The main entity in this text is the Supply Chain. It is an essential process in business that entails the movement and conversion of raw materials into final products that reach consumers. This process involves multiple stages, including sourcing materials from suppliers, manufacturing products, distributing them through various channels, and selling them to customers. Managing this process efficiently, known as Supply Chain Management, is critical for businesses to save costs, improve client[1] satisfaction, and respond swiftly to market changes. It is also becoming increasingly important to consider social responsibility and security[3] regulations in supply chain management. The supply chain process is subject to different types and models, and its performance and resilience are key factors for success. Technologie[2] adoption, sustainability, e-commerce, and data analytics are emerging trends in supply chains, while global uncertainties, balance between efficiency and responsiveness, transparency, cybersecurity, and skills gap pose significant challenges.
A supply chain, sometimes expressed as a "supply-chain", is a complex logistics system that consists of facilities that convert raw materials into finished products and distribute them to end consumers or end customers. Meanwhile, supply chain management deals with the flow of goods within the supply chain in the most efficient manner.
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. 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.
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.