Aidir Parizzi

 Aidir Parizzi, Director of Global Supply Chain at IMI Critical Engineering, has held a myriad of strategic sourcing roles within the supply chain sector throughout his career. “I started my journey in the automotive industry as a purchasing engineer for Volkswagen after completing my bachelors and postgraduate degree. As a result, I was soon attracted to the supply chain sector,” reflects Parizzi. 

“After ten years in the automotive industry, I moved to oil and gas, where I worked for FMC Technologies and General Electric in global strategic sourcing roles. In 2017, I joined IMI Critical Engineering with one clear mission - to consolidate the global supply chain operations of the company which is spread across 18 sites, in 12 ─ at the time ─ countries worldwide. Now, we have around 120 people spread across 13 countries, including some centralised teams in Category Management and Cost Engineering.” 

Aidir couldn’t have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic that struck his workplace and global supply chain network this year, but when it came he got stuck in, preparing his workforce for a fightback against the disruption. “We kept as many people as possible working from home, the majority of our sites kept operating and serving our customers, following guidelines set by different governments around the globe. The first concern was regarding personal protection equipment (PPE). We have mobilised Supply Chain teams in Asia, the Americas and Europe to provide our employees with the necessary protection equipment. Around 100 thousand masks were acquired – not medical masks, but here we’re referring to FFP2 and FFP3, which provide enhanced protection. In addition, we procured thermometers, gloves, thousands of litres of hand sanitiser and thermal imaging devices for each site.” 

Discussing what separates IMI Critical Engineering from the rest, when it comes to unique capabilities and infrastructure, Aidir told me that “IMI is a primarily a project-based company, meaning that we rarely repeat the same products in all different projects and customers. It is a complex environment, but our technology, global presence, field history and robust customer-focused technical solutions certainly create a significant differential in the market to IMI.”

Due to the company’s truly global nature, Aidir manages sophisticated and often elaborate supply chain networks. One of the most prevalent dangers today, accelerated by COVID-19, is the growing problem of cybersecurity; cyberattacks are becoming increasingly powerful and, as we adopt new technologies, more infiltration-points crop up, left, right, and centre. At IMI “[they] have teamed up with experts in this area, continuously testing ourselves and improving security to IMI and its customers. It is one of our main differentiators in the market, and one of the most important aspects of our digital transformation effort.” 

Even though the task is becoming tougher as the days go by, Aidir isn’t ready to back down from the challenge, and according to the experienced Director, “we need to make sure the company continues to grow and innovate, in spite of current adversities. The best way to do it is to work in partnership with customers and suppliers. We’re confident we have the right people, technology and energy to continue delivering breakthrough technology for a better world.” 

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