Deliveries and Suppliers

Susan: Doug, can I talk with you for a moment? Doug: What can I do for you Susan? Susan: I'm concerned about the delays we're experiencing with some of our suppliers. Doug: We're doing everything to get back on schedule. Susan: Could you give me an approximate timeline? Doug: A number of deliveries are arriving tomorrow. Unfortunately, this time of year is often troublesome. Susan: That's not good. We can't make excuses to our clients. Are all shipments affected? Doug: No, but it is summer and some companies are cutting back until September. Susan: Where are most of our suppliers located? Doug: Well, most of them are in China, but there are a few in California. Susan: How does that affect deliveries? Doug: Well, there are weather delays and shipment delays due to reduced production. Sometimes, larger packages are delayed because of a bottleneck at the distribution point. Susan: Is there any way around these delays? Doug: Well, we often work with delivery services such as UPS, Fed ex or DHL for our most urgent shipping. They guarantee door-to-door deliveries within 48 hours. Susan: Are they expensive? Doug: Yes, they're very expensive at that cuts into our bottom line. Key Vocabulary delay supplier to get back on schedule timeline delivery shipment to cut back to make excuses increased / reduced production package bottleneck distribution point bottom line to cut into