[originaltext]Reporter: So, David, you work for a company that makes dyes for p

Reporter: So, David, you work for a company that makes dyes for plastics, right?
David: Yes, we make the color pigments for plastics.
Reporter: Mmm...that sounds a bit technical to me. So, you mean you dye the plastic for colored bowls and...er...cups and things?
David: Yes, that’s right, and the caps on shampoo bottles, the handles on the inside of cars, the colored cases for your mobile telephones...oh, lots of things...basically anything made of colored plastic.
Reporter: I see. Well, yours is a foreign company in China, isn’t it?
David: Yes, it’s German. And I’m the Operations Manager for Northeast China.
Reporter: Well, I wonder if you could describe for me your daily routine.
David: Oh, okay. Now...let me see...well, I get to the office at 8: 50 most days.
Reporter: Is that when work officially starts?
David: No, the working day officially starts at 9 o’clock, but I like to get there a little early to organize my day before everyone else comes in and disturbs me.
Reporter: I see. Well, what do you do first of all, when you come in?
David: I first go and switch on all the machines in the laboratory...that is if the technicians haven’t got there before me. Then I switch on my computer and check all my e-malls. There are usually quite a few waiting for me, especially from Europe. I try and answer most of them immediately, so that takes me about 20 minutes to half an hour.
Reporter: So that takes you up to about 9: 30?
David: More or less. That’s usually when the phone starts ringing. I receive calls from customers asking about color-matching, or about our production.., you know, wanting to know when their product will be ready...er...this goes on all day.
Reporter: Oh.
David: Usually I go and check the color-matching process with the colorist and she might ask me to check the prices or supplies of pigments. I also need to check the production orders ... to see which ones are completed and input them in the computer.
Reporter: So, all this is in the office?
David: Yes, that, s right. Usually I’m running between my office and the lab. At some point each morning, the Country Manager usually pops into my office to have a chat about our marketing strategy and the production. Then I might have meetings with our suppliers, or I might go out and visit customers in the city or in the area around.
Reporter: Mmm...sounds very busy. What about lunch?
David: The lunch break is officially between 12 and one, but I very rarely have time to eat lunch. I usually just have a coffee in the office. Just occasionally, if I’m not too busy, I’ll go out for lunch with one of my colleagues.