Video Tutorials

STEP 2

This is Step 2 of the 6 steps to get started — see how to simulate and explore any supply chain using just four types of entities.

THE MAIN IDEA — all supply chains are combinations of four entities:

[ To open this Online Guide — click blue “Help” button in upper right corner of any SCM Globe application screen ]

TRANSLATE THIS ONLINE GUIDE INTO ANY LANGUAGE using the Google Chrome browser. Right-click on any page to open the Chrome browser options window, and click on “Translate to…” — Google Translate window opens in upper right corner of screen — click on three dots and choose a language.

** IF YOU PURCHASED the BUSINESS EDITION: SCM GLOBE PRO — Please contact us (info@scmglobe.com) to activate the data import/export features, and the automatic modeling and reporting features of SCM GLOBE PRO. You can also schedule a one hour training session included with SCM GLOBE PRO.

Three screens let you design, simulate, and manage your supply chains

When you login to your account you start in the Account Management screen. From there you can Edit or Simulate any of the supply chain models in your account. And you can import new models from the library or create your own models from scratch. You do all of this using just three screens (plus this online guide).

Switch Between Browser Tabs for Edit , Simulate, and Help Screens

When you login to your account, you begin in your Account Management screen where you see a list of supply chain models you are working on. You can Edit or Simulate those models. Or you can create a new supply chain, import models from the library, or upload a model sent to you by another SCM Globe user.

Each of these screens open their own browser tab (as shown above) so you can have all or some of them open at the same time. Flip back and forth between browser tabs to see the different screens. Make changes to your supply chain model in the Edit screen. Then click the browser tab for the Simulate screen and run a simulation to see the effects of the changes you just made.

In the Edit screen you make changes and additions to your supply chain model.
In the Simulate screen you run the model and see how well it performs.
Click the blue “Help” button in the upper right corner of these screens to open another browser tab with this Online Guide.

In the Edit screen you start a simulation by clicking the “Simulation” button. Then you have two browser tabs open – one for the Edit screen, and one for the Simulate screen. Avoid opening additional browser tabs by switching back and forth between the Edit and Simulate screens – just click on the browser tab with the screen you want (as shown below).

(click on screenshots for larger image)

If you load the Edit or Simulate screen and the full supply chain does not appear on the map — click browser refresh to redraw the screen. As you edit one route, other routes will disappear. To see all the blue route lines again, click browser refresh!

Now, let’s see how to use these three screens to analyze and explore any supply chain.

Do three things to explore any supply chain:

DEFINE ENTITIES — drag/drop entity icons to place them on a digital map (like Google Maps) to create a supply chain model.
RUN SIMULATIONS — run the model in simulations to see supply chain performance and find where problems occur.
IMPROVE PERFORMANCE — based on what the simulations show, make changes to your model to fix problems and improve performance .

1. DEFINE ENTITIES — Create/Edit a Supply Chain Model in the Edit Screen

IMPORTANT: In most supply chain models products are defined in SHIPPING CASE or PALLET LOAD quantities. For instance, if Product A is typically shipped in cases of 100 items, then define Product A using the price, weight and volume data for a 100 item case, not an individual item. Products can be defined in amounts equal to cases, pallets, or even 40 foot shipping containers.

See information in this video as screenshots and text, plus more about defining entities and building supply chain models in a short tutorial – “Create/Edit a Supply Chain“.

[If you are using the SCM Globe Professional version, supply chain data can be imported automatically by clicking on the “Import” button on the Account Management Screen. And reports can be generated automatically by clicking the “Generate P&L Report” button on the Simulate Screen]

2. RUN SIMULATIONS — See How Well Your Supply Chain Works in the Simulate Screen

Use best data available when modeling and simulating your supply chain, but do not obsess over levels of accuracy beyond what is realistic. Supply chain simulations (like weather forecasts) must always be approximations to some degree because getting exact weights, speeds and measurements for every product, facility, vehicle, and route in a supply chain is not possible. You can easily change any of the numbers in your supply chain model if you get better information.

NOTE: Most companies plan their business operations on a monthly basis. That is why SCM Globe focuses on 30 to 60 day simulations. Every month, a company updates its product demand forecasts and that leads to changes in production schedules and procurement rates. Which in turn leads to changes in vehicle assignments and delivery routes. So there is little value in running simulations beyond 30 to 60 days.

Learn more about analyzing simulation results and see how to DOWNLOAD SIMULATION DATA to create monthly Profit & Loss Reports in “Analyzing Simulation Data“.

[If you are using SCM Globe Professional version, supply chain reports can be generated automatically by clicking on the “Generate P&L Report” button on the Simulate Screen]

See information in this video as screenshots and text, plus more about modeling and simulating supply chains in a short tutorial – “Simulation Tutorial“.

3. IMPROVE PERFORMANCE — Edit and Simulate to Find Problems and Explore Solutions

Simulations find problems and identify areas for improvement in your supply chain. Apply what you learn in your class, and what you already know about supply chains to fix these problems. Solutions that work well in the simulations will also work well for supply chains in the real world.

Learn more about analyzing simulation results and see how to DOWNLOAD SIMULATION DATA to create monthly Profit & Loss Reports in “Analyzing Simulation Data“.

See information in this video as screenshots and text, plus more about improving your supply chain design based on simulation results in a short tutorial – “Working with Case Studies“.

NOTE: If you are using a generic email address for your account and want to use your real email address instead, please send your generic and real email addresses to: info@scmglobe.com. We’ll switch your generic email to your real email address.

Solve the Three Challenges of Cincinnati Seasonings

After reviewing the six steps to getting started, begin using the simulations by solving the three challenges in the Cincinnati Seasonings case study. Each person should work individually (not in groups). By working individually you learn to use the simulation software, and how to think about supply chains as combinations of the four entities (products, facilities, vehicles, and routes). Once you solve the three challenges of Cincinnati Seasonings, you will have the skills needed to work in teams, and take on more advanced case studies. Or you can model and simulate real supply chains and design new ones.

Shown below are ten short video clips we’ve organized into a “Q&A Video Book”. Each clip demonstrates an answer to questions people often ask as they start working on the three challenges. The title and description of each clip says what it’s about.

Click on videos of interest now, and come back later when you need to learn more.

Online Guide and the 6 Steps to Get Started – quick intro to the “Getting Started” section of the online guide.
Introduction to SCM Globe User Interface (UI) – there are only three screens in the simulation app; see what they do.
My Account Screen – this is the first screen; it’s where you manage your account and your supply chain models.
[If you are using SCM Globe Pro version, supply chain data can be imported automatically by clicking on the “Import” button on the Account Management Screen]
Truck Routing Question – Demonstrated Answer – see how to set the route, delivery frequency and delivery quantity.
Simulating Supply Chain Models You Create – build your model then run it in simulations to see how well it works.
Fixing a Problem in Louisville – Demonstrated Answer – see one possible way to get more product to Louisville.
Realistic Supply Chain Model – see why “Cincinnati Seasonings” is a highly realistic supply chain model.
Making Backup Copies of Supply Chain Models – supply chain models (.json files) can get damaged; make backup copies.
Export Simulation Data to a Spreadsheet – you can export simulation data to your computer and a spreadsheet.
Profit & Loss Reporting Template – get the P&L Reporting template and create reports using simulation data.
[If you are using SCM Globe Pro version, reports can be generated automatically by clicking on the “Generate P&L Report” button on the Simulate Screen]

Adjust Your Computer Screen Resolution as Needed

Often on laptops the Edit or Simulate screen display is too large: numbers overwrite names of facilities; you can’t read numbers or names; you can’t see all of a graph on the right side of the screen; etc. An example is shown below:

TO FIX THIS PROBLEM: Adjust the zoom level in your browser; set it to a lower zoom level. On the Chrome browser look in the top upper right corner of the browser and see three dots stacked on top of each other (in the Edge browser it will be three dots side by side, on Firefox it will be three short lines stacked on top of each other). Click on them as shown by arrow 1. A submenu opens up; see “Zoom” about half way down the submenu as shown by arrow 2. To the right of Zoom see your browser zoom level; if it is set to 100 or more try reducing it to 90 or less by clicking on the minus sign (-) next to the zoom number. Reduce the zoom level until entire screen displays in your browser.

Student accounts default to 90 days from date of purchase… Request extension if needed

If your semester is a few weeks longer, send email to: info@scmglobe.com. State your name, email address used to register, school and semester end date. We can extend your account to cover your entire semester.

SAVE BACKUP COPIES of your supply chain model from time to time. There is no “undo”, but if a change doesn’t work out, you can restore from a saved copy. And sometimes supply chain model files (json files) get damaged and they no longer work. So you want backup copies of your supply chain to restore from when that happens.

DOWNLOAD AND SHARE SUPPLY CHAIN MODELS — send a copy of your supply chain (json file) to other SCM Globe users.

Please read the 7 FAQs – You need these quick answers!!!

SEE THE NEXT quick start tutorial: STEP 3 — Create/Edit a Supply Chain

NOTE: The academic version of SCM Globe supports supply chain models containing up to 20 products and a similar number of facilities, vehicles and routes. See “Tips for Building Supply Chain Models” for ways to work with these limits, and for useful techniques for building new supply chains or add new products, facilities, vehicles and routes to existing supply chains.