What is Logistics?

The answer to this is on your feet! Look at the shoes you are wearing; they may look simple, but it took a complex process to get them from raw materials to a product you can wear. The functions in this process are what make up logistics.

Let’s say you are wearing running shoes imported from Taiwan, made of leather and man-made materials. The soles may have been manufactured from synthetics made in India and formed into soles in Malaysia, then sent to Taiwan. The uppers may be leather taken from cattle raised in Argentina, cut in China, and sewn to the soles in Taiwan. The laces may be manufactured in Romania. The tongue may be made from the synthetics in India, but sewn in Pakistan.

The pieces are manufactured into the final product in Taiwan, and trucked to a port where they are shipped via ocean to, say, Vancouver. From there they go by train to Calgary, where they are unloaded into a warehouse for a large retail chain. As stores place orders, the shoes are shipped out to a store where you shop and eventually purchase them.

(edited from http://wordiq.com)

3. In the text, highlight the words and phrases which mean the same as these phrases:

through;

to buy smth;

to remove load from a vehicle, ship;

to take smth somewhere by a large road vehicle;

to deliver goods or make them available for people to buy;

a commercial building for keeping goods;

selling goods in shops to customers.

4. Logistics – success or failure? Here are some definitions of Logistics. Read and find the most appropriate. Explain your choice.

‘movement of goods’

‘the process of strategic managing and storage of materials or products and related information from any point in the manufacturing process through consumer fulfillment’

‘practical arrangements that are needed in order to make a plan or activity successful’.

‘the art and science of managing and controlling the flow of goods, energy, information and other resources’.

‘a delivery of the required goods at the required place, at the required time, in the required state and to the required person… efficiently.’

‘the process of designing, managing and improving such supply chains which might include purchasing, manufacturing, storage and, of course, transport’.

Pronunciation

1. a) Listen to the tape and practise saying these words.

b) Listen to the sentences and complete the table with countries, capitals/large industrial cities and nationalities.

Country	Capital/Large city	Nationality
		Thai
	Beijing
Malaysia
Romania
	Delhi
		Argentinian
	Islamabad
Canada
	Taipei

2. a) Here is a list of some more countries. Complete the chart with the capitals and nationalities. Make use of a dictionary if necessary.

Country	Capital	Nationality
Turkey
Spain
Japan
Sweden
Switzerland
Austria
Belarus
Syria
Portugal
Greece
Italy
Poland

b) Read and act out the following conversation.

c) Choose any 3-5 words from the table in ex.2a) (any columns) and make up a similar conversation.

Language Focus: Grammar

1. In the text, find all the verbs. Underline all the active forms and circle all the passive forms.

2. Compare pairs of sentences. Trace the change of meaning. What are the differences in emphasis between the sentences in each pair?

The expert monitors the process of shipping, if there are orders.

If there are orders, the process of shipping should be monitored.

In 1989, Mr. Tibbet and Mr. Britten established “Unique Logistics International”.

“Unique Logistics International” was established in 1989 in the UK.

Explosives and flammables are not permitted for transportation.

The Government doesn’t permit people to transport explosives and flammables.

3. Transform active into passive and vice versa.

Active	Passive
1. Logistics managers regulate the retail chain.	1. The retail chain ….
2. Stores are placing orders at the moment.	2. … by stores.
3. They ….	3. Goods were unloaded into a warehouse.
4. The company has purchased textile raw materials.	4. … recently.
5. They will ship products via ocean.	5. These days ….
6. Indians can make synthetics.	6. If there is demand ….
7. The Portuguese ….	7. The shirts may have been manufactured from silk in Portugal.

4. Look back at ex. 4, p. 5., paraphrase the sentences concerning the definitions of logistics using Passive Voice, as in the example.

EXAMPLE: Logistics is movement of goods. = Logistics is the process when goods are moved from one place to another.

Reading 2

1. Reflect upon Logistics and name the main functions it performs.

2. a) Skim the text and tick off the functions you didn’t mention.

b) Look at the supply chain. Read the text again and fill in the gaps.

Customers

3. Substitute the underlined words in the text with their synonyms from the box below.

Language Focus: Vocabulary

1. Make all possible combinations with the verbs.

2. There are 12 words connected with Logistics hidden in the puzzle. Circle each one you can find.

p	f	c	s	m	w	o	k	d	m	p	r
l	t	o	m	k	a	r	s	t	o	c	k
o	g	s	j	k	r	p	h	n	y	n	w
g	m	t	k	f	e	r	g	o	o	d	s
i	p	u	r	c	h	a	s	e	p	w	h
s	m	k	w	j	o	p	n	z	r	k	i
t	f	r	u	n	u	j	l	s	o	k	p
i	v	x	t	u	s	l	e	u	d	w	m
c	r	e	t	a	i	l	w	p	u	h	e
s	b	r	k	h	n	s	l	p	c	e	n
a	k	e	s	l	g	q	p	l	t	x	t
c	o	n	s	u	m	e	r	y	q	x	g

3. Fill in the gaps with the words and phrases from the box below. Use the correct form.

1. Finished goods are 1)_______ in warehouses until they are picked for final distribution to customers.
2. The location of the 2)________ for keeping manufactured goods should be considered beforehand.
3. In order to perform the transportation faster, the company 3)_________three freighters.
4. The 4)________ is the process of manufacturing goods from 5)__________.
5. When the cargo ship arrived in port the products had to be 6)___________to the shops at once.
6. When the goods are 7)_____________the supplier must 8)__________them ______________ on time.
7. When the shop assistant tells you that the product is 9)____________, it means that it is available.

4. a) Fill in the gaps with the prepositions from the box below. The first one is done for you.

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