| THE PENINSULA BUSINESS, 06/08/2003 |  |
Qatar Petroleum hosts suppliers forum
DOHA: Qatar Petroleum (QP) Materials Department hosted a Suppliers Forum recently at the Laffan Hall, Falcon Club, to strengthen business relationship between QP and the supply community in Qatar.
The forum, which is to become a regular event, with the next one scheduled for September, provided an opportunity to over 30 suppliers to discuss important issues and challenges with the Materials Department management team.
The frank and informative discussions covered various topics, including consequences of delay in supplies delivery, payment terms, exchange rate risks, the role of local suppliers, specification issues and long term agreements.
QP Materials Manager Abdulaziz Zeid Al-Taleb highlighted QP's commitment to the local business community, saying 127 long-term stocking and supply agreements covering more than 2,900 different items worth QR315m were concluded.
The agreements are conducted through e-mail generating 40 to 50 orders for approximately 86 companies daily. Besides, QP has made direct purchase of spares, equipment and consumables totalling QR1.31bn over the last five years. More than 80 per cent, or the. equivalent of more than QR200m each year were placed with local suppliers, a press release said.
Over 2,000 orders are placed each month by QP Materials Department with a local and worldwide supplier base of more than 7,000 companies, it said.
Public tendering of QP material requirements has contributed to the market growth with registered suppliers growing ten-fold since the early 1990s. Public tendering has thus greatly enhanced competition and business opportunities in the Qatari market.
In his presentation, Abdulmonem Al-Majid, QP Assistant Materials Manager-Systems and Administration, discussed the changes QP suppliers are to experience in the coming months as the new SAP integrated business system is implemented.
The other presentation by Philipp Luehrs and Janina Marks of M/S Rohde and Liesenfeld focussed on the role of the freight forwarder in the supply chain and the way each party could ensure the smooth functioning of the chain.
