This is why Atlas Copco asked Moore-CIMCIL to organize this business game for a group of managers, including some its future logistics experts. Kurt Andries, General Manager of Atlas Copco's Power Tools division, tells us more about the design and added value of this interactive Supply Chain Business Game.
It was Kurt Andries, general manager of Power Tools Distribution (a division of Atlas Copco), who invited some of his colleagues to play “The Fresh Connection” as part of a management training program. Through this instructive business game, this group of managers and logistics experts was given the opportunity to gain unique insights into how the broader Supply Chain affects the performance of a company.
For those who are not yet familiar with The Fresh Connection, we briefly explain the concept. Participants are given the mission of running a fictitious company that produces and markets various types of fruit juices. The fictitious company is dealing with negative ROI and the players’ mission is to bring the company back on track, by rethinking the Supply Chain strategy and better aligning operations and distribution with sales and purchasing strategies.
In search of an effective Supply Chain strategy
In teams of four, participants are requested to take up a role in the company’s new board of directors. Each team consists of a Director of Purchasing, a Director of Operations, a Director of Supply Chain and a Director of Sales. Each participant is granted a User ID which provides access to the game itself, which is played via the Internet. which Participants are confronted with different real-lifecases and the problems within the company.
The aim is for the team to work together as closely as possible, in order to improve the company's bottom line results. They can do this by tapping into the various Supply Chain dimensions that the game offers, making choices about strategic market positioning and translating this into the appropriate operational and tactical decisions. Teams are ranked according to the net financial and operational improvements they realize.
The game consists of several rounds, each representing a six-month period. An important challenge is that teams should not only try to generate the highest possible ROI, but also take into account a number of other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Each team needs to find the right approach to translate their Supply Chain strategy into net results. Good communication is key for them, in order to align all individual actions across the different departments. The game clearly demonstrates the financial benefits of good collaboration and alignment across the value chain.
Long-term benefits
According to Kurt Andries, this game taught the participants of Atlas Copco to learn to think beyond the boundaries of their own position. Good business results can only be attained by putting the common business goal first. It also gave the individual players the opportunity to experience the power of a professional and well-structured sales & operations planning process.
"The Fresh Connection" remains one of the best value chain business games and it leaves a lasting impression on the participants. Would you also like to play this game with your employees? Don't hesitate to send an e-mail to v.philippart@cimcil.be.
