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Buying Time 采购时刻

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Imagine if cars didn’t come equipped with any gauges. Drivers would never know for certain whether they were going to run out of gas, overheat or get stopped for speeding. Likewise, small business owners could rely on instinct to decide when to stock up on inventory, but it would be risky and inefficient. In larger companies with hundred of stock items or more, it is nearly impossible for purchasing managers to operate without systematic inventory management.

想象如果汽车没有任何仪表板，驾驶人就无从得知是否会没油、过热、或超速。同样地，中小企业老板可以仰赖本能来决定何时增加存货，不过这可能会有风险，也不够精确有效。大公司的存货项目可能超过数百项，采购经理若无存货管理系统协助他，几乎不可能运作。

Timing is an oft overlooked, but essential, aspect of inventory management. The most obvious risk associated with poor timing is a ‘stockout,’ or not being able to meet client demand because inventory is too low. This can cripple a firm through lost sales and damaged relationships. Conversely, overstocking inventory drives up costs for storage and insurance, and increases the risk of obsolescence (an especially big problem in the fast-paced tech industry).

存货管理中，时间常常是一项被忽视、但又极重要的因素。时间因素控管不好，会产生一项最明显的危机就是「存货不足」，无法配合满足客户的需求，公司因此被拖累，订单流失，与客户关系恶化。相反的，存货过多使公司仓储和保险成本上升，增加过时旧货、呆货的风险（对步调快的科技业而言，这是一项极大的问题）。

Unfortunately, figuring out the optimum time to place orders is never easy; demand forecasts are rarely spot-on and even ‘just-in-time’ orders can come in late. So remember the rule of thumb that roughly 80 percent of a firm’s income is earned from 20 percent of its products. As such, focus on getting the orders right for that crucial 20 percent.

很不幸，要搞对下订单的最佳时机是不容易的，预测需求很少能测个正准，连「及时生产」订单都可能来得不够及时。所以请记住这一条经验法则，任何一家公司，大约百分之八十的获利都是来自于百分之二十的产品，所以必须把重点放在拿到那关键百分之二十的订单。

Vocabulary

单词发音

gauge [gedʒ] n. 测量仪器；计量仪

for certain 无疑地; 确定地

stock up 囤积﹐ 贮存

inventory [ˋɪnvən͵torɪ] n.【美】存货; 库存

timing [ˋtaɪmɪŋ] n. 时间的选择﹐时机的掌握

oft【诗或正式】经常﹐时常

overlook [͵ovɚˋlʊk] v. 看漏；忽略

stockout <美> 存货售完

cripple [ˋkrɪp!] v. 使陷入瘫痪; 损坏；严重削弱

conversely [kənˋvɝslɪ] adv.【正式】相反地; 另一方面

obsolescence [͵ɑbsəˋlɛsəns] n. 过时; 淘汰﹐ 废弃

spot-on【英】【口】完全正确的；准确的 Informal absolutely correct; very accurate

just-in-time  刚好在顾客需要的时候提供物资或服务

rule of thumb  基本原则; 经验法则; 行事法则

Sentence of the Day

It's important to hedge your bets.

要注意两面下注，以防损失。

hedge one’s bets 两面下注(以防损失);

课文讲解

Sabrina is Bob’s boss at a company that assembles high-end notebook computer:  莎宾娜是鲍伯的上司，他们公司专做高阶笔记本电脑的生产线组合代工：

B: Sales of our competitors’ new mobile platform are killing our forecast. I think we’re going to have to place an order for new-model chips ahead of schedule.

竞争对手卖新行动平台的业绩那么好，我们的销售预测毁了。我想我们必须提前下订单，购进一批新型芯片。

S: No can do. Our money’s all tied up in the old-model chips you bought two months ago, sitting here in inventory. Why did you order so many?

完全没办法，我们的钱全被套牢，两个月前你购进的那批旧型芯片全都存在货仓里。当初你为什么进这么多？

B: It was what everybody wanted.

当时那可是人人都想要的货呢。

S: The operative word is “was.” With the new chips running nearly two percent faster, nobody wants those old chips now.

关键就在于你刚才说的「当时」，现在新新芯片跑得更快，快了几乎百分之二，没有人要旧芯片了。

B: We could bundle in a WLAN card with some of the notebooks. We’re going to be a bit overstocked soon on that front.

我们可以把有些笔记本电脑搭配装上无线网卡【注】，在那方面我们也有点存货过多了些。

S: OK, but do you realize how much it would be weigh?

没问题，不过你可知道这样做计算机的重量会变成多重？

B: Approximately 200 grams more than our competitor’s new models.

大概比竞争对手卖的新型货重约两百公克左右。

S: At our end of the notebook market, that much weight is a problem. I know I don’t want to lug around that extra weight.

在我们这样的笔记本电脑市场里，这个重量就是问题。我绝不想携着过重的东西到处跑。

B: Maybe buyers could be enticed if we lopped a little off the price.

若我们降点价，或许顾客就会动心。

S: We’re practically selling at a loss as it is. I’m starting to think we couldn’t give these chips away. Unless …. The chips are insured against theft, aren’t they?

老实说，我们目前已经是不计成本的卖了。我在想我们无法解决掉这批芯片，除非…这批芯片投保了窃盗险，到底有没有保啊？

B: You’re not suggesting …….

难不成妳是在暗示…

S: Of course not.

绝对不是。

【注】：WLAN 为 Wireless Local Area Network「无线局域网络」的缩写。

－by Charles Yonts

Vocabulary

单词发音

assemble [əˋsɛmb!] v. 配装，装

chip [tʃɪp] v. 集成电路片；芯片

tied up（东西）搁死的

operative [ˋɑpərətɪv] adj. 起作用的；有效的

overstock [ˋovɚˋstɑk] v. 进货过多

front [frʌnt] n.（政治，经济等的）方面

lug [lʌg] v. 使劲拉；吃力地携带

entice [ɪnˋtaɪs] v. 诱惑; 诱使

lop [lɑp] v. 删削[（+off）]

insure [ɪnˋʃʊr] v. 为……投保；接受保险[H][（+against）]

Sentence of the Day

He's on the spot.

他就在现场。

on the spot  在现场