The furniture removal industry in Melbourne is currently facing a significant labour shortage, leading to operational challenges and disruptions in service delivery. The shortage of skilled and available workers has created a pressing concern for both removal companies and customers.

The labour shortage in Melbourne has emerged due to a variety of factors. The COVID-19 travel restrictions have limited the influx of international workers, who traditionally filled many positions within the industry. Additionally, the overall tight labour market in Melbourne has resulted in increased competition, making it challenging for removal companies to attract and retain skilled employees.

Several noticeable impacts have been found. For example, removal companies are experiencing delays in scheduling and fulfilling customer requests. The limited workforce has resulted in longer wait times and stretched resources, causing frustration among customers who are eager to settle into their new homes. Furthermore, with fewer workers available, movers are working longer hours and taking on additional responsibilities, leading to potential burnout and decreased job satisfaction.

In response to this pressing issue, industry leader, Jake Removals Melbourne has been adopting proactive strategies to navigate the labour shortage and ensure continued service delivery to customers.

Jake Removals are intensifying their efforts to attract new talent by launching targeted recruitment campaigns. They are leveraging both traditional and digital platforms to reach more potential candidates. To retain existing employees, they are implementing strategies to enhance job satisfaction and employee well-being. These efforts include providing a positive work environment and promoting work-life balance.

Jake Removals understand the importance of offering competitive wages and benefits to attract and retain skilled employees. They are reviewing and adjusting their salaries to remain competitive within the labour market. Jake Removals are also embracing new technology to streamline operations and optimize efficiency. Automated systems are being adopted to reduce manual workload and improve productivity.

SmartestEnergy Australia announces its certification as carbon neutral for its Australian business operations by Climate Active. The certification, awarded by the Australian Government, recognises SmartestEnergy Australia's commitment to voluntary climate action and its contribution towards a low-carbon future. Climate Active is a partnership between the Australian Government and businesses aiming to drive voluntary climate action. Its rigorous and credible carbon neutral certification is a testament to SmartestEnergy Australia's dedication to reducing its carbon emissions and investing in projects that offset the remaining emissions, ultimately achieving carbon neutrality. By attaining carbon neutral certification, SmartestEnergy Australia exemplifies its commitment to sustainable business practices and underscores its role in leading the transition towards a greener and more sustainable future. (Photo: Business Wire)

SmartestEnergy Australia Pty Ltd proudly announces its certification as carbon neutral for its Australian business operations by Climate Active. The certification, awarded by the Australian Government, recognises SmartestEnergy Australia's commitment to voluntary climate action and its contribution towards a low-carbon future.

Climate Active is a partnership between the Australian Government and businesses aiming to drive voluntary climate action. Its rigorous and credible carbon neutral certification is a testament to SmartestEnergy Australia's dedication to reducing its carbon emissions and investing in projects that offset the remaining emissions, ultimately achieving carbon neutrality.

Robert Owens, CEO of SmartestEnergy Australia, emphasizes the importance of carbon neutral certification, stating, "As a renewable energy retailer, becoming carbon neutral not only aligns with our vision to empower switched-on customers, generators and partners in Australia to get to net zero but also makes strong business sense. We have diligently reduced our carbon emissions and will continue to invest in projects that contribute to emission reduction or removal. As a result, our emissions are now neutral.”

By attaining carbon neutral certification, SmartestEnergy Australia exemplifies its commitment to sustainable business practices and underscores its role in leading the transition towards a greener and more sustainable future. As a member of the Climate Active Network, SmartestEnergy Australia joins a group of progressive organisations that share a common goal of combating climate change.

About Climate Active

Climate Active is Australia's premier initiative for climate action, bringing together the Australian Government and businesses to drive positive environmental impact. The certification awarded by Climate Active is a rigorous, government-backed program, enabling consumers, businesses and stakeholders to identify and support brands that make a tangible difference in addressing climate change.

What Does Carbon Neutral Mean?

Being carbon neutral entails taking comprehensive measures to reduce and offset an organisation's carbon emissions. SmartestEnergy Australia has meticulously documented and reported all greenhouse gas emitting activities (Scope 1, 2, and 3) throughout the year. Additionally, the company has invested in projects that effectively reduce or remove equivalent emissions, resulting in a net zero carbon footprint.

Joy Daly, Office Manager of SmartestEnergy Australia, reflects on the efforts undertaken to achieve carbon neutrality, stating, "Putting together all the necessary paperwork for procurement was a big job, but it was definitely worth it. Now, we're officially a certified carbon neutral organisation, thanks to the unique Climate Active program backed by the government. We're not just sitting around. We're determined to make a significant impact on reducing carbon emissions. By teaming up with other Climate Active organisations, businesses can really make a difference.”

Proactive and Long-Term Emission Reduction Strategies

SmartestEnergy Australia remains steadfast in its commitment to proactively reducing emissions and fostering a renewable future. The company has established the following strategies to achieve its ambitious emission reduction goals:

Emissions Reduction Strategy: SmartestEnergy Australia is dedicated to reducing emissions across its Australian operations by at least 30% below the base year 2021/22 levels by 2030. This equates to a reduction of over 200 tCO2-e from the initial emissions of 691 tCO2-e.

Partnerships: Whenever feasible, SmartestEnergy Australia selects partner organisations that are certified Carbon Neutral by Climate Active or their UK equivalent, such as The Carbon Trust.

Travel: The company supports remote work and encourages employees to work from their home state whenever possible. For essential flights, SmartestEnergy Australia encourages staff to opt for carbon offset options.

Office: The Sydney office of SmartestEnergy Australia is powered by 100% GreenPower, reinforcing the company's commitment to sustainable energy sources.

Through these measures, SmartestEnergy Australia is proactively shaping employee behaviors, optimising procurement processes, and minimising the carbon impact of its operations, thus promoting a more sustainable and environmentally conscious business environment. The company will remain proactive throughout the year, with regular reviews of activities under SmartestEnergy’s direct control that could be altered or eliminated to reduce emissions.

SmartestEnergy Australia's carbon neutral certification underscores its position as an independent renewable energy retailer and its dedication to achieving a sustainable and low carbon future. By setting an example through voluntary climate action, SmartestEnergy Australia encourages other businesses to prioritise environmental thought leadership, empowering businesses to build a more sustainable, greener future.

About SmartestEnergy:

SmartestEnergy is a people-powered renewable energy company built on a team of NEM energy experts and strong relationships with our customers and partners. We opened our Sydney office in 2020, following two decades of growth and customer focus in the UK. We’re asset-light and operating without bias in the Australian market, which means we can offer reliable, innovative retail solutions for clean energy that suit different needs and stages of the sustainability journey. With the grid mix changing, balancing supply and demand has never been more important. Today, we’re driving the worldwide transition to net zero with offices spanning Australia, US and UK. We’re proud to be a wholly owned subsidiary of Marubeni, a Japanese corporation currently listed as a Fortune Global 500 company.

As a certified carbon neutral organisation by Climate Active, SmartestEnergy Australia leads by example and has made choices and changes in the way we do business to ensure our greenhouse gas emissions are carbon neutral.

Infor®, the industry cloud company, today announced that Lovisa, the fashion-forward jewellery brand, has made a strategic move in its global operations by implementing Infor Warehouse Management System (WMS) at a new facility in Poland. With the support of Infor partner SNS, a leading provider of supply chain consultancy and software implementation, Lovisa has taken a significant step forward in improving supply chain operations and delivering exceptional customer service. The project went live in March 2023, marking a major milestone in Lovisa's journey towards enhancing its global presence.

The new warehouse in Poland is the first of Lovisa's multiple facilities worldwide to operate on Infor WMS. Previously, Lovisa had outsourced its operations to 3PLs (third-party logistics) in some countries or relied on basic paper-driven processes like paper picking.

Despite the challenges of a tight timeline of around five months from inception to go-live, the new facility in Poland started operating on the same day as Infor WMS going live, with new staff recruited for the facility. Additionally, zero customisation was allowed, and all business requirements had to be catered for using an out-of-the-box Infor WMS. Overcoming language, time zone, and location barriers, Lovisa's project team worked tirelessly with the support of SNS to ensure a successful implementation.

"The new facility in Poland will allow Lovisa to maximise its operational flexibility allowing an improved service offering for inventory to our store network throughout Europe. The next step is to kick off e-commerce for all European orders from the same location," said Tyrone Tapusoa, head of supply chain, Lovisa. "SNS played a critical role in helping us achieve our goals with this project. Their expertise and support have been invaluable in ensuring that the Infor WMS implementation was successful. With their help, we will be able to improve our supply chain operations and deliver exceptional customer service."

"Infor is proud that Lovisa, one of Australia's great fashion success stories, has deployed Infor WMS in record time and in close collaboration with our valued partner SNS. The implementation will provide Lovisa with critical insights into warehouse operations, including real-time inventory levels and labour performance, and improve the company's bottom line. Going live at Lovisa's facility in Poland marks an important milestone in the company's efforts to enhance its global supply chain capabilities and Infor is thrilled to be part of this exciting journey," said Jarrod Kinchington, Infor ANZ vice-president and managing director.

Mario Ghosn, SNS general manager, said, "We are pleased to have been a part of Lovisa's successful Infor WMS implementation in their new facility in Poland. Our team worked closely with Lovisa's project team to overcome challenges and ensure a successful go live. We are proud to have contributed to Lovisa's global operations and look forward to continued collaboration in the future."

Lovisa is thrilled with the successful implementation of the WMS at its new facility in Poland with the support of Infor and SNS, and looks forward to the benefits it will bring to the global operations, including improved supply chain operations and exceptional customer service.

Organisations around the world, including Costa Rican logistics operator Grupo Servica, equipment manufacturer NTN in Japan, and German supply chain service provider HAVI Group, rely on Infor WMS to improve operational performance and enhance customer experience for business success.

IAG Firemark Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Australia and New Zealand's largest general insurer IAG, together with Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), and Margalit Startup City (MSC) New York announced today a new ground-breaking ClimateTech Insurance joint-collaboration. The partnership is aimed at discovering, nurturing, and developing emerging cutting-edge technologies and startups to measure and mitigate risks stemming from the impact of climate change.

As the global climate crisis continues to evolve, the need to combine AI predictions and analytics becomes paramount with climate change introducing new risks and uncertainties that directly impact the insurance industry – both for individual consumers and insurance providers. Extreme weather events like hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and droughts have become more frequent and severe, leading to increased property damage, crop losses, and business disruptions. Consequently, insurance companies face higher claims payouts and increased financial risks.

IAG Firemark Ventures, JVP and Margalit Startup City NYC will be encouraging collaboration with corporations, startups and emerging businesses to support and scale climate technological solutions to help insurers achieve their global energy, environmental and sustainability goals.

Erel Margalit, Founder and Chairman of JVP and Margalit Startup City, noted, "As extreme weather conditions and climate change are increasingly impacting the livelihood of individuals worldwide, insurance companies are actively searching for new technologies, including AI predictions and analytics, with the aim of providing secure coverage for challenging climate conditions. We are delighted to have IAG Firemark Ventures as our partner, along with MINI and other partners, as we explore new technologies globally in the US, Israel, and Australia. These advancements can bring innovative solutions and frameworks to meet the evolving demands of climate change."

Scott Gunther, General Partner of IAG Firemark Ventures: said "As an insurer, we see first-hand the impact climate change is having on our customers, communities, business and our industry. For this reason, IAG Firemark Ventures has ClimateTech as a key startup investment focus area for the future and why we have entered into this important partnership. We look forward to working with the International ClimateTech Centre to help ClimateTech startups' scale to help deliver on our climate and environmental goals."

The International ClimateTech Center takes an entirely new approach to ClimateTech, whereby mainstream technologies join forces with the worlds of Insur-tech, Fintech, cyber, Foodtech and AgriTech, to tackle the climate crisis in the most innovative manner possible. The Center was launched in partnership with Mini and Urban-X in September 2022, and works to help scale

sustainable, technological solutions to climate change in urban landscapes, with an accelerator program that has so far attracted more than 500 startups from the US, Europe, and Israel.

Companies already operating out of the Center include tech unicorn Earnix, a JVP portfolio company which is a leading provider of intelligence operations for insurance and banking, and will play a crucial role in this collaboration; Greeneye, an AI-driven startup revolutionizing pest control in agriculture; and Dryad, which provides early forest fire detection, as well as health and growth monitoring solutions for public and private forests.

The collaboration between IAG Firemark Ventures, JVP, and Margalit Startup City will officially commence in June 2023. By combining resources, investment capabilities, industry expertise and a global market share, this collaboration aims to nurture and propel emerging technologies that have the potential to reshape the insurance industry's approach to risk assessment.

About Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP)

Founded in 1993 by Dr. Erel Margalit, JVP is an internationally renowned VC fund. It is among the pioneering firms of the Israeli VC industry and has raised over $1.7bn. Over the years, JVP has built over 160 companies and has been listed numerous times by Preqin, as one of the top six consistently performing VC firms worldwide with portfolio companies that drive global markets today. JVP's winning strategy combines company creation with early and late-stage investment. JVP has been instrumental in building some of the world's largest companies to emerge, orchestrated dozens of industry acquisitions to leading international companies and facilitated 12 IPOs on NASDAQ, including CyberArk Software (NASDAQ: CYBR, $4.7 billion mkt. cap.), QLIK Technologies (NASDAQ: QLIK, then $4 billion mkt. cap.) as well as many large industry sales. JVP creates the majority of its own deal flow from seed by seeking ground-breaking new innovations. Renowned for its hands-on approach in supporting and mentoring its companies, JVP welcomes global strategic and investment partners through all phases of the maturity cycle, with a view to creating disruptive technologies and solutions. Over the past decade, JVP has spearheaded the creation of international Centers of Excellence, including the AI and Media Center in Jerusalem, the Cyber Center in Beer Sheva, the FoodTech Center in the Galilee, the Digital Health Center in Haifa, the Fintech Center in Tel Aviv and the International Cyber and Climate-tech Center in NYC. Visit the JVP Website https://www.jvpvc.com.

About IAG

IAG is the parent company of a general insurance group with operations in Australia and New Zealand. IAG's main businesses underwrite over $13 billion of insurance premium per annum under many leading brands, including: NRMA Insurance, RACV (under a distribution agreement with RACV), CGU, SGIO, SGIC and WFI (Australia); and NZI, State, AMI and Lumley (New Zealand). For further information, please visit www.iag.com.au