MA-system held a game session of The Beer Game together with Baker Hughes, a global energy technology company with over 50,000 employees that offers equipment and services for the energy industry, at a conference in Houston at the end of October.
The participants came from Baker Hughes' operations around the world and the purpose of The Beer Game was to increase the understanding of inventory management and supply chains. MA-systems consultants participated both on site and from the office in Lund, Sweden and used our digital online Beer Game for the simulation.
The Beer Game is a game about the basics of logistics where the purpose is to create an understanding of the importance of information exchange between supply chain actors and how our behaviors can contribute to unwanted effects.
In the Beer Game session with Baker Hughes, the participants got to be different actors in a supply chain that will deliver beer to an end consumer. The goal of the simulation is to minimize the supply chain's total cost to meet customer demand, while keeping inventory levels low. After the game, our consultants and participants discussed the causes of the various problems that arose and what can be done to solve them.
Baker Hughes used The Beer Game as a playful way to increase interest in the supply chain within the organization and at the same time provide insights into problems in the supply chain and how to deal with them. The game was much appreciated, and the participants gained renewed insights into how important it is to have a well-functioning supply chain to be able to deliver their products and get satisfied customers.
Do you also want to play The Beer Game with us and learn more about your supply chain? Read more about The Beer Game here