Case – SafeBlend Fracturing

1. Describe the nature of the sourcing teams (those responsible for making purchase decisions of fracturing fluid) at BNG. * What is the team’s purpose (short and long term)? * Who are the key members of the team? * Who on the team wields the most power and the least power? Why? * Does this sourcing team provide SafeBlend with opportunities? Why or why not?
The sourcing team comprised of adequate representation of key stakeholders in the company. It consisted of a few chemists and engineers, but mostly strategic leaders, who were responsible for making the purchase decisions of additive for fracturing fluid. The SafeBlend worked directly with sourcing managers at each company.
Team Structure …show more content…

3. How do Dudley and Barstow’s personal characteristics differ from each other? What effect might differences in personality have on SafeBlend’s customer management objectives?
Unlike Dudley, who was a free-spirited, extremely confident, decisive and driven, Barstow was fairly mundane, uncharismatic and a by-the-book decision maker who sought management approval for most tasks and didn’t believe in establishing personal relationships with vendors. While Dudley was ambitious, quick to see and seize an opportunity, Barstow organized plenty of meetings, and wrote many long emails due to which the approval process got longer. Barstow believed that SafeBlend took unfair advantage of BNG in the past, which frustrated Dudley even more and his relationship with Barstow started getting affected.
Initially, SafeBlend focused on establishing great rapport and strengthening professional collaboration with BNG. But, with Barstow, SafeBlend had to mold its customer management strategy. It got more formal and straight. SafeBlend was forced to spend more time waiting for approvals and attending multiple meetings.
4. How could SafeBlend have better leveraged their rapport with BNG (and, possibly, AOG) to maximize the optimum supplier- customer bond?
SafeBlend held record of creating environment friendly products and reputation of creating “green” products and by adopting SafeBlend’s product, BNG and AOG could easily address the pending