Talking ahead of Oil & Gas iQ's Supply Chain and Procurement in Energy Summit 2011, Tamal Bandyopadhyay, Regional Supply Chain Manager-MENA Region for Halliburton, speaks with Tim Haidar about the biggest contemporary challenges in the supply chain sector.

In today’s volatile market, productivity and profitability are top priorities in the global oil and gas sector. It is crucial to operate efficiently and cost-effectively in order to thrive in the current competitive marketplace.

Purchasing and procurement automation, effective contract management, warehousing and logistics, improving lead times, successful forecasting, inventory management and case studies on recession management are just a few of the tools that companies are using to develop effective supply chain operations and increase profit margins.

In the course of this interview, Tamal outlines the top five challeneges from his perspective, including issues around:

• Working with clients in tight geographically-defined areas that have a very quick inventory turnaround
• The global economic recession and the increased price and cost consciousness that has accompanied it
• The rise of SME-sized competitors in the supply chain field with lesser overheads and a leaner management structure
• The rapid pace of nationalisation in the MENA region and the push by MENA-based oil companies to introduce local content quotas in their procurement practices
• Logistics in the face of geopolitical upheaval and evermore stringent licensing and approvals systems, especially with regards to sensitive cargoes such as explosive, chemical and radioactive materials
  
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