Addressing Supply Chain Configuration Practices: Evidence from Italian Best Performer Valve Suppliers for the Oil & Gas Industry

This study addresses the challenge of achieving, as well as maintaining, a competitive position within the Oil & Gas EPC supply chain. The paper provides an overview of the adopted supply chain configuration practices as depicted from conducting interviews with 14 suppliers of engineered valves, who are listed as “Best Performers” by ANIMP (Associazione Nazionale di IMPiantistica industriale – Association collecting the Italian engineering, contracting and plant components suppliers), and assessed by principal EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contractors in Italy. Furthermore, the study posits a theoretical framework for the interconnected relationship between supply chain configuration practices, capabilities, and performance. The paper contributes to practice through expanding the knowledge base on supply chain configuration practices, in addition to offering practical and theoretical support for decision makers on the configuration and management of their supply chains. The findings of this rigorous case study will help practitioners in setting their supply chain benchmarks, so as to build future strategic models, and it sheds light on the various perspectives within the Oil & Gas EPC suppliers sector.