Engineering English
Supply Chain
Industrial Engineering · Last updated: July 30, 2026 · How this entry was written
Definition: The connected network of organizations, people, activities, and resources that moves raw materials, components, and finished products from the original source to the end customer.
Example in context
“A single supplier failure can disrupt the entire supply chain, so the company qualified two additional sources for critical components.”
“Tek bir tedarikçinin aksaması tüm tedarik zincirini bozabilir, bu yüzden şirket kritik parçalar için iki ek kaynak onayladı.”
Where engineers use it
Encountered in sourcing, planning, and operations meetings whenever material flow from suppliers to customers is discussed; industrial engineers need it to map dependencies, quantify risk, and design resilient end-to-end material and information flows.
Synonyms: Value Chain Network
Practice: can you use “Supply Chain” at work?
You join a bicycle manufacturer whose frame deliveries keep arriving late. Map the supply chain from raw tubing to the retail store and identify where the risk concentrates.
Show a model answer
“The supply chain links suppliers, plants, warehouses, and customers together.”
“Supply Chain” in 21 languages
| English | Supply Chain |
|---|---|
| Turkish | Tedarik zinciri |
| French | Chaîne d'approvisionnement |
| German | Lieferkette |
| Spanish | Cadena de suministro |
| Chinese | 供应链 |
| Arabic | سلسلة التوريد |
| Portuguese | Cadeia de suprimentos |
| Russian | Цепь поставок |
| Japanese | サプライチェーン |
| Italian | Catena di fornitura |
| Vietnamese | Chuỗi cung ứng |
| Hindi | आपूर्ति श्रृंखला |
| Thai | ห่วงโซ่อุปทาน |
| Indonesian | Rantai pasok |
| Korean | 공급망 |
| Bengali | সরবরাহ শৃঙ্খল |
| Dutch | Toeleveringsketen |
| Swedish | Försörjningskedja |
| Finnish | Toimitusketju |
| Ukrainian | Ланцюг постачання |
Frequently asked questions
What does Supply Chain mean in engineering?
The connected network of organizations, people, activities, and resources that moves raw materials, components, and finished products from the original source to the end customer. In Industrial Engineering, the term carries a usage-frequency rating of 10/10 in the Engineering English library.
How do you pronounce Supply Chain?
Supply Chain is pronounced /səˈplaɪ tʃeɪn/ (IPA). The Engineering English app plays audio for the term and checks your pronunciation with speech recognition.
How is Supply Chain used in a sentence?
Example from an engineering context: “A single supplier failure can disrupt the entire supply chain, so the company qualified two additional sources for critical components.”
This entry is one of 7,806 terms in the Engineering English iOS app — with quizzes, spaced repetition and pronunciation checking.
Get the app on the App Store