A supporting column sculptured in the form of a draped female figure. Origin of caryatid. From Latin Caryatides, caryatids, from Greek Karuatides, priestesses of Artemis at Caryae, caryatids, from Karuai, Caryae, a village of Laconia in southern Greece with a famous temple to Artemis.
A distributor is an intermediary entity between a the producer of a product and another entity in the distribution channel or supply chain, such as a retailer, a value-added reseller or a system integrator . The distributor performs some of the same functions that a wholesaler does but generally takes a more active role.
A supply chain has three primary participants: the producer, the producerâs suppliers, and the customers. In SCM, the purchasing function identifies, qualifies and manages a companyâs suppliers. The operations function in a supply chain includes demand planning, forecasting, production, and, in some types of businesses, inventory management.