What is a Supply Chain?
Logistics and transport form part of the supply chain process.
A supply chain is a network of retailers, distributors, transporters, storage facilities, and
suppliers that participate in the production, delivery, and sale of a product to the consumer.
It is typically made up of multiple companies who coordinate activities to set themselves
apart from the competition. There are five key parts to a supply chain:
Supply focuses on the raw materials supplied to manufacturing, including how, when, and
from what location.
Manufacturing focuses on converting these raw materials into finished products.
Distribution focuses on ensuring these products reach the consumers through an organized
network of distributors, warehouses, and retailers.
Retailer is a business or person that sells goods to the end customer.
End Customer is the person that purchases the good from the retailer for their own
personal consumption.
Distributor
Manufacturer
Retailer
The Supply Chain
Supplier
End
Customer
A Supply Chain in action - A Wimbledon Tennis Ball
The tennis balls used at Wimbledon will have travelled 50,570 miles around the world via 11
countries before they land on players’ racquets on Centre Court. The official Wimbledon ball
flies between 11 countries and across four continents before being manufactured in Bataan
in the Philippines and then travelling the final 6,660 miles to Wimbledon.
A complex supply chain sees clay shipped from South Carolina in the USA, silica from
Greece, magnesium carbonate from Japan, zinc oxide from Thailand, sulphur from South
Korea and rubber from Malaysia to Bataan where the rubber is vulcanized – a chemical
process for making the rubber more durable. Wool is then shipped from New Zealand to
Stroud in Gloucestershire, where it is weaved into felt and then flown back to Bataan in the
Philippines. WBS Petroleum naphthalene from Zibo in China and glue from Basilan in the
Philippines are brought to Bataan where Slazenger, which was bought by Sports Direct in
2004, manufacture the ball.
Finally tins are shipped in from Indonesia and once the balls have been packaged they are
sent to Wimbledon.