Supply chain

Business logistics
Distribution methods
Management systems
Industry classification
Supply and demand stacked in a conceptual chain.

A supply chain is a complex logistics system that consists of facilities that convert raw materials into finished products and distribute them[1] to end consumers[2] or end customers.[3] Meanwhile, supply chain management deals with the flow of goods in distribution channels within the supply chain in the most efficient manner.[4][5]

In sophisticated supply chain systems, used products may re-enter the supply chain at any point where residual value is recyclable. Supply chains link value chains.[6] Suppliers in a supply chain are often ranked by "tier", with first-tier suppliers supplying directly to the client, second-tier suppliers supplying to the first tier, and so on.[7]

The phrase "supply chain" may have been first published in a 1905 article in The Independent which briefly mentions the difficulty of "keeping a supply chain with India unbroken" during the British expedition to Tibet.[8]

  1. ^ Ganeshan, R. and Harrison, T. P., An Introduction to Supply Chain Management, updated 22 May 2005, accessed 29 June 2023
  2. ^ Ghiani, Gianpaolo; Laporte, Gilbert; Musmanno, Roberto (2004). Introduction to Logistics Systems Planning and Control. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 3–4. ISBN 9780470849170. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference harrison-godsell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Kozlenkova, Irina; et al. (2015). "The Role of Marketing Channels in Supply Chain Management". Journal of Retailing. 91 (4): 586–609. doi:10.1016/j.jretai.2015.03.003. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  5. ^ Pang, Shinsiong; Chen, Mu-Chen (April 2024). "Investigating the impact of consumer environmental consciousness on food supply chain: The case of plant-based meat alternatives". Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 201: 123190. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2023.123190. ISSN 0040-1625.
  6. ^ Nagurney, Anna (2006). Supply Chain Network Economics: Dynamics of Prices, Flows, and Profits. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. ISBN 978-1-84542-916-4.
  7. ^ SCM Portal, Supplier Tiering Archived 2023-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, Procurement Glossary supplied by CIPS, accessed 11 July 2021
  8. ^ "The Year at Home and Abroad". The Independent. 58 (2927): 7. January 5, 1905. Retrieved 6 February 2024.