Warehousing in the Context of Digital Supply Chain in the Oil and Gas Industry: Using Grounded Theory to Create Groundwork

Abstract

The oil and gas industry is a complex industry with many stakeholders, risks, and monetary values involved. The supply chain of oil and gas companies is an aspect of oil and gas companies that has developed without major optimization measures along the way – it has simply had activities and concepts added as they have come along. One such activity in the supply chain in need of optimization is warehousing. A large amount of spare parts cost oil and gas companies extensive amounts yearly. With the introduction of the digital supply chain, the oil and gas industry is looking to add lessons and concepts to decrease costs, increase sustainability, and optimize warehouse activities. As this is a research field in which little specific work has been conducted, we use grounded theory to develop groundwork upon which companies can rebuild their warehousing and other supply chain activities. We conclude the work with suggestions for future research.