supply chain

noun

plural supply chains

: the chain of processes, businesses, etc. by which a commodity is produced and distributed : the companies, materials, and systems involved in manufacturing and delivering goods

The pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of the global supply chain—that's the usually invisible pathway of manufacturing, transportation and logistics that gets goods from where they are manufactured, mined or grown to where they are going. At the end of the chain is another company or a consumer who has paid for the finished product.—

Peter S. Goodman

Everyday life in the United States is acutely dependent on the perpetual motion of the supply chain, in which food and medicine and furniture and clothing all compete for many of the same logistical resources. … [W]hen a finite supply of packaging can't keep up with demand, when there aren't enough longshoremen or truck drivers or postal workers, when a container ship gets wedged sideways in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes—the effects ripple outward for weeks or months, emptying shelves and raising prices in ways that can seem random. All of a sudden, you can't buy kettlebells or canned seltzer.—

Amanda Mull

Examples of supply chain in a Sentence

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How can Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico impact Michigan? 02:05 General Motors CEO Mary Barra last week also alluded to the effects tariffs could have on its business, saying the company is considering restructuring its supply chain to cushion the blow from tariffs. —

Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2025 The company’s forecast includes a $1 billion reduction in material and warranty costs compared with last year, but not challenges tied to policies or tariffs from the new presidential administration , which have been a huge threat to automakers’ supply chains. —

Pia Singh, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2025 The answer turns out to be more complex, with each product targeting a particular niche—and neither likely to replace the standard donor supply chain anytime soon. —

Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2025 However, this prediction hinges on the containment of bird flu and improvements in the supply chain. —

Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for supply chain