HORIZON POWER
progress made by regional coops with similar business models in the United States . “ We did a pretty extensive benchmarking exercise against the co-ops — making allowances for differences in jurisdictions , regulations , and various things that exist at a business level between the US and Australia — and we learned a lot of lessons that we could apply ,” said Tudor . While Horizon Power set ambitious goals , it is already making significant progress in achieving them — among other things , the company is already 70 per cent of the way toward a target to reduce discretionary costs by half .
“ So when you ask what our priorities are right now , it ’ s to continue to deliver on the target we set ourselves ,” said Tudor . “ It ’ s all about reforming our core business , incorporating the lessons that we learned from the benchmarking , and driving those lessons through some 40 separate initiatives that we ’ ve allocated to our senior management staff across the business .”
A partner in energy One crucial trait that serves to set
Horizon Power apart as an energy provider is its understanding of and proximity to the communities it serves . “ Our vision from inception is to be your local energy partner ,” said Tudor . “ We ’ ve got a physical presence in the regions that we service — we have people on the ground , interfacing and responsible for the management of assets and our customer base locally . When you think about the sort of regional communities that we service , this is a key attribute that is made more important as other businesses withdraw their services . It also happens to be the most efficient and effective way of managing our regional assets and customers .
According to Tudor , having people on the ground in rural and regional areas helps customers gain a better perception of Horizon Power as a true part of the community , which is especially vital in a world where consumer relationships with energy are changing .
“ People can access us , and talk to us — our people meet in the towns , and that in itself reinforces our sense of community and obligation ,” said Tudor . “ We ’ ve got to make sure that
90 June 2015