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Read an interview with Jogishwar Singh, a director of the Swiss holding company Tege, talking about the forthcoming launch of ‘Fresh Fries’, a fast-food product that will be sold in vending machines..
Interviewer Jogishwar Singh, I recently read a newspaper article in which one of your business partners announced, ‘We are going to invade the whole world with a revolutionary product that is going to be more popular than McDonalds.’ Could you explain exactly what this product is?
Jogishwar Singh This product is crisp, hot, fresh french fries, which will be delivered by a vending machine. All that the customer has to do is choose the number of portions, one, two, three or four, pay the corresponding amount which he can see on the machine because the amount will vary according to the country, put the money in, wait 64 seconds for the first serving, and then eat t! chips which will come out nicely in a very beautiful looking, striking container, a cup.
Interviewer So this machine can be installed in the street, as well as in restaurants, or cafés...
Jogishwar Singh Well, the idea is to install it in public places, you know, not so much inside restaurants, but, you know, anywhere where people gather you can install the machine: airports, railway stations, football stadiums, sports centres, service stations, cinema halls, anywhere, literally anywhere where people want a nice cup of french fries.
Interviewer And these fries are made from powdered, a powdered potato mixture?
Jogishwar Singh That is correct. They are made from dehydrated potato powder, to which we add certain ingredients, you know, which are subject, well, which are secret, which we keep to ourselves.
Interviewer So this is a vending machine; there are no plans to make a smaller version, to put in your kitchen?
Jogishwar Singh There is. We are, after the proper launching of the vending machine, the inventor is already working on what he calls a table-top machine, you know, which will be for kitchens or for kiosks or smaller places, yes.
Interviewer And could you talk perhaps about all the various stages that come between an inventor - this is an American inventor...
Jogishwar Singh Yes, Mr Richard Sorensen.
Interviewer...having the idea and then now your company launching this product?
Jogishwar Singh Well, the inventor had the idea and he did the first, I mean he developed obviously his ideas, he’s been working on it for the last eight or nine years. He got into touch with people who subsequently became shareholders in the holding company Tege, and he went through a series of at least five prototypes, each time modifying the design because, you know he found new, not really inventions, but new technical support to improve the functioning, to reduce the time of delivery, and the problem is basically financing, you see. It’s extremely difficult for an individual to finance such a major project. So he was looking for partners. And we have put, you know, experts and engineers at his disposal. This is important because an inventor is not an industrial engineer, you know. He might be a brilliant inventor but he doesn’t have much of an idea, well in this case of industrial production, and the economics of the whole project. So we surrounded him with very capable people who are costing us a fortune, and the machine will be manufactured by Zanussi, one of the two leading vending machine manufacturers in Europe and the world.
Interviewer So for you the technological advance is the machine, rather than the product, because powdered chips sounds quite revolutionary as well?
Jogishwar Singh That is correct. It’s the machine; it’s the time in which you can deliver the chips; it’s the crispiness and the quality with which you can deliver the chips; and more than these things it’s the consistency. You see, if we can manage to deliver the same product in 180 countries in the world, I think that’s where the success of this project will lie.
Interviewer And you’re aiming at 180 countries?
Jogishwar Singh Oh, yeah, yeah. Doubtlessly,certainly. Over... Not immediately, but I am sure we will see our vending machines with the same logo, the same colour scheme, whether you are in Bangladesh or Taiwan or the US or Europe or wherever, Africa, I mean, you know, it might take us some time getting to Rwanda but we will get there.
English for Business Studies Second Edition & Cambridge University Press 2002
1) Do you ever use vending machines? If so, what for, why and when?
2) What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of this form of distribution, for both the seller and the customer?
Assignment 2. Which of the alternative answers is correct?
1) Fresh Fries machines will be installed
A in cafés and restaurants and other public places.
B in all kinds of places where people come to eat.
C in places where there are lots of people.
2) Fresh Fries are made from
A dried potatoes and water.
B fresh potatoes and oil.
C powdered potatoes and various secret ingredients.
3) The vending machine will be followed by a smaller machine
A for home and commercial use.
B for people to use at home.
C for smaller restaurants.
4) The machine has been through a series of prototypes because
A the inventor came up with further inventions.
B the inventor made design improvements.
C other people gave the inventor new ideas.
5) Inventors usually do not know enough about
A industrial engineering.
B raising finance.
C the economics and realities of industrial production.
6) Jogishwar Singh thinks the most important reason the product will succeed all over the world is
A its speed in delivering the fries.
B the fact that the fries will always have exactly the same quality.
C the quality of the fries and especially their crispness.
Assignment 3. Look at the following words and expressions, and then listen to the interview again, and write down the words and expressions used in the interview that mean nearly the same.
1) a serving of food designed for one person
2) an alternative British word for what Americans call french fries
3) eye-catching, noticeable
4) from which water has been removed
5) the components of which a food product is made
6) a small booth used for selling newspapers, cigarettes, ice cream, and so on
7) the owners of a company
8) a large amount of money
9) uniformity, regularity, sameness (of a product sold worldwide)
10) a symbol or design or the particular form of lettering of a trade mark
Assignment 4. Answer the following questions:
1) Where would you be most likely to use such a machine?
2) What do you think are Tege’s chances of successfully launching this product in our country?
3) And in 180 countries?
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