The Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA) has received a grant of $743,310 from the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism as part of the Energy Efficiency Information Grants Program, to develop and deliver a comprehensive and targeted program called Energy Efficiency Solutions for Australian transport and logistics SME.
The supply chain, transport & logistics sector is a high energy consumer. There are significant opportunities for improving energy efficiency and reducing energy costs including reductions in the usage of electricity, all types of fuels and refrigerants as well as optimisation of transport, loads, materials handling, cold chain logistics, scheduling and other efficiencies.
Chairman of the SCLAA David Rogers said that SME (defined as 200 employees or fewer) in the supply chain and logistics industry face time and competitive pressures and lack the targeted skills and resources to identify and improve their energy use, which in turn would benefit their business productivity. This project aims to address this need, by delivering a comprehensive closed-loop program for SCLAA members and other SME in the supply chain and logistics sector.
The SCLAA will do this through the provision of targeted tools, resources and training tailored specifically to assist our substantial membership, contacts and the 409,756 SME across Australia who warehouse, distribute and/or transport goods to improve their energy efficiency. The program will be delivered face-to-face at 30 locations in every state and territory across Australia and all components will be available online.
The program comprises seven stages:
- Stage 1 – Research and stakeholder consultation.
- Stage 2 – Creation of a web-based ‘Energy Efficiency Assessment tool’ to assist SME to benchmark their energy performance against industry best practice, and understand where key opportunities to improve energy efficiency exist within their business. Each SME will receive a tailored assessment action plan, providing recommendations to cost-effectively reduce energy use. This web portal will also enable the ongoing monitoring of energy performance across the sector over time, assisting the SCLAA to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.
- Stage 3 – Based on the outcomes of Stage 1, creation of comprehensive workshop packs of tools and resources to assist time and resource-poor SME to take action on energy efficiency.
- Stage 4 – Promotion of the project through existing channels to build awareness across the sector of the project and how they can benefit environmentally and financially by participating. Promotion activities will continue throughout the duration of the project to highlight upcoming events, new or updated resources, and celebrate improvements in industry benchmarks over time.
- Stage 5 – Delivery of 1/2 – full day workshops in all eight state and territory capital cities, plus 22 regional locations in every state and territory across Australia. Workshops will be run through existing SCLAA state divisions. The SCLAA will also deliver 10 interactive webinars, where participants can also ask questions in real time and learn from other similar businesses.
- Stage 6 – Workshop content and recordings will be made available online to maximise reach to SME who are unable to participate in a workshop or a webinar.
- Stage 7 – Follow up with all participants three and six months after stage 4 or 5. Ensure benchmarks are being bettered and that each SME has a strategy to reduce energy consumption.
Stages 1 – 6 will be completed by July 2014 and stage 7 by December 2014. All content will be available on the SCLAA website at least until the end of 2021.
