Queen’s Awards for Export: a Banknote and Coin-counting Machine has Speeded Up Queues in Banks
1. Read the text.
For Edgar Biss, the Eureka moment came in a slow-moving bank queue. There must, he thought, be a faster way to count money. With experience in the heavy weighting industry, his thoughts naturally turned to that technology for a solution.
The result was Tellermate, a banknote and coin-counting machine which needs to be far more sensitive than the machines for weighting 5,000 tonnes that Mr. Biss used to work on. Its maker, Percell Group, a private company based in Newport, south Wales, is now counting its second Queen’s Award for Export, as well as one for Technological Achievement.
Percell exports more than three quarters of its production. More than 85 per cent of sales are made to non-bank customers, such as retailers and fast food restaurants. Its success depends on accuracy, speed and ease of operation. The machines range in price from less than 500 pounds to about 800 pounds. So far, Percell has sold 60,000 of them.
Weighing coins is a straight forward task, but Tellermate must be extremely sensitive to reach accurate calculations on piles of no more than two dozen banknotes. Weight can vary with torn corners or tape, or even by wear and humidity.
Percell more than doubled its exports last year, selling to more than 25 countries. It is now looking to expand in Latin America, having established a bridgehead in Brazil. The company pays special attention to the language skills of its sales staff, focusing on familiarity with a local market. “It’s not just about language, it’s about culture”, says Chris Lare, Percell’s technical director. For example, the French and German sales efforts are run by nationals of those countries, although both were recruited in the UK.
Another strength is to adapt Tellermate to suit each customer’s existing procedures. Some count notes in ascending order; some the other way around. Some want the total shown by value; others by the number of notes. All are equally certain that their own way is the best.
2. Questions to the text and to you
1. What provoked Edgar Biss to think about a money-counting machine?
2. What was Edgar Biss’s business background?
3. What was the technical peculiarity of coin counting machines?
4. What did Percell Group receive Queen’s Award for?
5. Where is Percell Group based?
6. Does Percell export more than half of its production?
7. To whom are the majority of sales made?
8. What does the weight of one and the same banknote depend on?
9. Where does Percell plan to expand?
10. What is the special focus of Percell in the local market?
3. True or false
Decide whether these statements are true or false and correct the false ones.
1. More than 85 per cent of sales are made to bank customers.
2. Percell Company requires its staff to learn the local culture.
3. Tellermate is adapted to suit every client.
4. Most specialists agree on one perfect way to count notes.
5. Edgar Biss got annoyed by everyday tiresome procedures of counting money, which provoked his invention.
6. Edgar Biss had experience in the light weighing industry.
7. Percell Group is now recognized on the governmental level.
8. The price range for Percell machines is less than 200 pounds.
9. Accuracy is principally important for money counting machines.
10. Percell is now looking to establish business in Australia.
11. If one has a “Eureka moment”, it means that he or she suddenly has a very good original idea.
12. Mr. Biss’s Eureka moment came when he was queuing at a railway station.
13. Edgar had no experience in the technology of weighing things when he had the idea of Tellermate.
14. Tellermate can be used to count both coins and
banknotes.
15. Percell is based in England.
16. Percell has never won a Queen’s Award for Exports.
4. Choose the correct alternative.
1. How much of Percell’s production does it export?
a) 25 per cent?
b) 50 per cent?
c) more than 75
2. Its main customers are
a) banks
b) shops and restaurants
c) exchange bureaus
3. The main reasons why Tellermate has been successful are
a) precision, speed and ease of use
b) price
c) advertising
4. The cheapest model costs
a) more than 800 pounds
b) between 500 and 800 pounds
c) less than 500 pounds
5. Weighing coins is
a) impossible
b) quite difficult
c) easy
6. Weighing banknotes is difficult because
a) banknotes of different value may all weigh the same
b) sometimes banknotes are damaged
c) the machine is not sensitive enough
5. What do these figures refer to?
1. 5,000 4. 500
2. 25 5. 24
3. 60,000 6. 800
6. Give a 2–4 word title to each of the 6 paragraphs.
7. Use the words from the text to complete the definitions.
1. A citizen of a particular country is a _______ of this country.
2. If a company and its sales grow, they_______.
3. If you ________ on something, you concentrate on it.
4. If you give someone a job, you _______ them.
5. If you increase an amount by 100%, you _____ it.
6. Your level of _______ with something is how well you know it.
8. Build word-combinations:
a) Put these words together.
b) Make no more than 3 sentences incorporating all of these word-combinations.
| 1. to depend on | a. achievement |
| 2. torn | b. company |
| 3. to be | c. in America |
| 4. ease of | d. efforts |
| 5. technological | e. corners |
| 6. sales | f. order |
| 7. non-bank | g. accuracy |
| 8. to expand | h. operation |
| 9. private | i. customer |
| 10. ascending | j. sensitive |
9. Create new words with the help of suffixes: -ment, -ly, -al, -tion, -er, -ity.
1. product 5. achieve 8. equal
2. humid 6. operate 9. technology
3. natural 7. retail 10. familiar
4. nation
10. Put the 2 syllables together to make 10 words.
EX PROCE FAMILIA RITY
COM PANY NUM COR
EQU BER NEY CHINE
THOUGH NER DURE ALLY
AL PORT MA MO
11. Write an advertisement for the following products.
Make it attractive in wording and design.
a) Money-counting machine;
b) Washing machine;
c) Dishwashing machine;
d) Coffee-making machine;
e) Sewingmachine;
f) Telephone;
g) Calculator;
h) Iron.
KEY:
3. 1. F; 2. T; 3. T; 4. F; 5. F; 6. F; 7. T; 8. F; 9. T; 10. F; 11. T; 12. F; 13. F; 14. T; 15. F; 16. F
4. 1. c; 2. b; 3. a; 4. c; 5. c; 6. b
5. 1. 5,000 tons; 2. 25 countries; 3. 60 000 machines; 4. the smallest price; 5. two dozen banknotes; 6. the highest price
7. 1. national; 2. expand; 3. focus; 4. recruit; 5. double; 6. familiarity
8. 1. g; 2. e; 3. j; 4. h; 5. a; 6. d; 7. i; 8. c; 9. b; 10. f
10. 1. PROCEDURE; 2. NUMBER; 3. EQUALLY; 4. ALTHOUGH; 5. COMPANY; 6. FAMILIARITY; 7. CORNER; 8. EXPORT; 9. MONEY; 10. MACHINE