Every purchase we make ties us to a vast, hidden network of people, machines, and resources — whether we see it or not.
Supply chains are large industrial systems. They are composed of heterogeneous elements, such as ships, aircraft, trains, and trucks, but also systems of labor, information, and finance that build them and connect them together. Usually the goods flow in one direction and money flows in the opposite direction. Their physical substrates are themselves industrial products, relying on ships, trucks, cranes, fossil fuels, and electric power, tied together by skilled human operators, supervisors, managers, and other industrial roles.
Few of us would likely condone every moment of every supply chain for every product we consume.
Consider any product in your home. Where was it made? (That should be written on the label somewhere.) Where were the parts made? Who put them all together? How did it get to your doorstep?
Continue reading at https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/supply-chains-are-us/