business consultant

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Through greater inclusion and relationships based on trust, the enTrust assists Indigenous communities and organizations in facilitating reconciliation. Sanitation: Waste Transfer Station is one of their projects which needs implementation and guidance. An Ontario First Nation developed a treatment facility and waste transfer station to deal with solid waste generated by the community since there isn't enough space at the current landfill.

The new transfer station faces some challenges: waste is hauled an hour away, leaving the First Nation's problem in someone else's backyard; bins are charged by volume rather than weight, so there are often voids in the containers with air gaps that are billed to the Nation.  Individuals are involved in different aspects of the respective implementations, which require their attention. An essential part of a community's waste management system is the waste transfer station, which links a solid waste collection program and a final disposal facility. Implementing such an approach will help acquire the necessary operations and performances throughout the various stages.

In this article, the importance of various implementations and activities in various times and aspects will be discussed to achieve those six communities' intended operations and general success. Whenever a community decides to reduce transportation costs, different mandates and requirements must be implemented, such as management, finance, information technology, human resources, marketing, and other essential operations that every operator must implement to achieve required operations and mandates.

Background current situation

The first issue is that all those six communities have a long way to reach their waste-to-waste transfer station; this causes extra cost to deliver their waste. Two indigenous and four non-indigenous communities all have the same issue, and if they cannot send the bins to waste transfer stations, they will have to store those in the backyard of others.

The second issue is they do not have any operating systems that can be recycling the solid waste in their regions, so they must send scraps without any changes in shape and size. This makes it a problem for them because they must pay extra money as for the transportation system weight does not matter. The only factor that they consider is the volume of the wastes. Hence, it means each community should pay for space among solid waste as well.

Additionally, there is a language barrier between organizations and indigenous communities since indigenous communities have their language. It means organizations cannot explain the process of pre-recycling to indigenous communities adequately.

On the other hand, some opportunities affect both communities and organizations as well.

The first opportunity is six different communities can help reduce the effect of the issues by pre recycling phases in their places. It will help not only to reduce the volume of the wastes but also to categorize them.

The second opportunity for the community is new job opportunities, and in this case, the local unemployment rate will face a sharp decrease.

Another opportunity is when collaborating with the local community, various economies of scale can be realized.

Figure 1: (Ontario Political Map, 2021)

The Scope

This study analyzes the factors that make up a Waste Transfer Station to manage solid waste from the community since there isn't any additional landfill space. As we analyze the organization's human resources, finance, operations, marketing, and information technology functions, we figure out some issues that need more investigation. By using several diagnostic tools, we figure out some cases that need more investigation.

Among five major diagnostic tools consist of SWOT, PESTEL, PARETO'S ANALYSIS, Porter's Five Forces Analysis, FISHBONE, we decided to pick up PARETO'S ANALYSIS because, according to this analysis, eighty percent of the issues comes from only twenty percent of the activities and a FISHBONE analysis, which describes the problem of high transportation costs of waste in Northern Ontario and potential sub-issues. The positive point about picking up the fishbone is that it mainly focuses on one problem profoundly and tries to bring related causes as much as possible (Phillips & Simmonds, 2013).‌

The Approach and Methodology

When there is a problem, it can affect several aspects of people's lives and communities. If a problem is discovered, it needs some action to be done to resolve the issues. In some cases, the issue has two positive and negative sides. It means it can bring its pros and cons for the community. In this case, we are trying to use diagnostic tools to recognize the issues. In recent years people experience a different quality of life, and they are more consumeristic than before. People tend to have a consumer culture in the new way of living, producing more waste according to different consumer cultures. This consumerist culture leads to making more waste. This waste cannot be released into nature; therefore, it is necessary to transport them to waste transport stations.

In this scenario, we are facing the high cost of transporting the wastes for the communities. Here, our focus is on using each point as a source of power; we are focusing on using each diagnostic tool to figure out the leading cause of the high cost of transporting wastes. By using the fishbone diagnostic tools, we tried to focus on one particular problem.

Figure 2: fishbone analysis

By fishbone analysis, we diagnose four leading causes for the high cost of transportation in Northern Ontario: machine, man, management, and method.

Machine

There are three subclauses. First, waste is being collected frequently, no matter whether the bins are full or not. In other words, when the truck comes to pick up garbage often, it imposes the cost to the community even if the bins are not complete.

Secondly, the Lack of dump-equipped trucks causes a considerable volume of waste. These dump-equipped trucks compress the volume of the waste, and in each transportation, they would be able to carry more waste to the waste transport station.

Man

which consist of At-risk groups who suffer the effect of high cost, inadequate and untrained workers, and indiscriminate dumping of waste by residents in the community. It shows a need to educate the community to use products with less packaging and use a lower number of disposable products. It will help them to protect the people who suffer from the high costs.

Management

There are three leading causes: not using subsidies by the organization, no proper recycling program, and the tax imposed on the traffic of garbage trucks. Since in this area indigenous lives, the government should allocate more subsidies to these regions, and organizations can use it to decrease the costs. Also, since indigenous people are locals and tend to have lower incomes, the government must protect them financially.

Method

There are two leading causes: Management system and design. Waste transportation is not proceeding using a clear plan, and they are not using the proper method for a vehicle. The transportation of wastes becomes more expensive if a clear path is not followed.

PARETO'S ANALYSIS

To achieve maximum efficiency, you can use the Pareto Principle to determine where to focus your efforts and resources. Utilizing the 80/20 rule shows that one of them produces eighty percent of the waste among these five communities. by identifying that area and applying efficient management approaches, they can control the high cost of transportation of wastes.

Operational

Understanding waste management data

This information is critical for planning and creating policies for the operational procedure. It is essential when it was realized that bins are being charged by volume, not weight. Also, with accurate data, governments can realistically allocate budgets and assess relevant technologies.

Waste screening

Transfer station operators should screen and inform customers about how and where to dispose of waste problematic for their station before, during, and after customers unload.

Environmental issues

This operation creates some environmental problems such as traffic, noise, air pollution, and odors. These issues are more critical when there are neighbors around the community. There are non-Indigenous communities and Indigenous communities near the waste transfer station within an hour, making the station's operation more sensitive to environmental issues. The transferring must be done with extreme caution to avoid any safety or hazardous leak in the road. That can put those communities in danger.

Business Processes Improvement

In any case, the requirement for innovation has turned into an expanding challenge for the coordination's business to keep steady over new advances in business measures. Making the most of these new chances sounds tempting; however, adoption and onboarding can be overpowering. The company can consolidate shipments into one shipment and automate the logistics by tracking shipments from when they leave to the destination.

Timely planning & Scheduling

Ensuring operations are well-timed goes a long way to cutting inefficiencies, preventing unnecessary and inflated logistics costs. Leverage scheduling software to plan operations such as production schedule and transit times from pick-up and delivery to shipping routes move as planned. This will alleviate delays and missed deadlines, which can reflect poorly on the company's reputation and may ultimately cause a potential loss of clients and finances (Braaksma, 2015).

Financial

Profit Management

The transportation industry works on very low gross margins and bottom-line profit margins. Therefore, organizations in this industry should work as proficiently as could be expected. This includes adequately overseeing capital gear like trucks, guaranteeing they are being used 95%+ of the time, very much keeping up with, and using the best courses to convey items from beginning to the objective. Maintaining the optimum number of trucks will also help to keep equipment license expenses at a minimum. It also includes maintaining good controls over indirect spending such as people, insurance, rent, taxes. The company has significant rent expenses for warehouses and land. They need to ensure they utilize their building and land efficiently and do not have excessive unused building and land. This will help keep rent expenses, property taxes, insurance, and utility expenses at a minimum (J. Beckert, 2019).

The Expected Increase in Fuel Prices

Based on forecasts, oil prices are expected to increase because of the heightened tensions within the Middle East. As shipping and coordination organizations depend vigorously on fuel to do their everyday activities, even a slight spike in diesel costs can represent a critical financial challenge. Hence, fuel costs represent an intense economic threat to the company.

Increase in Trucking Charges

The shipping company is compelled to change the rates because of the expanded expenses of fuel, fleet maintenance, and driver wages. Decreasing drivers' salaries are not practical as drivers hope to be paid reasonable pay for the administrations they render. The company will be an enormous financial challenge to support its market share.

Human Resource

Encourages Drivers and Staff

Successful trucking associations found out that functional proficiency relies upon many variables, including driver inspiration. Proficient tasks require not just top-quality hardware, convenient frameworks, just as protected and valuable strategies; it additionally requires persuaded drivers and non-drivers. For motivated drivers, it is not just about getting the miles and getting a check; it is about having pride in how they are contributing to the organization. Motivated staff and agreement drivers are inspired to assist you with making a successful company (Ramus, 2001).

Recruitment & Selection

A poorly trained and under-motivated workforce affects most recycling operations sooner or later. Many people in this position have never been appropriately managed and do not understand the basic or job expectations. For this reason, a reputable labor team supplier should show clear instructions to workers and supervise their proceedings. Employees will be happy because they want to do a good job and keep their job. Interest in coordination and transportation ability, like coordination directors, production network project chiefs, drivers, and mechanics, is simply going to continue to develop. With how new advancements are changing the transportation and coordination industry, there is an expanded interest for laborers with mixed abilities.

Performance management

The company should follow the proper performance management framework and fulfill all performance management systems with three fundamental ingredients metrics with correct KPIs, managing information with the suitable manners, and accurate methodology. By following these steps, human resource managers have adequate info to evaluate drivers precisely.

Information Technology

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have considerable importance for transport systems. They provide access to travel information, planning tools, and opportunities to share transport modes, work distance, compare transport mode costs, make payments, and improve safety and health (BANISTER & STEAD, 2004). Upgrading devices have a direct relation with better performance in operation.

Marketing

Local communities play a pivotal role in building and developing a waste transfer station. In order to establish trust with the public and maximize the local communities participation, the marketing department could employ some strategies. First of all, the marketing department should use advertising campaigns to make the local communities aware of the importance of a waste transfer station and why we believe a waste transfer station is right for this community. The marketing department could increase public awareness through public meetings and presentations to local communities. Internet websites, social media, direct emails, broadcast media, newspapers are other tools. Besides, it is essential to develop their relationship with civic, environmental, religious, and professional groups.

Another critical strategy is forming a public committee. To maximize the effects of this committee, we should take some considerations into account. For example:

· All non-indigenous and indigenous communities should have members in this committee.

· The committee members should be provided with technical education.

· The committee members should be encouraged to bring relevant concerns and questions up.

· The committee members are given the right to be actively involved in decision-making.

· All the communities should be informed of the results of each meeting.

References

Braaksma, A. (2015). Timely and efficient planning of treatments through intelligent Scheduling. Centre for Telematics and Information Technology (CTIT). https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036539302