Peter L. Jackson, John A. Muckstadt
School of Operations Research and Industrial Engineering
Cornell University
Sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation Synthesis Coalition for Engineering Education.
The Distribution Game is a simulation game of a two level distribution system. The player controls shipments from a supplier and from a central warehouse. The goal is to cost effectively manage the flow of goods to satisfy random customer demands at multiple locations.
Inventory models
None. Game has been played by freshmen, industrial engineers, and M.B.A. students. This version has been played by several hundred students.
The exercise is designed to be run in a 2 hour microcomputer laboratory period.
A brief description of the game setup is required. The help file is extensive.
Microsoft Windows 3.1
Public domain. Modify exercise as you wish. Source code is proprietary.
Student reviews have been enthusiastic. We have used variations of this game for 12 years. Students love competing for high score. The animation of the trucks is a crowd-pleaser. It is an excellent lead-in to the mathematical models of inventory control.