The business case

The business case

We have made a model with all the characteristics of Ecomaster^®. We have identified the potential advantages and savings per characteristic. Using this model, we can easily make the business case for your organisation, together with you: what will be the savings, what will be the costs (for pricing also see paragraph 2.8). Before doing so, we will give a short summary of the potential benefits below: 

a. First class support of your SHE-working processes: faultless, on time, efficient and verifiable

• registration, generation and approving documents and reports

• “build in” legal compliance : listings; coding; procedures; terms; calculations

• task planning and controlling execution (internal as well as third parties)

• verification of invoices

• consolidation and reporting multi site and multi language

• considerably lower audit cost due to traceable raw data and reliable data processing

b. Improvement of your primary business processes leading to often savings on environmental costs of at least 10%

• Insight in environmental cost per production charge: the source can be held responsible

• Optimization of production process including environmental costs, minimization of waste costs etc.

• Optimization of storage- and disposal costs of waste

c. Improvement of your position towards your waste collector lading to often a cost saving of at least 10%

• lower prices due to overall contracts

• quantity rebates due to higher volumes per collector

• just in time collection means less frequent collections 

• verification of collector’s permit and invoices for waste, duties and containers

• in house administration of containers (location etc)

d. Improved insight in the business performance on SHE topics: being in charge of affairs

• insight in performance on SHE topics and on related risk management

• insight in efficiency by benchmarking and internal site comparison

• improved decision making regarding environmental investments supported by analysis and simulation tools

e. Better relations with your business environment

• proven control of environment and safety, even in case of accidents

• well balanced permit management

• compliant with legislation resulting in no fines

If you have one or more of these ambitions, we would be happy to make the business case for your organisation, together with you.

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Ecomaster® as a specific problem solver

Moreover, an existing concrete problem can also be a good reason to consider a specific use of Ecomaster^®. In this case, a restricted implementation (in both time and costs) will be sufficient. This restricted implementation will be focused on solving the existing problem, whereas you have the advantage of a long-term solution. Once the problem is solved, other needs might arise, whereby it is important to be able to grow smoothly. We think of problems such as:

a. Many environmental permits and/or a complex environmental permit

• high cost of permit-application and permit-control 

• fines due to absence of or exceeding permits

• risk of liability and/or business interruption

• no insight in unnecessary severe ness of the permit and related maintenance cost 

b. High waste costs

• insufficient control of waste costs by production department 

• no insight in advantages of separation/mono streams

• insufficient insight in possibilities of recycling

• no uniform waste definitions

• no management of waste stock

• insufficient grip on waste collector, his performance and invoice

• no overall contract with waste collector and limited quantity rebate

c. High risk dangerous goods or many products with dangerous substances

• insufficient insight in quantities and locations: safety/liability

• insufficient compliance with legislation on provision of information concerning of hazardous characteristics

• lots of work spent on preparing MSDS and related reporting

• keeping your MSDS up to date as legislation changes

• keeping your internal information on hazardous characteristics up to date

d. Complex information gathering and high demands for reliable information

• time consuming information gathering and multi site (inter)national consolidation 

• high controlling cost due to traceability of raw data and complex data processing

• time consuming generation of environmental and safety reports

• insufficient grip on your environmental performance and a high risk of damaging your reputation

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The Environment Department as profit centre

A strategically organised, Ecomaster^®-based SHE-Q department has proven to substantially lower risk and operational cost. We can actually turn an SHE-Q department into a profit centre! This is how it works:

·   systematic and centralised data management

·   organisation, co-ordination and control

·   cost analysis and visibility

·   data analysis and reporting

·   limitation of risk  

a. Systematic and centralised data management

The systematic approach of Ecomaster^® automatically brings you to systematise and standardise your data and procedures. Often, this will bring up unknown facts and existing inconsistencies, in codes for example, will be eliminated.

In many companies, environmental data are spread across different services and systems. Even in those places where most of the data already exists in digital form, the need for one centralised digital system remains.

Ecomaster^® is a multi-user system, in which data are managed centrally. Preferably, data is entered into the system by the initiator of these figures. Data no longer needs to be copied, which saves time and reduces the risk of misinterpret ting hand-written data.

Enhanced transparency and accessibility of data – off course secured by means of a password structure - reduces days of search work into only a few seconds.

b. Organisation, co-ordination and control

The main part of the environmental manager's job consists of administrative tasks: keeping up with legal regulations, collecting data and producing reports. 
Ecomaster^® enables a shift of these administrative and repetitive tasks to less qualified personnel, thanks to:

• the password structure, which makes it possible for example to allow an employee to register data but not to modify basic identifications; 

• the intelligent agenda, which automatically opens the right Ecomaster^® window to execute a task. This reduces the participation threshold; 

• operational techniques such as bar-code readers and automatic interfaces with measurement equipment or existing databases.

The agenda and task list help the environmental manager to coordinate and manage the to-do list as well as the list of already executed tasks. The system automatically generates an archive of these lists. The manager will know exactly what needs to be done when and by whom.

The environmental manager himself can finally focus on his real tasks: co-ordination, control, and development of an environmental policy focussing on prevention and long-term strategy.

c. Cost analysis and visibility

The cost of an environmental department may be a lot higher than many people realise, given the time spent on administration, the search for data and reporting. Moreover, they are often underestimated because only a few cost centres are known, such as invoiced waste treatment and taxes. Ecomaster^® allows you to identify, register and analyse all costs. You can instantly produce financial analyses or calculate costs that are linked to specific aspects of environmental management. In this way, you are for example able to compare different waste treatment plants.

The real costs can finally be evaluated. This visibility of costs gives rise to more cost consciousness within your organisation, which automatically leads to cost reduction, even without any further active measures.

d. Data analysis and reporting

A quick and correct data analysis is essential for the development of an economically and ecologically efficient environmental management. Ecomaster^® makes this easy by means of:

• integrated data analysis and reporting tools: technical and financial aspects can be analysed and compared, reports required by the Authorities are generated automatically;

• our SHE-Q experts, who offer you their know-how, both built into the software and in the form of consulting, assure that your information is complete, correct, up to date and on time.

e. limitation of risk

Ecomaster^® reduces the risk of

• wrong or lost data; 

• non-compliance with legal obligations and of fines; 

• loss of information with the departure of employees;

Ecomaster^® guarantees the continuity of knowledge, which remains structured in the system. In case of replacement of an employee, the time needed to catch up is shortened, since the data remain available, structured and transparent.

Ecomaster^® also reduces the risks linked to products and processes. At any moment in time, you will know exactly which quantities of whatever substances are stored at the site, including their characteristics. Thus, Ecomaster® reduces the risk of pollution and accidents. Should an accident occur nevertheless, you have the required data immediately at your disposal. This could save lives … and the reputation of your organisation.

All this will certainly have an impact on your insurance policy.

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