China has made impressive reductions in industrial energy use over the years, but small and medium industrial enterprises (SMEs) still struggle to improve their energy efficiency. In June 2016, NRDC launched a pilot project in the city of Suzhou aimed at helping local SMEs implement strategic energy management – a system of continuous energy improvement which combines technological solutions with management practices to continuously monitor, identify and capture energy savings. We are helping six enterprises in the electronics and chemical fiber industries develop comprehensive energy management systems, while developing training materials and industry-specific guidelines appropriate for small-to-medium enterprises. Our goal is to identify best practices to support the eventual scale-up of strategic energy management for SMEs nationwide. The project's first Steering Committee convened in Suzhou on June 30 2016 with representatives from the National Energy Conservation Center, China National Institute of Standardization, Economic and Information Technology Commissions from Jiangsu, Suzhou and Wujiang, as well as our local partners, the Suzhou Energy Conservation Center and the Suzhou Institute of Energy Management. The Steering Committee members applauded NRDC for focusing on small-to-medium industries and provided constructive advice for project implementation.