Supply Chain Mapping
Definition
Supply chain mapping visualizes and analyzes the geographic footprint of suppliers, manufacturing, distribution centers, and customers, including transport links and modes. It connects sites to flows, capacities, lead times, risk scores, and sustainability metrics. Granular maps reveal dependencies, geopolitical exposure, and bottlenecks so companies can diversify and design resilient networks.
Application
Manufacturers trace tier-1 to tier-3 suppliers to see concentration risk; retailers optimize DC locations; pharmaceuticals manage cold chains; and NGOs coordinate humanitarian logistics. ESG teams quantify scope 3 emissions and local impacts along corridors.
FAQ
How do you obtain visibility beyond tier-1 suppliers?
Contractual disclosure, third-party datasets, customs records, and collaborative surveys help. Graph databases track provenance as relationships rather than flat lists.
What scenarios should be tested for resilience?
Port closures, border delays, regional disasters, commodity shocks, and sudden demand surges. Stress-tests reveal where alternate suppliers or routes are needed.
How do you integrate cost with risk in network design?
Use multi-objective optimization that trades landed cost against risk metrics (e.g., disruption probability, time-to-recover), yielding Pareto frontiers for decision makers.
What data governance issues arise?
Supplier confidentiality, data freshness, and geocoding accuracy. Shared standards and secure data rooms balance insight with IP protection.
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