Between its 14 cement plants, hundreds of ready-mix concrete plants and quarries, and distribution stations in the U.S., Cemex employs about 15, 000 American workers.

FORBES: Magazine Article

About 750 jobs are expected to be cut in Pepsi Bottling's U.S. and Canada operations, including the closure of four facilities in the U.S. In Europe, operation streamlining will impact 200 jobs, while in Mexico, the closure of three plants, 30 distribution centers and 700 routes will impact 2, 200 jobs, the company said.

FORBES: Magazine Article

When the distributor, a much larger company that owned one of Britain's biggest printing plants, backed out of their contract and stopped distribution of his magazines, Desmond took his business directly to retailers and threatened to sue.

FORBES: Off Beat

Its system of distribution, which moves the sugary drink from bottling plants deep into slums and the bush a few crates at a time, may employ around 1m Africans.

ECONOMIST: Africa and Coca-Cola: Index of happiness? | The

In the old days, manufacturing plants and distribution networks created sizeable barriers to entry which kept upstarts out of the record companies' business.

ECONOMIST: A new song

By 2000 American Tissue's empire stretched from Oregon to New York and included eight mills capable of producing 919, 000 tons of pulp and paper annually, 8 product-producing plants and 12 distribution centers.

FORBES: Paper Trail

Those struggling suppliers are keeping up with that increased demand, and scores of new ethanol plants are being planned or built as those kinks in the distribution system are being worked out.

NPR: Ethanol-Based Fuel Enthusiasts Face Lack of Pumps

Utility officials say the problem isn't just that hundreds of miles of power lines are down, but that the entire infrastructure, including major transmission and distribution lines and power plants themselves, suffered significant damage.

NPR: Hurricane Recovery Efforts in Mississippi