The Beer Game  

What will I learn?

• The different roles and processes in the warehouse, as well as their interdependence.

• The importance of teamwork and communication between the different functions.

• Problem-solving.

• The impact of mistakes on profitability and productivity.

• The importance of coordination, collaboration and communication throughout the supply chain.

• How an incomplete understanding of real demand, as well as a lack of coordination coupled with the ability to influence while being influenced by others, leads to the Bullwhip Effect (shortages and overstocks across the supply chain).

• The expected inefficiencies of the Bullwhip Effect, namely:

• • high (safety) stock levels

  • poor customer service levels

  • poor capacity utilisation

  • aggravated problems with demand forecasting

  • high costs and low levels of inter-company trust.

 

Is it for me?

The Beer Distribution Game is a simulation created by a group of professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management to demonstrate a number of key principles of supply chain management.

This role-play simulation allows participants to experience typical coordination problems of (traditional) supply chains, in which information sharing and collaboration do not exist. In more general terms, this simulated supply chain represents any non-coordinated system in which problems arise due to a lack of systemic thinking. The purpose of the game is to meet customer demand for cases of beer through a multi-stage supply chain with minimal expenditure on back orders and inventory.

What do I get?

Certificate of Attendance