MEDIA RELEASE 24 June 2008
Corporate Express takes to Mascot
One of Australia's leading suppliers of business essentials Corporate Express
Australia Limited, listed on the ASX, has relocated its New South Wales central
office to Mascot in a building designed to meet a 4-Star Australian Building
Greenhouse Ratings System (ABGR) rating. The company has also designed the
interior fit-out to be a 4-Star ABGR rating to minimise the environmental
impact.
The office relocation is part of an overall $33 million investment in a new
world-class distribution infrastructure. Grant Harrod, CEO of Corporate Express
Australia, said the objective of the office relocation was to bring the team
together.
"Our rapid growth in recent years has prompted us to evaluate our operations and
infrastructure. The lease on our current facility was due to expire prior to the
end of the year, so this presented a good opportunity to consolidate our
facilities," Harrod said.
Harrod said the company used this opportunity to make sure the new office would
incorporate its sustainability objective of reducing its carbon footprint and
increasing employee engagement with open-plan workspaces.
"The main objective for the office fit-out was to incorporate the company's
sustainability focus," he said.
"The open-plan layout allows the air-conditioning system, which is energy
efficient and runs on timer switches, to operate more efficiently. All the
lights throughout the office and audio-visual equipment in meeting rooms also
operate on sensors. We've chosen appliances with the highest efficiency rating
available to help us save energy.
"We are also minimising our water use with water reduction devices like
waterless urinals," he added.
Harrod explained that Corporate Express used products that incorporate recycled
content throughout the office.
"The flooring of the breakout areas is a product called 'Neoflex' which contains
a high percentage of recycled rubber and no environmentally harmful substances.
It is halogen-free, formaldehyde-free and PVC-free. In addition, it can be fully
recycled and does not generate any toxic substances at the end of its useful
life," Harrod said.
"The pin boards are made from 100 per cent recycled PET. This particular product
also cuts down on the need for a substrate material, reducing the amount of
material needed," he explained.
According to Harrod, the new open-plan work environment will also help enhance
interactions between work teams.
"As we are made up of seven business lines and many functional divisions,
working as a single team is the key to our success and specifically to our
'Customer Mania' ethos. We want to be highly responsive and deliver on our
promises to exceed our customer's expectations," Harrod said.
Harrod explained that Corporate Express is continuing to work towards being a
fair-trade workplace.
"We'll be buying fair-trade coffee which will be available in all our kitchens.
The coffee tastes great and is making a contribution to our corporate social
responsibility program. This is only one of the steps we will undertake towards
becoming a fair-trade workplace," Harrod said.
This multi-million dollar infrastructure investment also includes a purpose
built, state-of-the-art warehouse located in Erskine Park. It is predicted that
the warehouse relocation, which will occur later in the year, will create
savings for the company of $70 million over 12 years.
Corporate Express is one of Australia's leading suppliers of business essentials
and has over 50 branches around Australia and New Zealand.
For more information about Corporate Express, call 13 26 44 or visit the website
at www.ce.com.au.
Released for Corporate Express Australia by Dennis Rutzou Public Relations (www.drpr.com.au)
For further information please call Kim Larochelle on (02) 9413 4244.
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