The big picture

In the year 1507 Martin Waldseemüller – a German cartographer - created this map.

The map supported Amerigo Vespucci's revolutionary concept of the New World as a separate continent, which, until then, was unknown to the Europeans.

It is remarkable how he gathered the data for this map and how he put this information together. It is important to note that in these early times most people believed the earth was a disc and that they would fall into infinity if they reached the end of that disc.

What brings us from this great map to the concept of supply chain mapping?
Take a closer look at the map:

• Germany (Europe) - where Martin lived- is quite detailed

• At the edges (America/Asia) there is only a hint of what it could look like

• But the map as a whole gives you a very good holistic overview

This is similar to how supply chain mapping works. Start with your direct suppliers and then expand your base to include suppliers you are further removed from. You do not have to go into details on any level.  Try to get the big picture first.

Right from the start, you will get a new view of your supplier network. The further you go, the more risks and benefits you will discover.

This is why we call our supply chain mapping software AMERIGO.