灵格风英语5.2：The.Language.of.Busines

TWO

 

A Visit to the Factory

 

(In Hector Grants office.)

 

Elisabeth Corby:

Good morning, Mr. Grant.

 

Hector Grant:

Good morning.

 

Elisabeth:

I've just had a Mr. George Duncan from Glasgow on the phone.

Apparently our customer Mr. Macpherson suggested he came to see you.

 

Grant:

Oh, he did, did he!

Well, I can't think any friend of his will make the company's fortune.

 

Elisabeth: 

He said he would like to see you this afternoon and visit the factory.

 

Grant:

Did he indeed?

If he's like Macpherson he'll take up the whole day and then order one chair.

 

Elisabeth: 

Perhaps I could take Mr. Duncan round the factory for you.

 

Grant: 

All right.

You take him round first, and then I'll see him afterwards.

But you'd better interrupt me after fifteen minutes and remind me that I've got another appointment.

 

Elisabeth:

Yes, I will, Mr. Grant.

 

(At the reception desk.)

 

Duncan: 

Good afternoon.

I want to see the Managing Director, please.

 

Reception girl: 

Good afternoon.

Have you an appointment?

 

Duncan:

Of course.

I wouldn't be here if I hadn't.

 

Girl:

What is your name, please?

 

Duncan: 

Duncan.

 

Girl:

Just a moment, please.

Miss Corby?

I have a Mr. Duncan here to see Mr. Grant.

He says he has an appointment.

Yes...

Yes, I will.

Mr. Duncan, would you take a seat, please.

Mr. Grant's secretary will be down in a moment.

 

Duncan: 

Thank you.

I hope she won't be long; I haven't much time.

 

Girl:

She's on her way now.

 

Duncan:

Good.

 

Girl:

Here she is.

 

Elisabeth:

Good afternoon, Mr. Duncan, I'm Elizabeth Corby, Mr. Grant's secretary.

Would you like to see round the factory first?

 

Duncan:

Yes, I would...

 

Elisabeth: 

Now this is our office block.

We have all the administrative departments here: Sales, Accounts, Personnel, Market Research and so on.

 

Duncan:

What's that building opposite us?

 

Elisabeth:

That's the warehouse where the larger items of office equipment are stored.

We try and keep a stock of the faster-moving Items so that urgent orders can be met quickly from stock.

 

Duncan:

If I ordered a desk today, how long would it be before I got delivery in Scotland?

 

Elisabeth: 

I think perhaps you'd better speak to our Works Manager, Mr. Fielding.

You'll meet him when we go over to the factory.

We'll go there now.

 

(In the workshop.)

 

Mr. Fielding: 

This is one of our three workshops.

This is the delivery bay here.

 

Duncan:

Oh, yes.

 

Fielding: 

The steel sheets and bars come in, as you see, in different sizes and are unloaded on to the delivery bank here.

We buy them in from a steelworks in Wales.

This machine here is a spot welders and this is the new conveyor belt which. we had installed last year.

We doubled our output in this department as a result.

 

Duncan:

Oh, really?!

 

Fielding: 

I'll take you to the assembly shop...

 

(In Mr. Grant's office.)

 

Grant: 

Now Mr. Duncan, what can I do for you? I understand that you're a friend of Jock Macpherson's.

 

Duncan:

Yes, Mr. Grant.

He told me that you make the best, and cheapest, office furniture on the market.

 

Grant: 

I think we make the best.

 

Duncan:

But is it the cheapest?

That's what interests me.

 

Grant: 

We have a wide range of prices, Mr. Duncan.

Here's our catalogue.

We think our prices compare favourably with anything on the market today.

 

Duncan:

If I had an office I wanted you to furnish, how much would it cost me?

 

Grant: 

It would largely depend on the lines you chose.

 

Duncan:

My trouble is that I'm very short of time.

Can you supply me from s stock?

 

Grant:

If you could give me some idea of your requirements, Mr. Duncan, I might be able to help you.

Unfortunately, I have someone coming to see me shortly and I...

 

Duncan:

I'll tell you what I want.

This is my card.

I'm the Managing Director of G.P. Duncan & Company.

We make artificial fertilisers.

I want our new office block furnished.

I'd like you to give me a quotation, including delivery charges, as soon as you can.

 

Grant:

How many offices are there?

 

Duncan:

Twenty-eight.

 

Grant:

Twenty-eight offices.

Oh, I see.

Well, how much time can you give us?

 

Duncan:

Two months is my deadline.

 

Grant:

I'd like to send a man up to Glasgow to get details.

I never like promising a date until I know we can honour it; however, I think...

 

Elisabeth:

Er... Mr. Grant, Mr.... er... Frame is waiting to see you.

 

Grant:

Well, never mind about that...

Tell him he'll just have to wait.

You can see I'm busy with an important customer!