Solutions to strategic supply chain mapping issues

Purpose – The development of strategic supply chain mapping techniques has been slowed by four critical issues. The purpose of this paper is to answer a call to address supply chain mapping techniques and issues. It offers recommendations for more readable and useful strategic supply chain maps. Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilized executive MBA, traditional MBA, and graduating logistics undergraduates' applied economic input/output data to refine mapping techniques. Findings – The paper addresses strategic supply chain mapping issues to serve as the next step in advancing the evolution of strategic supply chain mapping techniques. It utilizes geovisualization to provide useful guidance to individuals trying to map their current supply chain and seeking potential improvements. Research limitations/implications – The paper is limited in that strategic supply chain mapping is in its infancy. Future research may consider use of the technique comparing alternative approaches to a supply chain, as well as the application of Pareto analysis and other metrics to focus on critical components for mapping. Practical implications – The use of input/output analysis initiates mapping at the macro industry level as a key starting point. Geovisualization techniques allow those mapping to offer a great amount of detail in a simple, easy‐to‐read format to identify the critical components of the specific supply chain. Originality/value – This paper is the critical next step to help further advance the evolution of strategic supply chain mapping techniques by both practitioner and academic.