The early adopters of FPAL back in 1996, were typically Operators or large main contractors who were quick to acknowledge the value of FPAL as a shared database of Suppliers that enabled them to cost-effectively manage their supply chain.
From these small beginnings, the service has grown to have more than 80 FPAL Purchasers and almost 3,000 Suppliers. The growth in FPAL Purchaser numbers has been caused by two factors; firstly, the emergence of a new breed of smaller Operators who focus on those opportunities that are deemed too small for the majors, and secondly, by an increasing number of Suppliers/Contractors who use FPAL to manage their own supply chain.
Examples within this category include: Baker Hughes, Bibby Offshore, CAN, Construction Specialists Ltd, Genesis Oil & Gas, KCA Technical, Odfjell Drilling, Petrofac Engineering, Prosafe, Senergy, Stena Drilling & Technip.
Extending the use of FPAL further down the supply chain is something which the FPAL Steering Committee is very keen to promote. Suitable Contractors and Suppliers are therefore invited to consider whether they should also become an FPAL Purchaser in addition to maintaining their Supplier status.
Ask yourself these questions:
- How important are my Suppliers to the success of my business?
- Am I currently managing my Suppliers effectively?
- How accurate and comprehensive is my Supplier database and how much effort do I spend maintaining it?
- Would it be useful to know if I’m using best in class Suppliers?
- What value do I place on having access to reliable HSE audit information about my Suppliers?
- Would two-way FPAL Performance Feedback help me to identify how I could better manage my suppliers and also improve my procurement processes?
- Would being an FPAL Purchaser give me a competitive edge by demonstrating to my customers that I use the same transparent, industry-standard supplier selection process (FPAL) as them?
To discuss what it takes to become a Purchaser, contact Malcolm Wilson, FPAL’s Subscriber Support Manager via: malcolm.wilson@achilles.com or: +44 (0) 1224 33 75 08