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.
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.