ENWORKS, the environmental business support service, has received approval for a £6 million investment from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) to deliver resource efficiency savings to businesses in the Northwest.

J & J Ormerod Plc is one firm that has benefited from resource efficiency savings achieved with support from ENWORKS. The company is one of the largest manufacturers of kitchen and bedroom furniture in the UK with over 400 employees working from the company's four sites in Rossendale. Annual cost savings of over £500,000 have been achieved through transport efficiency measures, the installation of wood burners for space heating, improvements to compressed air systems and on-site voltage optimisation.

These actions have saved the company significant sums of money and reduced their emission of CO2 by over 1,100 tonnes and their consumption of raw materials by over 800 tonnes each year.

Mark Hughes, Executive Director for Enterprise and Skills at the NWDA, said: "By working with ENWORKS, Northwest companies can improve their competitiveness and productivity and at the same time reduce CO2 emissions and divert waste from landfill. ENWORKS have a tremendous record of improving the productivity of several businesses, large and small, throughout our region and the confirmation of this project ensures that they are able to continue to develop this service."

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ENWORKS has operated in the region since 2001 co-ordinating local organisations in the provision of effective support to businesses to help them improve their competitiveness through environmental improvements. Companies throughout the Northwest can get advice on how to realise cost savings, reduce risk, access new market opportunities, ensure legal compliance, increase productivity and lower running costs. The service is designed to boost profitability by increasing business efficiency in areas such as energy use, fuel consumption, water efficiency and the use of materials.

Todd Holden, Programme Director for ENWORKS, said: "ENWORKS has demonstrated that managing your environmental impact can deliver a significant boost to your bottom line. Companies in the Northwest are now saving over £14million every year as a result of ENWORKS' assistance. The NWDA's continued support will ensure that thousands more companies can reap the benefits of resource efficiency savings. This is great news for the environment and for the competitiveness of the region."

ENWORKS is working closely with the new Business Link Northwest service to ensure that environmental support is made available to as many businesses as possible. A new signposting/brokerage service is in place that provides a single gateway for businesses to access a range of specialist environmental advice from many different providers. This brokerage service helps businesses to get the right service for their needs, to enable their business to grow.

(JM)