The invisible network that touches every moment of your day — and why it matters more than you think
Pop quiz: What do your morning cup of coffee, the smartphone in your pocket, and the toilet paper in your bathroom have in common?
Give up?
They all exist because of supply chains. And no, we’re not talking about those metal chains holding up a porch swing. We’re talking about something far more fascinating — and far more crucial to modern life.
If your eyes just glazed over at the words “supply chain,” hold on. We promise this isn’t going to be another boring business article. Think of this as your backstage pass to understanding how the world actually works. Because once you see supply chains, you can’t unsee them. And trust us, you’ll start seeing them everywhere.
Here’s the simple truth: a supply chain encompasses the entire journey of creating and delivering products or services, from sourcing raw materials all the way to delivery to end customers.
Think of it this way: Remember when you were a kid and asked, “Where does milk come from?” Someone probably said, “From cows!” But that’s only one tiny piece of the puzzle. The real answer involves farmers, veterinarians, feed suppliers, milking equipment manufacturers, refrigeration specialists, trucking companies, processing plants, packaging facilities, distributors, retailers, and probably a dozen other players we’re forgetting.
That entire interconnected network? That’s a supply chain. And it’s involved in literally everything you touch, eat, wear, or use.
Here’s a mind-bender: Whether you’ve realized it or not, you’re actively managing your own supply chain. Every time you go grocery shopping, decide when to refill your car’s gas tank, or figure out if you have enough clean underwear for the week, you’re making supply chain decisions.
Don’t believe us? Let’s break down something as simple as planning dinner tonight:
Demand Planning: You’re scrolling through your food delivery app thinking about what you need this week. Congratulations, you’re doing demand planning — forecasting what you’ll need and when.
Inventory Management: You open your fridge and see five bottles of wine left. Since you only have five bottles remaining, you’ve dropped below your safety stock threshold and need to acquire enough to satisfy your expected upcoming consumption plus rebuild your reserve. This mirrors how businesses monitor inventory levels and plan replenishment.
Lead Time Calculations: If you’re picking up groceries yourself, you might consider how long it’ll be before your next shopping opportunity. The time between this trip and your next one represents lead time — how long it takes to acquire new products. The longer the lead time, the more you need to plan ahead.
Manufacturing Planning: When you decide to cook chicken in the oven while making pasta on the stove, you’re basically creating a manufacturing plan — scheduling production across different resources to ensure everything finishes on time.
See? You’ve been a supply chain manager all along. You just didn’t have the fancy title or the PowerPoint presentations.
Remember when toilet paper became more valuable than gold? Or when you couldn’t find yeast to save your life because everyone suddenly decided they were going to bake sourdough bread? Welcome to Supply Chain 101: The COVID-19 Crash Course.
Roughly 75% of companies reported supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, with 80% anticipating further disruptions and more than five million companies experiencing impacts through their secondary suppliers. The effects were staggering. During the peak of the crisis in April 2020, sectors heavily dependent on Chinese imports saw output plummet by 16% for those with high exposure.
But here’s what made COVID-19 different from every other supply chain disruption in modern history: it happened everywhere, all at once. Unlike earthquakes, tsunamis, or localized conflicts that typically affect specific geographic areas over relatively short periods, COVID-19 spread across the entire planet within four months, sending billions into lockdown and partially or totally shutting down major economic sectors.
Suddenly, issues that normally remain invisible to consumers — resolved behind the scenes — started commanding our attention. We saw empty shelves. We experienced shipping delays. We understood, perhaps for the first time, just how interconnected our modern world really is.
The pandemic taught us that supply chain disruptions lasting a month or longer occur approximately every 3.7 years on average, and these disruptions can cost the typical organization 45% of a year’s profits over a decade. That’s not pocket change — that’s survival stakes.
“Okay,” you might be thinking, “interesting history lesson. But I’m not a business owner. Why should I care about supply chains?”
Great question. Here’s why:
That smartphone you’re reading this on? Before it reached you, iron ore was extracted from the earth, transported to processing plants, transformed into components, assembled with parts from multiple countries, and delivered through various channels. When any part of this chain breaks down, prices go up, availability goes down, and you feel it in your wallet.
Understanding supply chains helps you make smarter purchasing decisions. You’ll know why some products cost more during certain seasons, why “made locally” isn’t just a feel-good label, and why that too-good-to-be-true deal might have hidden costs.
Think you’re safe because you don’t work in manufacturing or logistics? Think again. Among the 450 million people working in global supply chains, many faced reduced income or job loss during the pandemic.
Whether you’re a teacher, doctor, artist, or accountant, your job depends on supply chains. Schools need textbooks and technology. Hospitals need medical supplies. Artists need materials. Accountants need… well, computers and caffeine.
Supply chains don’t just deliver products — they shape societies. They determine which communities prosper, which industries thrive, and even how countries relate to each other. Africa, for example, has the opportunity to transform its economy by better integrating into technology-intensive global supply chains, which could create growth, jobs, and prosperity across the continent.
Climate change, labor rights, economic inequality — many of our biggest challenges are supply chain issues at their core. When you understand how products move around the world, you’re better equipped to make informed decisions about what you buy, which companies you support, and which policies you advocate for.
Here at Univar Logistics, we’re based in Kenya — East Africa’s logistics powerhouse — and we have a front-row seat to one of the world’s most dynamic supply chain stories.
Kenya has emerged as a pivotal trade and logistics hub in the region, with approximately 400,000 tonnes of air cargo passing through annually, including flowers, fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish as primary exports. The Port of Mombasa handled 41.1 million tonnes of cargo in 2024, up from 35.98 million tonnes in 2023 — a 14% increase that underscores the port’s expanding capacity.
What makes Kenya particularly interesting is that it’s building modern supply chain infrastructure from scratch. While developed countries struggle to retrofit decades-old systems, Kenya is leapfrogging straight to contemporary solutions. The Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway has significantly reduced freight transit times, demonstrating how strategic infrastructure investments can transform regional connectivity.
But it’s not just about moving goods. Kenya’s tech ecosystem has proven impressive, with thriving hubs in AI, 3D printing, blockchain, fintech, and e-commerce. This innovation isn’t just shaping Africa’s future — it’s offering lessons for supply chain management worldwide.
Let’s play a game. Look around you right now. Pick any object. Now let’s trace its supply chain:
Your Coffee Mug:
That Banana on Your Desk:
Each stage involves different companies, people, activities, information, and resources working together. And here’s the kicker: most of these businesses have little knowledge or interest in other parts of the chain. They just do their part and trust that everyone else does theirs.
It’s a miracle it works at all. And when you think about it, it’s kind of beautiful.
We’ve all experienced supply chain failures, even if we didn’t call them that at the time:
When the pandemic hit, suppliers couldn’t obtain sufficient raw materials or manufacture enough components, drivers were in high demand, and finding alternative suppliers proved extraordinarily difficult.
The toilet paper shortage offers a perfect example. At the pandemic’s onset, consumers stockpiled toilet paper as they prepared to stay indoors for an unknown duration, while toilet paper businesses shut down operations. Demand surged, but production halted. Eventually, loggers returned to forests, lumber mills reopened to process trees, paper mills started making raw materials into paper, and finally, toilet paper manufacturers ran their lines again. At each step, logistics providers were needed to transport goods from one entity to the next.
The lesson? Supply chains are resilient, but not invincible. They require constant management, investment, and innovation to keep running smoothly.
Supply chains are evolving faster than ever, and here’s what’s coming:
Technology is revolutionizing how supply chains operate. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cloud computing are shaping supply chain landscapes by improving visibility, enabling better decision-making, and enhancing efficiency.
Environmental concerns are no longer optional — they’re central to supply chain strategy. Companies are rethinking everything from packaging to transportation to reduce their environmental footprint.
Following the pandemic, 93% of supply chain executives indicated plans to make their supply chains far more flexible, agile, and resilient. The old model of squeezing out every penny of efficiency is giving way to strategies that can withstand disruption.
Initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area are promoting trade liberalization among African countries, leading to development of localized and regional supply chains that reduce reliance on imports from outside the continent.
Understanding supply chains isn’t just intellectual curiosity — it’s practical power. When you know how supply chains work, you can:
Make Smarter Purchases: Understand why products cost what they do, when to buy, and what represents real value.
Navigate Disruptions: When shortages hit, you’ll understand why and can adjust your plans accordingly.
Support Better Practices: Choose companies with ethical, sustainable supply chains that align with your values.
Advance Your Career: Supply chain knowledge is valuable in virtually every industry, from healthcare to technology to entertainment.
Contribute to Solutions: Whether through your job, your purchases, or your advocacy, you can help create more resilient, equitable, and sustainable supply chains.
Supply chains aren’t some abstract business concept that only matters to logistics companies (though we’re admittedly pretty passionate about them). They’re the invisible infrastructure of modern life, touching every moment of your day in ways both profound and mundane.
They’re why you have food on your table, medicine in your cabinet, and this article on your screen. They’re why some countries prosper while others struggle. They’re why climate change is both a supply chain crisis and a supply chain opportunity.
Most importantly, they’re something you interact with constantly — whether you realize it or not. And now that you do realize it, you might never look at the world the same way again.
The next time you pick up an item at the store, make a cup of coffee, or wonder why something is out of stock, you’ll see the supply chain at work. You’ll understand the complexity, appreciate the coordination, and maybe even marvel at the minor miracle that these vast, interconnected systems work as well as they do.
Because once you understand supply chains, you understand the world a little bit better. And in our increasingly interconnected, complex, and fragile global economy, that understanding is more valuable than ever.
Want to learn more about how supply chains work and how they’re evolving in East Africa? Connect with Univar Logistics — where we’re not just moving goods, we’re moving the future forward.