Visualising the supply chain

The connectivity between Supply Chains usually stays invisible to us. This invisibility has caused the Supply Chain Research Group at WMG to think creatively to interpret the data in a different way…

Unfold, an artistic organisation, was commissioned to help demonstrate supply chain relationships and real world perceptions in a more tangible and exciting way…

The result was the LINK.

LINK features Supply Chain data from two globally active companies CHEP and Altro Flooring. The artwork physically demonstrates the links and complex layers these two companies have within their Supply Chains.

“The LINK has turned the invisible, abstract notion of our company’s supply chain into a visible three dimensional physical object that we can see, touch, feel and examine in the human scale. Being able to see our supply chain “in the flesh” has given us new insights and opinions and has enabled us to formulate new hypotheses about its possible future format and structure. The visual element has also emphasised more than we ever expected, our reliance on specific nodes in the supply chain and the implications this has on our business continuity and potential impact on our future growth and global expansion strategy. To use the old cliché it’s fair to say that for us, the LINK has been a true “eye opener” in our understanding of our supply chain.” John Patsavellas, Manufacturing and Technical Director, Altro Flooring

“For me the value of LINK stands in its ability to immediately engage with people’s perceptions in spatial context. The complexity of supply chains can be often overwhelming for the human mind, mainly if we can only see it on a screen or paper. Adding the dimension of space to something so intertwined makes this interpretation of supply chain more similar to other objects that we interact with every day.” Lucia Dubačová, Unfold

“LINK exceeded my expectations as it enables people to engage with the supply chain in a way that was not previously possible. It is a great stimulus to think about the physical shape of other supply chains, their connections, flows and dependencies. It truly starts to make the invisible world of supply chains more visible.” Jan Godsell, WMG