why it’s so efficient and also it’s about improving the efficiency between processes, so, uh, what sometimes called a bottleneck. You can have really good processes in the beginning…
Hm.
But in the end maybe you have only one workstation that’s taking all these orders and everything gets bottled up and… and it causes delay.
It’s slow, yeah. So, in the dialogue they want to implement the just-in-time strategy, um, as a way of avoiding redundancies, but it sounds to me like actually this might cause redundancies sometimes.
Hehe. Well, yeah, sometimes it does. Sometimes, um… sometimes when you make workstations more efficient or when you make all your processes work more fluidly, sometimes inevitably you will have to layoff some people that are… that are redundant.
Okay. Have you ever worked in a company where they’ve implemented, uh, just-in-time?
No, actually, I’ve never really worked at a place where this philosophy was working but… uh, I did used to work at a place where we had six-sigma which is, uh, kind of… which is a little bit similar.
Hm.
Yeah.
Well, I guess we’ll need a lesson on six-sigma in the future.
Hehe. Yeah, we’ll see if we come up with, uh, six-sigma and what it means and it’s kind of interesting, but, uh, we wanna hear what you think.
Yes! Have you guys worked in a place where, um, they… where they used just-in-time?
Exactly. Or if you have any quality control measures or how does your company avoid having defective items or defective services?
So, visit our website, uh, englishpod.com and Marco and I are always around to respond your comments and answer your questions.
Exactly, so, until then it’s…
Good bye!
Bye!
复习 Review
The English part audio review.
Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.
Make a person do something because it is the right thing to do.
Obligate.
Cheap, not expensive.
Cost efficient.
Play off the ending of worker's employment.
Redundancy.
Put a plan into action.
Implement.
The time between the beginning of a process and its end.
Lead time.
The ability to produce something more quickly.
Efficiency.
An area where a person works and does his job.
Workstation.
Use to refer to a specific time, place, or thing.
Given.
Having a mistake or error that makes something not perfect.
Defective.
A mistake or error that makes something not perfect.
Defect.
Supply of goods stored in a place.
Inventory.
The cost of holding inventory.
Perying cost.
Large building where products or goods are stored.
Warehouse.
The supply of goods for sale or available.
Stock.
Something that slows a process down.
Bottle neck.
Let's try that faster.
Having a mistake or error that makes something not perfect.
Defective.
Large building where products or goods are stored.
Warehouse.
The supply of goods for sale or available.
Stock.
Something that slows a process down.
Bottle neck.
The ability to produce something more quickly.
Efficiency.
Cheap.
Not expensive.
Cost efficient.
Supply of goods stored in a place.
Inventory.
Put a plan into action.
Implement.
A mistake or error that makes something not perfect.
Defect.
An area where a person works and does his job.
Workstation.
Make a person do something because it is the right thing to do.
Publicate.
The time between the beginning of a process and its end.
Lead time.
The cost of holding inventory.
Carrying cost.
Lay off.
The ending of workers' employment.
Redundancy.
Used to refer to a specific time, place, or thing.
Given.
Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.
Redundancy.
Our company is restructuring and it looks like we will have redundancies.
Redundancy.
I am sorry to inform you that you have become redundant.
Redundancy.
We have to prepare a plan to handle potential redundancies.
Lead time.
We offer a very low lead time at our factory.
You can get our products in less than three days.
Lead time.
The standard lead time for manufacturing tires is about one week.
Lead time.
Customers are complaining about our delivery lead time.
We should try and get the products to them faster.
Workstation.
We need to increase the number of workstations available for our employees.
Workstation.
We have a total of 20 workstations but two of them are not functional.
Workstation.
Jim.
You should clean up your workstation.
You have papers and garbage everywhere.
Given.
In this factory, how many cars are in production at any given time?
Given.
On any given day, about 40 million people use the internet.
Given.
Firefighters have to be ready to attend an emergency at any given moment.
Defective.
When I return this defective TV, it doesn't work.
Defective.
We try to reduce the number of defective products by having strict quality control.
Defective.
It seems that a defective light bulb was the cause of the fire.