Supply Chain
Etymology
A twentieth-century compound of "supply" (from Latin "supplere," to fill up) and "chain" (from Latin "catena"), the chain image capturing links that each depend on the last. The phrase "supply chain management" is credited to consultant Keith Oliver, who used it publicly around 1982. Recent shortages made it a household term.
noun phrase · /suh-PLY chayn/
The entire network of suppliers, factories, transporters, and steps that turns raw materials into a finished product in someone’s hands.
What it names
It lets you see a single item as the tail end of a global relay, so you understand why one distant disruption empties local shelves.
Example
A single chip shortage rippled up the supply chain and stalled car factories on three continents.
Related idea
A supply chain is the whole structure; a bottleneck is the one link inside it that limits everything else. Mapping the chain is how you find where the bottleneck hides.