The delivery route remains the supplier's internal matter. ZPEK CEO Oleg Chykyda explains what actually matters to the customer.
The method of fuel delivery rarely concerns the end consumer – what is decisive is its timeliness and a predictable price. This was the view expressed by Oleg Chykyda, CEO and co-owner of the Western Fuel and Energy Company (ZPEK), commenting on the company's approach to organizing supplies.
"In the end, it doesn't really matter to the customer which route the fuel came by. What matters is that it arrives on time, in the required volume, and at a predictable price," Oleg Chykyda notes. According to him, it is precisely on this principle that the company builds its logistics – and not the other way around, adjusting the customer's expectations to fit the chosen route.
The head of ZPEK explains that any new route is assessed first and foremost through its economics. "It is important to us that every delivery has clear economics: a predictable price for the customer, an acceptable delivery time, and reliable logistics," he stresses. This is exactly the approach, according to Oleg Chykyda, behind the recent choice of the Constanța–Izmail sea route for the first delivery of EN590 diesel fuel.
Oleg Chykyda adds that since 2022 the predictability of supply has depended directly on the flexibility of logistics. "A single familiar route can no longer be a guarantee of stability. If conditions change, the company has to be ready to quickly reconfigure its supply," he notes. That is why ZPEK does not bet on any single direction, but keeps several delivery options running at the same time.
According to the company's head, Oleg Chykyda, building logistics this way works primarily in the customer's favor: having several routes makes it possible to maintain predictable timelines and prices even when the market situation or the availability of transport corridors changes. ZPEK adds that it will continue to choose the optimal logistics solution for each delivery, taking customers' needs into account.