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Assignment 4

Sourabh Ruhil

Institutional Affiliation

Course

Instructor’s Name

June 3, 2025
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Introduction

The supply chain is a system responsible for moving items smoothly and effectively from

suppliers to customers. Planning, finding materials, producing products, transporting and

delivering them are part of it. Since customers want products rapidly, a reliable supply chain for

retail or food distribution helps deliver on time, saves money and reduces the risk of spoiled

goods that are not sold on time (Anozie et al., 2024). A well-managed supply chain helps

companies achieve success, adapt to changes and keep up with the competition.

I worked in this simulation project to enhance the supply chain process for Cincinnati

Seasonings. I first used SCM Globe to check how things are set up, improved delivery and

storage and then made the network bigger to add two more stores. The intention was to keep all

process from crashing during a full 30 days of operations. While planning, I had to map the best

routes, regulate how much was delivered and change vehicle settings to keep everything

responsive and affordable. The following parts will discuss the solutions I found for the issues in

the initial setup and make sure the system runs uninterrupted.

Main Actions Taken to Improve the Supply Chain

Reviewing and Testing the Initial Model

My starting point was to take a thoughtful look at the Week 1 supply chain model. The

system included one manufacturing plant and three stores in Louisville, Indianapolis and Ft.

Wayne, with each store having various levels of demand and capacity. All Spicy Cube seasoning

was shipped from a central factory to all UFC outlets. Louisville required the most product,

followed by Indianapolis, and then Ft. Wayne.

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Simulation, Problems and Solution

Upon running the model, I noticed a problem early on. The supply chain failed on the

second day due to an overload at Ft. Wayne. The truck delivered more product than the store

could store, which led to an error that stopped the entire simulation (Lyu et al., 2021). This

revealed a key issue: delivery amounts must be aligned with the available capacity at each store.

Fixing this was the first step toward building a functioning supply network that could support

future expansion.
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To address this, I made several strategic adjustments at multiple facilities. At the Ft.

Wayne Store, I increased the maximum storage capacity from 850 m³ to 5000 m³ to prevent

overflow, while I also introduced local production at a rate of 50 units per day. This gave the

store more control over inventory replenishment without relying entirely on external shipments. I

also applied the approach to Indianapolis Store, where I set production to 80 units per day and

also boosted the storage capacity to 5000 m³, ensuring that the store could meet its demand of 70

units per day while avoiding frequent restocking delays.

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At the Louisville Store, I introduced a higher production rate of 250 units per day to cope

with its 100-unit daily demand. Increasing production helped create a surplus inventory, so fewer

shipments were made (Guzel & Asiabi, 2022). In addition, Seasonings Factory improved its daily

output and reached 380 units, but Seasonings DC kept its inventory stable and worked with a

smaller setup. Such changes tried to prevent any single factory from carrying too much pressure

and made sure that production, storage and transport were distributed. Moving production to the

stores and making more room helped the chain become more flexible and reliable, handling

Spicy Cube products easier and smoother. Because of this new configuration, the Day 2 crash did

not occur and the system ran smoothly for another 30 days.
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After applying these adjustments, the Seasonings Factory continued to produce 380 units

a day, so the inventory grew to over 8,400 units by the end of the month. The inventory trend

graph indicates a steady, unbroken rise in inventories which proves the supply chain balanced

everything and didn’t experience shortages or surpluses. This result indicates a strong alignment

between production, delivery, and consumption across the network. The adjusted capacities and

decentralized production ensured that demand at Ft. Wayne, Indianapolis, and Louisville stores

was consistently met without creating excess pressure on any single facility. Additionally, the

load was distributed in a way that enhanced responsiveness while keeping the carbon output and

costs manageable.

Managing the Expansion of the Supply Chain

According to the research by Jaboob et al. (2024), when a business experiences growth,

whether through higher customer demand, increased production capacity, or plans to enter new

markets, expanding the supply chain becomes a natural next step. For Cincinnati Seasonings, the

need to support a broader customer base prompts the integration of two new store locations in

Chicago and Columbus. This expansion posed new logistical challenges, as it required revising
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delivery routes, configuring new vehicles, and ensuring the overall system could handle the

added complexity without failing.

I began by creating the Chicago Store, assigning it a maximum storage space of 800 m³

and stocking it with an initial quantity of 300 units of Spicy Cube. Given its high daily demand

of 100 units, this setup consumed only 38% of its total capacity, giving enough flexibility to

absorb deliveries without risk of overflow. I then added the Columbus Store with a 600 m³

capacity and an initial stock of 60 units to serve a lighter daily demand of 30 units. Columbus

was not even using 10% of its capacity, so there were no problems affecting its work.
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For fast delivery, I added two large trucks to my fleet which were released from our

central Seasonings DC. Every truck had a capacity to carry 110 m³ of materials and had a

maximum load weight of 36,200 kg. The trucks had a 12-hour gap between each trip which

allowed for many deliveries throughout the day. To complete the Chicago route which was the

longest at 955.28 km, required careful management. Each delivery trip carried 100 units which

was exactly what the store wanted each day. The journey was long, but it provided continuous

availability to the business without any problems with inventory. The truck went 359.64 km on

this route for Columbus, delivering 30 units every day as required by the store. Due to the four-

hour trip time, goods could be supplied without any issues from overcrowding or not having

enough.
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Getting the delivery routes right was a key priority. The stop for the Chicago route was

set to drop 100 units of Spicy Cube from every trip. The Columbus route only had one stop and

each run delivered 30 products. They adjusted the inventory based on what each store needed, so

extra stocking was avoided and every shipment was guaranteed. Even with both trucks running

at maximum capacity, the DC only used 27% of its storage spaces, so more could be added if

needed.

Inventory at the Seasonings Factory rose steadily, reaching over 1,800 units by Day 30

without triggering overflow. This growth showed that factory production and outbound deliveries

were well synchronized. More importantly, the delivery to all five stores, old and new, proceeded

without a single crash or disruption, proving that the system could manage the added load. The

newly added routes integrated seamlessly into the larger network, maintaining stability and

supporting continuous operations.

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According to Li et al. (2024), the phase of expansion not only confirmed that the supply

chain model was scalable, but it also highlighted the importance of fine-tuned logistics: store

storage must reflect demand, delivery schedules must align with distance and consumption, and

vehicles must be properly matched to route demands. Through careful planning and

configuration, I was able to extend the company’s reach while preserving the efficiency and

resilience of the supply chain.

Conclusion

In the supply chain simulation, I learned that having a strategy, quickly changing

according to needs and expanding wisely can change a weak system into a strong and flexible

one. Everything I did such as fixing early deliveries and opening stores in Chicago and

Columbus, depended on instant feedback and keeping production, storage and transportation in

line. The last 30 days without errors showed that precise management in the supply chain

allowed for both stability and strong growth. It showed the value of preparing logistics systems

to handle current business as well as future growth.

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References

Anozie, U. C., Pieterson, K., Onyenahazi, O. B., Chukwuebuka, U. O., & Ekeocha, P. C. (2024).

Integration of IoT technology in lean manufacturing for real-time supply chain

optimization. International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 12(2), 1948–1957.

[Link]

Guzel, D., & Asiabi, A. (2022). Increasing Productivity of Furniture Factory with Lean

Manufacturing Techniques (Case Study). Tehnički Glasnik, 16(1), 82–92.

[Link]

Jaboob, A. S., Awain, A. M. B., Ali, K. A. M., & Mohammed, A. M. (2024). Introduction to

Operation and Supply Chain Management for Entrepreneurship. [Link];

IGI Global. [Link]

chain-management-for-entrepreneurship/342316

Li, Y., Zhao, R., Li, X., & Choi, T. (2024). Fine‐tuning of artificial intelligence managers’ logic

in a supply chain with competing retailers. Decision Sciences.

[Link]

Lyu, Z., Pons, D. J., Zhang, Y., & Ji, Z. (2021). Freight Operations Modelling for Urban

Delivery and Pickup with Flexible Routing: Cluster Transport Modelling Incorporating

Discrete-Event Simulation and GIS. 6(12), 180–180.

[Link]