# Supplier facilities

In contrast to managed facilities, the operational responsibility at supplier locations lies entirely **outside** the network’s control. A supplier may operate multiple physical locations, but these individual sites are typically **not known** to the fulfillment network. Consequently, supplier facilities only have an **optional** registered **addresses** within the platform. Additionally, information such as working hours, capacity limits, or specific shipping carrier integrations are **not maintained** for supplier facilities.

### Implication on routing decisions

This lack of visibility has important implications for certain standard [routing rules](https://docs.fulfillmenttools.com/documentation/getting-started/facilities/broken-reference). Since key data points about supplier facilities are unavailable, some rules can only consider the supplier part of the supply chain to a **limited extent** when dealing with supplier facilities. For example:

* The **geo distance rating** does not factor in transport routes originating from suppliers, as their exact locations might not be known.
* The **country fence** rule does not take into account the geographical location of supplier facilities.

These constraints should be considered when configuring routing strategies, especially when suppliers play a significant role in the overall fulfillment flow.

### Facility data

Supplier facility data is limited to a few key attributes due to the reasons mentioned above. These attributes are interpreted analogously to those of managed facilities:

* facility name
* facility status
* tenant facility ID

In addition, supplier facilities can be enriched with [**tags**](https://docs.fulfillmenttools.com/documentation/getting-started/facilities/broken-reference) and [**custom attributes**](https://docs.fulfillmenttools.com/documentation/getting-started/facilities/broken-reference) to provide further categorization or metadata.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Important information**

* Supplier facilities can also have [**listings**](https://docs.fulfillmenttools.com/documentation/getting-started/facilities/broken-reference) assigned to them.
* [**Facility carrier connections**](https://docs.fulfillmenttools.com/documentation/getting-started/facilities/broken-reference) and [**facility custom service connections**](https://docs.fulfillmenttools.com/documentation/getting-started/facilities/broken-reference) are **not** applicable for supplier facilities.
  {% endhint %}