How to Save Your Company Big $$$ in Small Ways : True Stories of Real Companies

What was the suggestion of two couriers at FedEx that saved the company $32,000? How did a site visit at 2:00 am help a New England sports complex cut its utility costs from $45,000 to $20,000? And where did a computer-savvy summer intern find $60,000 in savings for a New York brokerage firm? How to Save Your Company Big $$$ in Small Ways examines the little things companies can do to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and achieve greater profit. One of the greatest little sources of savings is an effective employee suggestion program. When two couriers at FedEx were encouraged to speak up, their suggestion on improving sorting saved the company $32,000. And when a New Jersey utility company implemented the suggestions of two of its employees and began using inexpensive decals instead of paint for the logo on their trucks, they saved $300,000 in materials and labor. Other companies are doing small things to generate huge savings in technology, waste reduction, advertising, insurance, energy costs, and more. Simple tips like shredding waste paper to use as packaging material save material and labor. Employing fundamental electronic technology saved Hewlett-Packard $300,000 in mailing costs when the company put its annual report online. Throughout this book, you'll find the author's own "suggestion boxes" filled with resources, contacts, and the many ways real companies are saving real money.

ALLYN FREEMAN is a writer and business consultant who has written numerous articles for leading business journals. His television credits include M*A*S*H and Hart to Hart. He holds an MBA from Columbia University Business School and is the coauthor of Why Didn't I Think of That? Bizarre Origins of Ingenious Inventions We Couldn't Live Without.