Agility of the Supply Chain in the Businesses that Technically Support the Iranian Oil and Petrochemical Industries

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the supply chain agility of businesses that support the Iranian oil and petrochemical industries with the equipment they require. According to the literature, through questionnaires, the factors affecting the supply chain agility have been identified. The statistical population of the study was 200 experts and managers in businesses that provide equipment for the Iranian oil and petrochemical industries. The confirmatory factors were analyzed using the LISREL software, and a test of goodness of fitness was conducted on the model. The results show that certain factors significantly affect the agility of the supply chains. These factor include top managers’ vision, integration, human resources, flexibility, response speed, cost, innovation and learning, continuous improvement, integration of strategies, recognizing customer's requirements, sensitivity to markets and customers, customers’ satisfaction, information infrastructures, access to information, and technological innovations. Finally, according to the research results, some applicable suggestions are presented for improvement of supply chain agility in businesses that provide equipment for the Iranian oil and petrochemical industries.