Overview & Context
Company role and positioning in the global energy market
Market environment
Oil & gas price cyclicality and benchmarks (Brent, Urals)
Sanctions, export restrictions, and compliance constraints
OPEC+ dynamics and production quotas
Energy transition pressures and decarbonization policies
Customer landscape
B2B dominance: refiners, petrochemical producers, utilities, traders
B2C presence via retail fuel networks (where applicable)
Product (Energy Portfolio)
Upstream offerings (crude and condensate)
Crude grades and characteristics
Density/API, sulfur content, yield profiles
Blending practices and quality consistency
Production portfolio
Conventional oil fields and mature asset optimization
Greenfield developments and frontier plays
Gas-associated liquids and condensates
Value levers
Reservoir management and enhanced recovery techniques
Reliability of supply and lifting cost competitiveness
Natural gas and gas liquids
Pipeline gas vs LNG participation (where relevant via partnerships)
NGLs: propane, butane, ethane, natural gasoline
Industrial customers and power-sector demand linkages
Downstream products (refined fuels)
Transportation fuels
Gasoline grades and additives
Diesel (incl. seasonal/arctic), jet fuel/aviation kerosene
Marine fuels/bunkers and low-sulfur specifications
Specialty products
Bitumen/asphalt, petroleum coke, sulfur
Solvents, waxes, and niche refinery outputs
Product quality and standards
Compliance with international specifications (e.g., EN, ASTM where applicable)
Certification, testing, and traceability documentation
Petrochemicals and derivatives (where applicable)
Feedstocks: naphtha, LPG, aromatics precursors
Integration with petrochemical partners/complexes
Portfolio expansion via refining-petrochemical integration
Energy transition and lower-carbon products (selective)
Refinery efficiency upgrades and fuel quality improvements
Emissions reduction initiatives (methane management, flaring reduction)
Potential hydrogen, bio-components, or SAF pathways (market-dependent)
Product strategy
Vertical integration to stabilize margins across cycles
Portfolio balancing between domestic supply obligations and export optimization
Reliability, scale, and integrated logistics as differentiators
Price (Export Pricing Strategies & Commercial Terms)
Pricing foundations
Benchmark-linked pricing
Brent-based differentials for seaborne crude
Regional benchmarks and netback pricing for specific destinations
Differentials and their drivers
Quality adjustments: sulfur, density, metals
Location/grade availability and regional supply-demand balance
Freight, insurance, and port costs embedded in netback
Seasonal refinery demand shifts and product cracks
Export crude pricing approaches
Formula pricing vs spot tenders
Monthly/period formulas tied to benchmark averages
Spot cargo sales to capture short-term arbitrage
Destination-based pricing (market segmentation)
Adjusting differentials by region due to freight and local alternatives
Competing crude slates and refinery configuration compatibility
Managing Urals and other grade spreads
Maintaining competitiveness versus similar medium sour grades
Using blending/logistics to hit preferred quality bands
Export refined product pricing
Product benchmark references
Gasoline, diesel, jet linked to regional product assessments
Crack-spread awareness to optimize refinery output slate
Contract structures
Term contracts for stable offtake vs spot sales for flexibility
Optionality clauses and volume flex provisions
Contracting, Incoterms, and payment
Incoterms selection
FOB vs CIF implications on who controls freight and risk
Delivered pricing for strategic customers vs FOB for traders
Payment terms and risk controls
Prepayment, letters of credit, and counterparty limits
Currency choices and FX exposure management
Compliance and documentation
Sanctions screening, end-user declarations, and routing controls
Pricing under constraints and volatility
Risk management
Hedging limitations and alternative risk mitigation tools
Portfolio diversification across customers and regions
Freight and shipping market effects
Tanker rates, availability, and route length affecting netbacks
Insurance and compliance-related cost inflation
Discounting and competitiveness tactics
Tactical differentials to maintain flows and reduce inventory build
Bundling (crude + products) or multi-cargo arrangements for stickiness
Place (Global Distribution & Logistics)
Core distribution architecture (integrated value chain)
Upstream collection systems and field pipelines
Trunk pipeline access and scheduling (where applicable)
Export terminals and loading infrastructure
Domestic distribution (Russia-focused operations)
Refineries and internal supply chains
Refinery locations as hubs for regional distribution
Inter-refinery transfers and balancing
Wholesale channels
Industrial buyers, aviation fueling, marine bunkering
Regional distributors and large fleet customers
Retail networks (where applicable)
Service stations: company-owned vs franchised models
Non-fuel retail add-ons and site optimization
Export logistics (global distribution)
Seaborne exports
Export terminals, storage, and blending facilities
Tanker chartering: spot vs time-charter strategies
Transshipment hubs and ship-to-ship operations (when used)
Pipeline exports to neighboring markets (where applicable)
Cross-border pipeline connectivity and capacity constraints
Nomination, balancing, and transit agreements
Rail and inland logistics for products
Rail loading racks, tank car availability, and bottlenecks
Depot networks and regional storage optimization
Market destination strategy
Key consuming regions (generalized)
Europe (historical), Asia-Pacific growth markets, and other regions
Customer node selection
Refinery clusters, trading hubs, and petrochemical centers
Route optimization
Minimizing delivered cost via shortest routes and efficient port calls
Managing chokepoints and geopolitical routing risks
Distribution resilience and continuity
Inventory buffers and storage strategy
Terminal storage, floating storage, and working inventory policies
Redundancy
Multiple terminals, alternative routing, and diversified shipping options
Operational reliability
Turnaround planning, terminal uptime, and quality control at loading
Promotion (B2B Marketing, Branding, and Stakeholder Communication)
B2B commercial promotion
Relationship selling to refiners, utilities, and trading houses
Participation in tenders and structured sales processes
Long-term offtake agreements as “relationship assets”
Brand and reputation
Corporate brand positioning: scale, reliability, integration
Retail fuel branding (where applicable)
Loyalty programs and pricing signage strategy
Convenience retail partnerships and co-branding
Communications and investor/stakeholder relations
Annual reports, operational updates, and project milestones
ESG and sustainability disclosures
Emissions metrics, methane/flaring initiatives, safety performance
Government and regulator engagement (highly material in energy)
Trade visibility
Industry conferences, technical forums, and bilateral business councils
Digital presence for corporate messaging and recruitment
People (Key Human Elements Supporting the Mix)
Sales and trading teams
Market intelligence, customer coverage, and contract negotiation
Credit risk assessment and counterparty onboarding
Operations and logistics workforce
Terminal, shipping coordination, and quality assurance personnel
HSE culture as a service-quality enabler
Retail staff and franchise management (where applicable)
Service standards, training, and compliance at stations
Process (Commercial & Operational Processes)
Trading and sales process
Market analysis → offer formulation → negotiation → contracting
Nomination and scheduling aligned with pipeline/terminal windows
Quality and measurement processes
Assaying, sampling, and certification (e.g., SGS-type inspections)
Product specification management and dispute resolution mechanisms
Risk and compliance process
Sanctions screening and legal review
KYC/AML-style checks for counterparties (as applicable)
Incident management and business continuity planning
Customer service process (B2B)
Claims handling, demurrage management, and documentation support
Performance reviews and contract renewal cadence
Physical Evidence (Tangible Proof of Capability)
Infrastructure footprint
Refineries, terminals, depots, pipelines access points
Retail station network design and signage (where applicable)
Certifications and audits
Quality certifications, HSE audits, and operational standards
Track record indicators
Delivery reliability, cargo performance history, and safety metrics
Competitive Positioning & Differentiation (Cross-Mix)
Cost advantages
Scale, integrated logistics, and upstream resource base
Integration benefits
Upstream-to-downstream optimization to manage margins and volumes
Customer value propositions
Supply reliability, flexible contracting, and consistent quality
Delivered solutions: logistics + product + documentation support
Differentiation centers on scale-driven cost, vertical integration, and execution reliability under constraints
Key Metrics to Evaluate the Marketing Mix
Portfolio metrics
Production volumes by grade, refinery utilization, product yields
Pricing metrics
Realized price vs benchmark, differentials captured, netbacks
Margin indicators: upstream lifting margin, refining margin, crack spreads
Distribution metrics
Export volumes by route/region, terminal throughput, demurrage costs
On-time delivery and logistics cost per barrel/ton
Promotion/relationship metrics
Term contract coverage, customer concentration, renewal rates
Retail footfall and loyalty participation (where applicable)
Strategic Recommendations (Action-Oriented Enhancements)
Portfolio optimization
Increase flexibility in refinery slate to match higher-margin products
Expand higher-value specialties (lubricants, petrochemical feedstocks) where economics allow
Export pricing excellence
Strengthen destination-based netback models and freight intelligence
Use structured term contracts to stabilize cash flows while keeping spot optionality
Global distribution resilience
Diversify routing and terminal options; invest in storage to reduce volatility exposure
Enhance quality control at blending/terminal points to reduce claims and rejections
Commercial trust and compliance
Standardize documentation workflows and counterparty risk controls
Improve transparency and ESG communication where it supports market access
Wondershare EdrawMind
