Navigator (and your supply chain) fundamentally deals with nodes and the connections among different nodes, i.e., lanes. In Navigator, nodes can be one of four types:
- port
- plant
- warehouse
- customer
You can freely add nodes, delete nodes, move nodes, connect nodes, and modify attributes associated with each node in the inspector panel.
Port, plant, and warehouse nodes comprise the supply and service nodes. The distinctions among these nodes mainly serve an organizational purpose as Navigator treats them all the same - each can be a supply source and each can serve customers. Customer nodes, on the other hand, must have demand and cannot supply other customers.
The above image displays an example supply chain setup in Navigator consisting of the 4 types of nodes. You might use all 4 in tandem like this to model raw materials sourced from overseas, assembled at a plant, shipped to a warehouse, and then delivered to customers. You could also build a model consisting of only warehouses and customers, for instance, to analyze and improve your service time to customers.
Ultimately, nodes and lanes are the building blocks of a model in Navigator and there are many ways of utilizing them to capture the intricacies of your supply chain.