Capssim Simulation Summary

The Capsim Production module is responsible for the coordination and manufacturing plans of the business, ensuring that all products are made efficiently and on time. The Production department is responsible for the planning and management of each product’s production line. Automation levels are set and adjusted within the department to ensure efficient utilization of the plant’s capacity. The production department considers the following year’s sales forecasts and inventory left unsold to determine the production needed for the upcoming year.

Capacity is an extremely vital component of the production department. First-shift capacity determines the number of units that are produced each year on a daily eight-our shift. Meanwhile, the second-shift alternative allows for up to twice the first shift capacity. However, second-shift labour costs 50% above the first shift costs, ultimately becoming a point of concern among players.

Ferris struggled within the Production department early on in the Capsim business simulation rounds. Unfortunately, Ferris did not invest heavily enough in automation in the early rounds.

Looking back, our company needed 600 and more employees for the capacity and growth that we were trying to achieve in order to excel in the simulation against our competitors. Working with the Differentiator with Product Lifecycle Focus strategy, Ferris introduced a new product in the first round of the Capsim simulation. As a result, this took a great potion of our budget for the startup costs necessary. Although we believed it would be a unique competitive advantage and an aggressive first move in the game, we failed to account for the Human Resources costs that were needed in order to maintain an effective strategy in all other products and areas of our