Supply chain optimisation

Until recently, the upstream oil and gas industry paid little attention to the commercial upheavals taking place under the banner of e-business. After all, what relevance does a revolution in customer management have to an asset-intensive commodity industry? This viewpoint is now changing, as the industry realises that the opportunities and threats are just as real, and the implications just as profound, as for the consumer industries, writes Nick Lowes, manager, Arthur D Little’s energy practice, London