The Beer Game is a great teaching tool — but it was designed in the 1960s. SPPIN Sim delivers the same Bullwhip Effect insights with AI-generated disruptions, six decision domains, sustainability KPIs, and a live leaderboard. Built for today's supply chain curriculum.
A 3-turn workshop runs in 60–90 minutes. Here is exactly what happens.
Log in, choose the Supply Chain module, set teams and turn duration (e.g. 15 min). Teams get a unique code and 4-digit PIN. No student accounts needed.
Students go to the URL, enter their team code + PIN — they're in the simulation. Their company dashboard shows KPIs, current inventory position, and last turn's results.
An AI-generated supply chain event appears on every screen simultaneously — e.g. 'Port congestion in Rotterdam delays all sea shipments by 2 weeks.' The countdown timer starts.
Each team submits their decisions privately before the timer ends. The platform scores all teams, KPI gauges update, and the live leaderboard appears for debrief.
Unlike the Beer Game where teams only set an order quantity, SPPIN Sim teams face six interconnected decisions. Each one affects a different KPI.
Inventory order quantity
“Order 400 or 600 units this turn? Factor in lead time lag and last turn's demand.”
Safety stock level
“Hold 2 weeks or 4 weeks of cover? More buffer = less risk, more cost.”
Supplier choice
“Stay single-source for cost savings, or split order 70/30 across two suppliers?”
Visibility investment
“Buy a demand-visibility tool this turn that reduces forecast error by 30% from turn 3 onward.”
Freight mode
“Ship by sea (cheap, slow) or air (fast, expensive) based on current service-level KPI.”
Disruption response
“A port strike event — activate contingency contract now or absorb the delay?”
Students don't read about demand amplification. They cause it — and then fix it.
An AI-generated event — say, a sudden retailer promotion — inflates downstream demand signals. Teams at the retailer node see a spike and increase their order.
Wholesaler teams, seeing higher orders, add safety buffer and place even larger orders upstream. The signal is already amplified beyond the real demand.
Manufacturer teams receive demand 3–4× the original signal. Teams who invested in supply chain visibility tools see through the noise. Those who didn't are caught over-producing.
The tutor reveals KPI scores. Teams with dual-sourcing and digital visibility absorbed the shock. Pure cost-optimisers took a service-level hit. The chart makes the Bullwhip Effect visible instantly.
Both teach core supply chain concepts. SPPIN Sim adds everything the modern curriculum demands.
Demand amplification emerges naturally as teams over- and under-order in response to downstream signals. But unlike the Beer Game, students also discover how safety stock investment, supplier diversification, and digital visibility tools can dampen the effect. The learning is richer because the trade-offs are real.
SPPIN Sim is a modern Beer Game alternative for university educators. It covers the same core concepts — demand amplification, inventory management, and the Bullwhip Effect — but adds AI-generated real-world disruptions, six decision domains (sourcing, freight, sustainability, resilience), live leaderboards, and structured assessment rubrics. It runs in any browser with no installation.
Yes. Demand amplification and the Bullwhip Effect emerge naturally from the simulation as teams upstream over- or under-order in response to downstream signals. Unlike the Beer Game, students also experience the impact of digital visibility tools, dual sourcing, and safety stock investment on dampening the effect.
Yes. A 3-turn live workshop takes 60–90 minutes. Students join with a team code and PIN — no accounts or downloads. The tutor opens and closes each turn, and results appear on a live leaderboard instantly. It can also run async over multiple weeks for a deeper programme.
See a live demo — we'll run a full turn with an AI event, team decisions, and leaderboard reveal in under 30 minutes.
Book a free demo →Also see: Supply chain simulation · For educators