物流英语对话
物流英语对话
Introduction to Logistics Company
（Li Jian, the sales representative of Zhongji Shipping company, is talking with Erik, A potential customer.）
Li：Welcome to our company, Mr. Erik.Nice to meet you.
Erik：Me too.
Li：Mr. Erik, my name is Li Jian. Here is my card. I’m willing to introduce my company.
Erik：Thank you for a lot of care.
Li：Our business covers import and export container transportation and agency, door to door pickup and delivery, customs clearance, warehousing and consolidation.（我们公司业务涵盖了集装箱进出口运输和代理，门到门交接货物，仓储和配货。）
Erik：I see.
Li：Zhongji has become one of the market leaders in China’s freight forwarding and logistics industry today.
Erik：Uh-huh.
Li：We have helped Ford to substantially reduce logistics costs.
Erik：Please explain in detail.
Li：Of course, that was one of the best results achieved in the beginning of the 2000s.
Erik：One of the best results? In what way?
Li：We improved their management by optimizing their plans of demonstration before plunging into action. As a result, the overall utilization was raised considerably.（ 我们在运营计划投入前对其进行优化，从而提高了管理水平，全面的利用率得以大幅度提升。）
Erik：It’s amazing.
Li：If you are concerned about logistics questions, you can ask any one. We have a reputation for top service.
Erik：I hope so.
Li：If you have a moment, I’m hoping to visit you.
Erik：Well, you are welcome, I’d like to hear your suggestion.
Visiting a Logistics Company
（Gary is from DaZhong Electric Company. Peter is from ZhongJi Logistics Company. Gary is making an appointment with Peter on the phone）
Gary：Hi! This is Gary calling ZhongJi Logistics Company.
Peter：Good afternoon, its ZhongJi Logistics Company. Can I help you?
Gary：I’d like to speak to Peter who is in charge of warehousing.
Peter：This is Peter. May I ask who’s calling?
Gary：Great! This is Gary from DaZhong Electric Company. I have been looking forward to meeting you. Do you have any appointments today?
Peter：Nice to meet you! I have no appointment today.
Gary：Good. I’d like to meet you as soon as possible and hope you give me some introduction about your company.
（Gary goes to ZhongJi Logistics Company to meet Peter）
Peter：I appreciate that you give me this opportunity to introduce my company.
Gary：Thank you.
Peter：Our logistics company provides different means of transportation. And we are especially good at railway, highway and airway. （我们公司提供多种不同的运输方式，我们尤其擅长于铁路，公路和航空运输。）
Gary：I’m very impressed. However, I’d like to know how well is your warehousing business.
Peter：Yes, of course. Let me show you around. I’d like to show you the headquarters and warehouse.
Gary：Ok, let’s go.
Peter：Take it easy. Where we stand is the headquarters. Let’s go down stairs. Since the whole company is very large, we’ll take a car to warehouse.
Gary：After you!
（arriving at the warehouse）
Peter：This is our warehouse.
Gary：Wow, what a big space!
Peter：Our company can provide customers with a variety of goods inventory, such as raw material, semi-finished products, finished products, spare parts etc. We have special concessions on predominant goods and long-term contract.
（我们公司可以为客户提供各种货物的库存，诸如原材料，半成品，成品和零部件等。 对于大宗货物和租期较长的合同，我们都有特别的优惠。）
Gary：I’m interested in that. Perhaps we will have the possibility of cooperation in the future.
Peter：That’s good news for us. We are looking forward to it.
Delay of Delivering
（Mr.Wang bought a TV in Dajin Electric Appliance Company just now. Mary is a clerk of Customer service department. Now he is in the Customer service department）
Wang：Here’s a TV Set I have just bought here. Will you deliver them for me？
Mary：All right. (We render the service of delivering goods to customer’s house.我们提供送货到家服务.) Please fill in the delivery form with your address, telephone number and the time when you are in
Wang：Where shall I sign?
Mary：Right here, above the dotted line, please.
（Today is the deliver time.）
Mary：Good afternoon. Customer service department. Can I help you?
Wang：Good afternoon. This is Mr. Wang. I ordered a TV two days ago, June 12th. It’s already five o’clock and it hasn’t arrived yet.
Mary：I’m really sorry, sir. It might have been on the way to your place. I’ll check it immediately. Can I have your full name, address and phone number?
Wang：Yes. Wang Xinguo, number 419 Hongqiao Road. My telephone number is 136********.
Mary：Thank you, sir. I’ll check it with our delivery department and call you back as soon as possible.
Wang：All right, I’ll be waiting for your call.
(Five minutes later)
Wang：Good afternoon. This is Wang Xinguo.
Mary：Good afternoon. This is customer service department. I must apologize, sir. (Due to the traffic jams, we can’t make the delivery of your goods today. 由于交通堵塞，我们今天无法送货。)
Wang：Really? I find it hard to believe. I have already been waiting for nearly a whole day!
Mary：I’m awfully sorry about it. Please accept our sincere apologies. Is tomorrow morning convenient for you？We’ll be glad to make arrangements to send it again.
Wang：OK.
Mary：I assure you it won’t happen again.
Making a Complaint
（Judy, a clerk in a Sun Textile Import and Expor
t Co., Ltd, is complaining about the cargo to Sandy, a logistics company clerk.）
Judy：Hello, may I speak to Sandy?
Sandy：Yes, speaking please.
Judy：This is from Judy in Textile Import and Export Co., Ltd
Sandy：How are you? I think the cargo have already reached you. Is there anything else I can do for you?
Judy：Yes. (We regret tell you that the goods you sent us are not in conformity with the terms of the contract.我们遗憾地通知你，你交付的货物与合同规定不符。) On examination, we find a shortage in the delivery.
Sandy：Oh? Please explain in detail.
Judy：As soon as the consignment arrived at our port we had it inspected. To our disappointment, we found a shortage of 2 cartons.
Sandy：2 cartons?
Judy：Yes. We ordered 20 cartons of garments, but we only received 18 cartons.
Sandy：Did you contact the exporter for the matter?
Judy：Yes. They showed the onboard bill of lading to us. We all consider the carrier should be liable for the shortage. Therefore, we have to raise a claim against your company as the liability with you.
Sandy：We’d like to have your present proof.
Judy：Here is our onboard bill of lading to claim a settlement.
Sandy：Sorry, the evidence you provided is inadequate.
Judy：Wait a moment, here’s a survey report issued by the Commodity Inspection Bureau.
Sandy：Have you any other evidence?
Judy：Not yet.
Sandy：(Sorry, we regret being unable to accept your claim because the goods were in perfect condition when the goods were loaded.非常遗憾我们不能接受你的索赔，因为装货时货物状态完好。)
Judy：What should we do now?
Sandy：We suggest that you approach the insurance company for settlement as the shortage occurred in transit.
由于货物短量发生在运输途中，我们建议你找保险公司解决问题。
Judy：Which evidence do we provide?
Sandy：The full original set of ocean bills of lading, original policy and the original commercial invoice.
Judy：Thanks a lot, bye.
Sandy：Bye.
Visiting a Warehouse
(Li: a clerk of a warehouse; Wang: A student in logistics major)
Li：Welcome to the warehouse. Allow me to introduce myself first：I’m a warehouse keeper and I’m responsible for the management of goods.
Wang：How is the warehouse divided？
Li：According to the storage purpose, the warehouse is divided into deliver-center warehouse, storage-center warehouse and logistics-center warehouse.根据仓储的目的，仓库被分为配送中心型仓库、存储中心型仓库和物流中心型仓库。
Wang：What are the procedures after the goods arrive at the warehouse?
Li：（First indoor operation, then warehouse management, finally warehouse operation.
首先要进行入库作业，然后是在库管理，最后是出库操作。）
Wang：What is indoor operation?
Li：（They are a series of procedures includes arrange storehou
ses, check the goods, enroll the goods accurately, load and deposit them in standard.这有一系列程序包括安排仓位，核对物品，准确登记，规范装卸。）
Wang：What about the warehouse management?
Li：（We need to check the products and facilities regularly, keep the warehouse clean and safe, standardize each operation and gather the information.定期检查产品、设备，保持仓库清洁、安全，各项运作规范、标准，信息汇总准确、及时。）
Wang：And what is the warehouse operation?
Li：It consists of five aspects：the warehouse procedures, the quantity of the goods, load the goods and deposit them in standard, provide the goods according to the shipment list, save and file the bills of document.
出库操作包括五个方面：货物出库手续齐全；出库货物数量准确；装卸规范；按出货单先后发放货物；出库单据保存归档。
Wang：Wow, it’s very important to be a warehouse keeper. I got it. Thank you very much!
Li：You are welcome.
How Much Should I Order
（Xiao Zhang is now in a consulting office where Peter, an expert in logistics, is helping him to solve a problem as to how to order.
Zhang：Excuse me. My name is Zhang Xin.
Peter：Mr. Zhang, What can I do for you?
Zhang：Just call me Xiao Zhang. I have just bought a fruit shop that supplies the market with fruits.（ And I really don’t know how frequently I should put my orders and how much I should order at a time.我真的不知道我应该多久下一次订单以及每次订多少货物。）
Peter：It must be a very complicated thing to do, I guess, as fruits come in different types.
因为水果有很多种类，这个问题会很复杂。
Zhang：Fortunately, I sell only a kind of peach.
Peter：Things are much easier, then. However, there are still other factors.
Zhang：For example?
Peter：The uncertainty of the market, the tax, and so on.
Zhang：（According to the past records, the sales are even. 根据销售纪录，销售额是非常有规律的。）
The annual sale volume of fruits is 5,000 kg and they are sold to retail customers in a steady flow.
Peter：It seems to be a very simple question, then. What is your chief concern now?
Zhang：At present, only two costs concern me. （One is order-processing costs and warehousing costs.一个是订单处理成本，另一个是储存成本。）
Peter：The order-processing costs include supplier selection, receiving, order paperwork preparation and so on.
订单处理成本包括选择供应商、订单接收、订单准备等成本。
Zhang：Do we need safety stock?
Peter：Since the sales are even, you don’t need any safety stock.
Zhang：（Do we need safety stock against sudden rise in demand?我们不需要安全库存以防需求剧增吗？）
Peter：Yes. But in your case, it is not likely for such a thing to occur.
Zhang：Good news.
Peter：Your problem is to find out how many to order with the lowest expenses in warehousing and ordering.
你的问题就是一次订多少货时储存和订单处理费用能降到最低。
Zhang：Quite right, I would like to know how much I should order at a time with the minimum cost.
Peter：This is, as I see it, a typical question in inventory management. Please provide the clear and accurate information on sales and inventory.
Zhang：Ok, I send them to you tomorrow.
Peter：In that case, I give you answer tomorrow.
Zhang：How much shall I pay for your service?
Peter：I don’t think I will charge you anything for such a trifle thing. But do come if you have any other problems.
Zhang：Sure, I will. See you later.
Peter：See you later.
What is Purchasing
（Mr. Wang, the purchasing manager in a multinational company, is talking with Miss Li, a new graduated university student.）
Li：Good morning, Mr. Wang. My major is marketing, so I know little about purchasing. Could you tell me more about it?
Wang：Ok. (Purchasing is an important function for firms and even non-profit organizations. 采购是企业甚至非盈利组织的一个重要功能。)It is just as important as marketing, and it requires a lot of tactics and rich experience.
Li：Really? I thought purchasing was simply to buy something you need, and it will be easier to do.
Wang：In fact, purchasing consists of many tasks, for example, to identify the internal needs, find the suitable suppliers, negotiate contract, and make sure what you purchase will be delivered on time.
Li：May I say that cost control is the most important for you?
Wang：Yes. Price, together with quality and delivery are the most obvious and important factors for purchasing managers to consider.
Li：Are there any other things related to purchasing?
Wang：Yes. (Such as make-or-buy decision, supplier technology, and how purchasing can support the firm’s competitive strategy. 比如：生产或购买的决策，供应商的技术，以及采购如何支持企业的竞争策略。)
Li：Well, I know some of them. But how can purchasing support a firm’s competitive strategy?
Wang：You know, the movement toward global sourcing, rapid changes in technology, and increased competition require purchasing to assume more responsibility in the planning and implementation of strategies to support corporate strategy.
Li：It sounds reasonable.
Wang：Now considerable focus is placed on ensuring supply, inventory minimization, quality improvement, supplier development, and the lowest total cost of ownership. 不仅包括购买价格，而是包括诸如服务维修费用在内的所有购得成本最低。
Li：Exactly, all of these are connected with purchasing.
Wang：That means good purchasing can make the corporate more profitable.
Li：I know much about purchasing now. So what is t
he current situation in most firms?
Wang：Unfortunately, most organizations have not fully understood the role of purchasing. It is clear that the attitudes of top management and purchasing managers themselves must change before purchasing playing a strategic role in organizations.
遗憾的是，大多数组织还没有完全理解采购的功能。只有高层管理者以及采购经理的态度发生改变，采购才可能在组织中发挥战略作用。
Li：It must be a long way.
Wang：Yes. Besides, purchasing skills also need to be developed.
Li：Definitely.
Wang：So have you got the rough picture of purchasing now?
Li：Yes. Now I fully understand what you said. Purchasing is really important.
Wang：We welcome you to join the purchasing profession in the future.
Li：Thank you a lot. I will consider it seriously.
Ordering Equipment
（Mr. Li, the purchasing officer in a University is talking with Miss Zhang, the marketing representative in an IT company.）
Zhang：Good morning. Mr. Li.
Li：Hello. Miss Zhang.
Zhang：We know that the University will build a new computer laboratory. Can you give me some details about that?
Li：Yes. The project will need hundreds of computers, relevant software and accessories.
该项目需要几百台电脑，以及相关的软件和零配件。
Zhang：That’s great. How do you do that?
Li：Bidding. Companies should provide documents for initial evaluation, such as a copy of financial accounts for the previous three years, etc.
Zhang：I see.
Li：All responses will be fully evaluated according to the agreed criteria, including price, lead-time, quality and suitability of equipment, reputation of supplier, etc.
Zhang：Ok. That must include many documents and tables.
Li：Yes. You can get that in our office, or download from our website.
Zhang：Great. May I ask the payment terms?
Li：(Payment will be within 45 days of receipt of invoice and goods, but during this period installation and provision of training must be finished. 在收到货物和发票之后的45天内我们会付款，但在此期间安装培训必须完成。)
Zhang：Ok. When should we submit the tender document?
Li：No later than 12:00 a.m. on 21 July. And you may send it to the address on the invitation in a sealed envelope.
Zhang：That will be no problem for us.
Li：Please note that one printed copy of the tender document must be submitted, together with an electronic one.
请注意需要上交一份打印的标书，还有一份电子版的。
Zhang：All right.
Li：You can provide companies or organizations, which have previously purchased the same equipment from you as a reference.
Zhang：That is fine for us. We have sold the similar products to several universities in the past few years.
Li：University contracts offer companies a marketing advantage, as those provide them a sho
wcase to the students, who are potential buyers in the future.
大学的合同给公司提供了营销的优势，因为它们提供了一个向学生展示的平台，而这些学生都是将来的潜在购买者。
Zhang：That depends. It may or may not work.
Li：Anyway, Please consider this and the University looks forward to receiving a substantial educational discount.
请考虑这一点，而且学校期待着实实在在的教育折扣。
Zhang：Ok. I will talk this to my boss.
Li：For more details, you can see from the documents.
Zhang：Thank you very much. We will work on it and submit it on time.
Li：We look forward to seeing it soon. See you.
Zhang：See you soon.
Searching the 3PL Companies
（Mr. Wang, the logistics officer in a factory, is talking with Miss Zhang, the customer service representative in an international logistics company.）
Zhang：Hello, what can I do for you?
Wang：Hello. Our company is growing fast in recent years. So we need a logistics company helping us distribute goods to many countries.
Zhang：Well, that is just our strength. Our company provides comprehensive international logistics services.
Wang：Can you introduce your company in brief?
Zhang： Sure. Our company is one of the leading logistics companies in the world, and our global network can help you manage your goods efficiently.
Wang：What are specific features of your service?
Zhang：Ok. Our shipping service runs 7 days a week, and it is more time guaranteed than any other company.
我们的运输服务每周工作七天，比其他任何一家公司更有时间保证。
Wang：How about your tracking service? Our customers sometimes want to know exactly when the goods can reach their warehouse.
Zhang： That’s quite simple. You may track your goods anywhere in the world just on our website.
Wang：Since our business is expanding, many international rules are new to us.
Zhang： We can also provide many value-added services. I think it will be very useful to your company.
Wang：What are they?
Zhang：Such as delivery confirmation, delivers the COD package and collects from the consignee.
比如收货确认，货到付款运输并且代收货款。
Wang：Great, we often use this kind of method, since lots of customers are new.
Zhang：Ok. We also provide information based service. It can make your international business easier.
Wang：Really? How it works?
Zhang：We provide trade information about different countries, such as trade agreement, customs regulations, duty rates, etc.
我们提供各个国家的贸易信息，例如贸易协定，海关规定及关税税率等。
Wang：Yes. They are very important to us.
Zhang：Usually non-compliance with these government regulations can lead to potential fines, or legal actions.
违反这些规定会导致可能的罚款，或者法律
上的一些诉讼。
Wang：Exactly.
Zhang：Our strength can help to turn your international trade into a competitive advantage.
Wang：Great. I hope we can have a long-term partnership in future.
Zhang：You can count on us.
Evaluating 3PL Companies
（The following is a conversation between Mr. Lin, the logistics manager in a factory, and Miss Guo, his assistant。）
Lin：I guess we need some measures to manage those 3PL companies. 我们需要有一些办法来管理那些第三方物流公司。
Guo：Yes. Sometimes I feel difficult to choose one company.
(We must set criteria to get a clear result.为了获得确切的结果，我们必须设定标准)
Lin：Ok. So in your point, how to establish this system?
Guo：There are many 3PL companies we have used, and there are dozens of aspects which are important and should be measured.
Lin：But we don’t need to include all companies, and the rule of 20-80 is perhaps still useful.
但是我们不必包括所有的公司，“二八法则”也许仍然有用。
Guo：You mean we only need to consider those companies we often use?
Lin：Yes. We measure companies which we spend much, and those which have the most impact on us.
我们只评定那些我们花费多的，以及对我们有重要影响的公司。
Guo：Ok. I see. And what kinds of measures should be included?
Lin：Cost and delivery performance will be the must, such as on-time delivery of goods, responsiveness, and resolution of problems.
Guo：Shall we take continuous improvement in service levels into account?
Lin：Yes, that’s critical, if we are going to establish long term relationship with those companies.
Guo：Right.
Lin：Next, we must determine the raters who participate in the evaluation process.
Guo：I guess that should be people in our department.
Lin：Yes. But it will be better to include people from other relevant departments. In that way, we can get a deep understanding about these 3PL companies’ performance from a broad sense.
Guo：Great.
Lin：So try to work on these three aspects, 3PL companies needed to evaluate, elements for rating, and raters for each element.
Guo：Ok, I’ll do it and give you for correction later.
Lin：(Be sure to use quantitative measures if possible.如果可能的话，尽量使用定量的方法。)
Guo：Sure
Lin：Ok, please give me before next Friday.
Guo：No problem.
Developing a Supply Chain
（Mr. Li, a local manager of Pacific Department Store, is speaking to Mr. Gao, a district manager of the retail chain.）
Li：(In the past three months, the distributor for our small appliances has often issued back orders.过去三个月里，我们的小家电经销商经常延期交货。) Sometimes we do not receive our goods of the orders for as much as 20 days.
Gao：Really? We’re probably losing customer
s!
Li：Yes, most of them probably don't wait that long. They probably go somewhere else for their appliances.
Gao：Have you any idea how often the customer has to be told the items are out of stock?
Li：I’ve asked the clerks to write me a note when they have that kind of conversation with a customer.
Gao：We've been using the same distributor for some time. I wonder what's causing the delays.
Li：Have other districts been having these delays? I think they're really costing us some money.
Gao：It's not been mentioned in our meetings; but I'll certainly check on it. Order-to-shelf delays are always costly.
Li：I've been attempting to call the distributor very promptly with our orders, but I haven't always been able to get through by phone during working hours.
Gao：Well, then that's not efficient. If other districts are having similar problems, it's probably time we developed a supply chain very soon.
Li：Do you think it might be time we got our ordering system on-line?
Gao：That would certainly allow our distributor to immediately realize the demand for each item.
Li：Could that kind of communication channel be installed while we’re working up the agreements of the supply chain?
Gao：I think so. Then we'd be all the more ready for other companies to join the chain.
Li：That's right. (Although from what we've been learning about supply chains, there are some start-up costs in time and capital, it would solve a problem 1ike this one.虽然据我们所知，建立供应链需要时间和资金方面的启动成本，但供应链管理可以解决这一类问题。)
Gao：On-line ordering is certainly something to consider. Let me talk to the other managers on our conference call tomorrow and get back to you.
the Possibility of Creating a Supply Chain
（In an executive board meeting costs of storage are being discussed. The possibility of creating a supply chain is mentioned. The following is a conversation between Mr. Gao and Mr. Huang.）
Gao：Our marketing department has developed relations with two American companies which are attracted to our product line for their Christmas market. There's a big problem of storing the products as they come to us from the manufacturers. Mr. Huang, what should we do?
Huang：What size orders do we expect to ship?
Gao：They're each ordering two large containers.
Huang：That's a considerable amount of product. We don't want to lose these orders.
Gao：Yes, and I think we ought to have the product all in one place for final shipping.
Huang：How long will we need to store the product?
Gao： There will be a lead-time of 6-8 weeks between early production and actual shipping.
开始生产至实际运输之间的时间有6-8个星期
Huang：And for Christmas we'll need to get it shipped to New York by September 1 at the latest.
Gao： Yes, that means storing the product in the hottest part of the summe
r. We'll need storage that's well ventilated.
Huang：I suppose our manufacturers are concerned that their capital for raw materials will not be replenished until the order is filled; therefore, their ability to rent space for storage is very limited.
我认为我们的制造商关心的是他们用于采购原材料的资金在订单完成之前将不会得到补充，因此，他们租赁储存仓库的能力是非常有限的。
Gao： We need some insurance against losses during the storage period.
Huang：I'm concerned about damage and pilferage during the lead-time.
Gao：We need warehouses that are well managed against damage and that are secure.
Huang：Can the cost of storage be passed along (become part of the retail price) so that the customer actually contributes to it?(An expense of operating a business is shared by each member of the distribution chain.)
Gao：(I think we've been absorbing too much of the storage costs on most of our products. The usual plan, as you know, is that this overhead is shared at each step of manufacturing and distribution. 我认为我们在产品上已经花费了太多的储存成本，你知道，按照通常的计划，生产和分销每个环节都应分摊这笔费用。) You know, manufacturing, warehousing, shipping, wholesaling each adds 1.6% to the price of the production.
Huang：We need some contractual negotiations regarding these handling costs, including storage and some insurance to cover damage and pilferage while the products are stored.
Gao：Didn't you attend training about supply chain advantages and disadvantages?
Huang：Yes, I did. I'll review my notes. The instructor said we could call him for advice if we wished.
Gao：Get your notes together and meet with me in the morning. I'll make some time in the next 48 hours to research what other companies are doing.
Difference between Legacy and Present System
(Michael, a logistical manager with rich experience in information management, is now talking in his office with Mr. Hunter, a client who wishes to get acquainted with information system.)
Hunter：Hello! Michael. Sorry to trouble you.
Michael：Never mind. Welcome to our company.
Hunter：Today I’d like to know something about the difference between legacy system and present system on information management.
Michael：Oh! It’s like this. Legacy systems are older information systems based on mainframe technology that usually work at an operation level on only one stage or even one function within a stage of the supply chain.
Hunter：What’s the advantage of the present system ERP?
Michael：Enterprise resource planning, ERP, systems are operational information systems that gather information from across all of a company’s functions, resulting in the entire enterprise having a broader scope.
Hunter：A broader scope?
Michael：Yeah! Legacy systems can range from order entry to manufacturing sche
duling to delivery, but present systems’ scope allows ERP systems to track orders through the entire company from procurement to delivery.
传统的系统涉及从订单录入、生产制造计划到配送，而如今的系统范围允许ERP（企业资源计划）系统跟踪遍布从采购到配送整个过程的订单。
Hunter：Does that mean legacy systems tend to focus solely on a particular function and are built as independent entities with little regard for other systems?
Michael：That’s it! For instance, a legacy system might deal only with inventory levels in a particular warehouse in a distributor’s network. This system would monitor inventory levels in that warehouse but would likely have difficulty communication with the legacy system that handled transportation for the same distributor; (ERP systems monitor material, orders, schedules, finished goods inventory, and other information throughout the entire organization.ERP系统监控整个组织内部的物料、计划、成品库存以及其他信息。)
Hunter：Thank you. Now I feel I know something about the legacy system and present system.
Michael：It’s my pleasure. If you have any more questions about it, don’t hesitate to let me know.
Hunter：Sure, I will. See you later.
Michael：See you later.
Introduction to Supply Chain Management Information System
(Wilston was talking with John, they were discussing how to make decisions regarding supply chain management information system.)
Wilston：(Since management information systems play a significant role in every stage of the supply chain by enabling companies to gather and analyze information. 管理信息系统通过使公司能够收集和分析信息的方式，在供应链的各个环节起到了重要作用。)at present, our biggest problem is how to make a decision on supply chain management information system.
John：I think there are several general ideas we should take in account.
Wilston：Oh, what are they?
John：Firstly, a management information system that addresses the company’s key success factors should be selected.
应该选择那些能够促进公司成功的关键的管理信息系统因素。
Wilston：How important about this, John?
John：It’s like this. Every industry and even companies within an industry can have very different key success factors. By key success factors, the two or three elements that really determine whether a company is going to be successful.
Wilston：I am sorry. I don’t quite understand what you say. Could you explain it by giving me some examples?
John：Of course. For instance, the ability to set inventory levels optimally is crucial in the PC business, in which product life cycles are short and inventory becomes obsolete very quickly. In contrast, inventory levels are not nearly as crucial for an oil company, in which demand is fairly stable and the product has a very long life
cycle. For the oil company, the key to success would depend more on utilization of the refinery. Given these success factors, a PC company might pick a package that is strong in setting inventory levels even if it is weak in maximizing utilization of production capacity, and the oil company should choose a different product, one that excels at maximizing utilization even if its inventory components are not especially strong.
Wilston：Now I understand. I think, Secondly, we should align the level of sophistication with the need for sophistication.
John：I agree with you. (Management must consider the depth to which a management information system deals with the firm’s key success factors. There can be a trade-off between the ease of implementing a system and that system’s level of complexity.经营必须考虑到针对公司成功因素的管理信息系统的深度，在系统执行的简单性和系统水平的复杂性之间要有一个制衡。)
Wilston：That’s right!
John：Then, we should make clear that use management information systems to support decision making instead of making decisions. Management must keep its focus on the supply chain because as the competitive and customer landscape changes, there needs to be a corresponding change in the supply chain.
Wilston：That’s really a big question we should keep in mind.
John：In addition, as we think about these, we should think about the future at the same time. The key here is to ensure that the software not only fits a company’s current needs but also, and even more importantly, that it will meet the company’s future needs.
Wilston：That’s good! By the way, we’ll have a meeting next Wednesday to make the decision, please inform all the people concerned.
John: OK.