这款不用电的冰箱如何拯救了一家印度陶瓷厂 | 大生意：英语精读讲义

An estimated 90% of India's ceramic products come from the state of Gujarat. 短語搭配

据估计，印度90%的陶瓷产品都来自古吉拉特邦。

But the industry has struggled in recent years. 語法

但近年来，这个行业举步维艰。

First,

首先，

companies started replacing workers with machines, 語法

企业开始用机器取代工人，

leaving many ceramicists without jobs. 語法

导致许多陶艺工人失业。

Then,

随后，

weakened demand forced many of those factories to pause production or shut down completely. 講解

需求疲软迫使许多工厂暂停生产，甚至彻底关停。

This company has stayed afloat, 習語

这家公司挺了过来，

but it hasn't been easy.

但过程并不轻松。

I 56 years ke baad bhi main

即使已经56岁了，我

kam se kam 12 se 15 ghante tak kam karta hun.

每天仍至少工作12到15个小时。

To keep potters working, 語法

为了让陶工们有活可干，

owner Mansukhbhai Prajapati combined traditional handmade techniques with machinery. 短語搭配

老板 Mansukhbhai Prajapati 将传统手工技艺与机器生产结合起来。

Then he set out to tackle a big problem. 講解

接着，他着手解决一个大难题。

Many of his customers don't have regular access to electricity. 短語搭配

他的许多顾客无法稳定用电。

So Mansukhbhai designed appliances completely out of clay, 短語搭配

于是，Mansukhbhai 设计了完全由黏土制成的家用器具，

like refrigerators and pressure cookers that don't need power.

比如不用电的冰箱和压力锅。

And they had to be cheap.

而且价格必须低廉。

Uski vajah se maine ye kam kiya ki bina bijli ka fridge main kaise banaun.

因此，我开始研究怎样造出不用电的冰箱。

Teen se char saal tak iske piche kam kiya

我为此钻研了三到四年，

2001 se 2004 tak.

从2001年一直到2004年。

So far his strategies have been a success. 語法

到目前为止，他的这些策略很成功。

The company tripled its product portfolio in a decade 用詞

十年间，公司的产品种类增加到了原来的三倍，

and set itself apart in a region that's been famous for ceramics for centuries. 講解

并在这个以数百年陶瓷传统闻名的地区脱颖而出。

We visited the Mitticool factory in Gujarat, India

我们来到印度古吉拉特邦的 Mitticool 工厂，

to find out how Mansukhbhai and his team produce thousands of pieces of ceramic cookware every day.

想了解 Mansukhbhai 和他的团队如何每天生产数千件陶瓷炊具。

Mansukhbhai's family has made ceramics for generations,

Mansukhbhai 家世代制作陶瓷，

but it's only in the last 10 years that he's made a living from it. 講解

但直到最近10年，他才靠这门手艺谋生。

That's thanks to a sweet spot between machine made and handmade. 講解

这要归功于他找到了机器制造与手工制作之间的绝佳平衡点。

It all starts with the clay. 表達脈絡

一切都从黏土开始。

It's sourced domestically within India 用詞

黏土从印度国内采购，

or melted from old ceramics.

或由旧陶瓷熔解而成。

This machine does the melting.

熔解工作由这台机器完成。

It's called a boil mill.

它叫球磨机。

Hajar kilo mitti

1000公斤黏土，

aur 500 kilo pani.

再加500公斤水。

Ye iske andar dalke

把这些倒进去后，

hum isko 12 ghante tak

我们会让它

isko ghumate hain.

旋转12个小时。

After 12 hours,

12个小时后，

they get a liquid clay.

就会得到液态黏土。

It needs to be thickened with dry powdered ceramic. 語法

还需要加入干燥的陶瓷粉，让它变稠。

Jaise ki isme aap dekh rahe hain

就像你们在这里看到的，

jo paka hua ball mill mein se mitti aur pani

球磨机里处理过的黏土和水

dono mix ho gaya hai,

已经混合在一起，

12 ghante chal gaya hai,

运转了12个小时，

grinding ho gaya hai.

也完成了研磨。

Usko humne ye vibrating chana ke andar dal diya hai

然后，我们把它倒进这个振动筛，

jismein se nikal ke ye kuen mein pani jaega.

过滤后的液体会流进这个池子里。

It's then churned with what's called a blunger 短語搭配

接着，再用一种叫搅拌机的设备不断搅动，

to stop the clay from settling. 語法

防止黏土沉淀。

Ye blunger ke madhyam se ye liquid ko guma raha hai

这台搅拌机让液体不停旋转，

matlab mitti ko guma raha hai.

也就是让黏土不停转动。

Ye niche baithne nahi dete

这样它就不会沉到底部，

kyunki mitti aur pani juda bhi nahi hona chahie

因为黏土和水不能分离，

ye hamari main process hai.

这是我们的关键工序。

Once it's time to use the clay, 語法

到了要使用黏土的时候，

it's pumped into this big metal container.

就会把它泵入这个大型金属容器。

Workers pour in natural dye for a uniform color.

工人倒入天然染料，让颜色均匀一致。

Ye aadha ghanta ke baad ye liquid ko hum wapas nikal lenge.

半小时后，我们会把液体重新取出来。

Kyunki ye nikalne ke baad

因为倒出液体后，

jitni thickness rahengi

留下来的那层泥浆，

wahi hamara cup hoga, glass hoga, mold hoga ya

就会成为杯子、水杯、模具，或是……

To make a pressure cooker,

制作压力锅时，

they mold it using a hydraulic press.

他们会用液压机压模成型。

To isko 1000 degree mein

然后用1000摄氏度的高温，

ye cooker ko humne bake kiya hai, pakaya hai.

把压力锅烘烤、烧制成型。

Workers finish it off using this machine called an electric chaak. 講解

工人用一种叫电动陶轮的机器完成最后加工。

But to make pots,

但制作陶罐时，

artisans use this wheel.

工匠会使用这种陶轮。

Much of this work is still done the way it's always been done, 語法

其中很多工序仍沿用历来的做法，

by hand.

也就是手工完成。

They carefully join the top and bottom pieces of the pot together.

他们小心地把陶罐的上下两部分接合起来。

It takes a lot of skill, 語法

这需要高超的技艺，

but an experienced artisan can finish a piece in minutes.

但经验丰富的工匠几分钟就能完成一件。

Once an item is properly molded,

一件器物塑形完毕后，

it goes into a rolling kiln.

就会被送进辊道窑。

Kilns like this have always been used to cook ceramics, 語法

这样的窑炉一直被用来烧制陶瓷，

but they used to be dangerous.

但过去非常危险。

Some kilns burned plastics and old tires too.

有些窑炉甚至焚烧塑料和废旧轮胎。

It was so unhealthy,

这对健康危害极大，

many ceramicists died young.

许多陶艺工人因此英年早逝。

But Mansukhbhai's kiln is different.

但 Mansukhbhai 的窑炉不一样。

And it cooks the clay at the perfect temperature. 用詞

它能以恰到好处的温度烧制黏土。

Too little heat and the ceramic won't harden. 語法

温度太低，陶瓷就无法硬化。

Too much heat and it'll crack.

温度太高，又会开裂。

Six hours later,

六小时后，

the items have hardened fully.

这些器物就完全硬化了。

While Mansukhbhai's ceramics still have handmade parts,

尽管 Mansukhbhai 的陶瓷仍有部分工序由手工完成，

that hasn't been the case for most Indian companies in years. 短語搭配

但多年来，大多数印度企业早已不是如此。

Starting in the mid '90s, 用詞

从20世纪90年代中期开始，

industrialization swept Gujarat's ceramic industry. 習語

工业化浪潮席卷了古吉拉特邦的陶瓷业。

Machines took over most of the production process, 短語動詞

机器接管了大部分生产流程，

and it left most artisans like Mansukhbhai's father without work.

让包括 Mansukhbhai 父亲在内的大多数工匠失去了工作。

But Mansukhbhai believed he could do better than his predecessors.

但 Mansukhbhai 相信自己能做得比前辈更好。

20 years ago,

20年前，

after reading about one of India's most devastating earthquakes, 語法

在读到有关印度破坏最严重的地震之一的报道后，

Mansukhbhai shifted gears to focus on solving a huge problem. 講解

Mansukhbhai 转变方向，开始专注解决一个重大难题。

It took four years to finalize the design for the Mitticool refrigerator. 語法

他用了四年时间才最终确定 Mitticool 冰箱的设计。

It can keep perishable food cool for up to a week 講解

它能让易腐食物保持低温长达一周，

and it never needs electricity.

而且完全不用电。

Mansukhbhai's fridge costs $40,

Mansukhbhai 的冰箱售价40美元，

about one third the price of an electric one. 語法

大约只有电冰箱价格的三分之一。

To garibon se jyada amir logon ne bhi liya.

买它的富人甚至比穷人还多。

Because of the fridge sales,

得益于冰箱的销量，

Mitticool's production is picking up 短語動詞

Mitticool 的产量正在回升，

while hundreds of other ceramic companies in the area paused production. 表達脈絡

而当地数百家其他陶瓷企业却暂停了生产。

In the past year,

过去一年里，

online sales have jumped

线上销售额大幅增长，

and the company employs 150 people,

公司也雇用了150名员工，

mostly women.

其中大多是女性。

Mansukhbhai tripled his current portfolio of 350 products

Mansukhbhai 将产品阵容扩大到原来的三倍，如今共有350种产品，

to include handmade tiles,

其中包括手工瓷砖、

exterior products,

户外产品

and murals.

和壁画。