Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA) France has helped one of France’s leading banking institutions achieve considerable savings on its energy costs.
Since 2001, ERA has carried out a number of audits for Caisse d'Epargne's Paris region, which comprises 3,300 employees located on 330 sites, including 300 banking branches.
Technical know-how
"My responsibilities cover many different areas, including general services, transport, security, property transactions and building maintenance," says Rene Ragheboom, director of central services for Caisse d'Epargne's Paris region. "We simply do not have the staff resources to carry out long-term projects such as a review of property taxes and energy costs.
"We were therefore interested to identify
consultants who could provide the required technical know-how and experience in these key areas and who would be prepared to work in a real spirit of partnership, implying a system of payment on results."
Series of audits ERA senior consultants Alain Costy and Jean-Claude Chevillon, who have operated in the Paris area since 1999, carried out a series of audits in a bid to identify areas in which potential savings could be made. They discovered that 100 of Caisse d'Epargne Paris' sites were not benefiting from correct electricity tariffs.
Further analysis of property taxes, carried out between ERA and the Caisse d'Epargne team, identified many different opportunities to reduce overall tax charges.
"An important factor has been the quality of cooperation between ERA and our own staff," adds Rene. "The excellent results in the Paris region have enabled us to recommend ERA to our colleagues in Normandy and Brittany, allowing ERA to extend their working relationships within the Caisse d'Epargne organisation."
21-Aug-2007