Abstract
This paper analyses the development of aerospace material supply chains. The paper begins with an overview of operations management literature, which introduces and conceptualises the research area. Supply chain literature is examined, focusing on supply chain structure and the inter‐organisational links between supply chain actors. Analysis of case study material is presented to illustrate the scope, complexity and interdependent nature of the aerospace supply chain. Recurring themes from the literature are compared with the data categories emergent from the empirical case data. The results are discussed in terms of the changes that are taking place in supply chain structure to increase the overall effectiveness of the network. The paper concludes by identifying the need for, and discussing the nature of, a specialised organisation focused on managing the complex structure of the supply chain.