> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.variable.global/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Supplier locations

> Give a supplier its own named locations, mark one as the default, and reuse them anywhere you pick a location

A supplier can own one or more named **locations** — a factory, a warehouse, a port — each with its own address. Once a supplier has locations, they show up anywhere you pick a place (for example, the origin of a [transport leg](/docs/help/transport-modeling)), so you can choose *"Acme — Rotterdam warehouse"* directly instead of re-typing the address.

<Info>
  A location belongs to **one** supplier. If two suppliers operate out of the same physical address, each gets its own location — they're separate entries that happen to share a map point, not a shared one. This keeps each supplier's data independent.
</Info>

## Managing a supplier's locations

Open a supplier and switch to the **Locations** tab.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add a location">
    Click **Add location** and fill in the name and address — name it for the place, e.g. *Rotterdam warehouse* or *Factory A*, not for a one-off shipment. The first location you add to a supplier is automatically marked as the default.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Mark the default">
    A supplier's **default** location is the one Variable uses when it needs a single address for that supplier and you haven't picked one explicitly. To change it, open the row's menu and choose **Set as default** — the previous default is demoted automatically, so there's always exactly one.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Remove a location">
    Open the row's menu and delete it. A location that's still used somewhere — for example, as the origin of a transport lane — can't be deleted; remove it from those places first, then delete it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Picking a supplier location

Anywhere you choose a location or geographic point — most commonly the **origin or destination of a transport leg** — supplier-owned locations appear in the same picker as Variable's global geographic locations. Each supplier location shows the owning supplier's name beneath it, and you can search by that supplier name to find it. Pick one and Variable fills in the address for you.

<Note>
  Modeling a supplier's locations once pays off across every product. A transport lane that starts at *"Acme — Rotterdam warehouse"* picks up the right address automatically, and updating the location updates every lane that references it.
</Note>

## Related topics

* [Modeling transportation](/docs/help/transport-modeling) — using a supplier location as the origin of a lane
* [Adding inputs to your model](/docs/getting-started/add-materials) — where transport fits in a product
* [Location API](/api-reference/v1/location/list) — manage locations through the public API and MCP