What is the Toothpaste Supply Chain Network Game?
The Toothpaste Supply Chain Network Game is an online supply chain simulation built around the production and distribution of toothpaste. Unlike a single-scenario game, it unfolds across three progressive rounds, each adding a new layer of real-world complexity. Players take on four roles across three sites — Tube Producer, Tube Procurement, Toothpaste Production, and Pharmacy — and must keep products flowing to the end consumer while controlling stock and backorder costs.
What makes it distinctive is the bill-of-materials dependency at its core: toothpaste can't be produced without tubes. That shared component turns every round into a coordination challenge, and sets up trade-offs that a classic linear supply chain game can't show.
Who is it for?
This template is designed for supply chain professionals, university professors, and consultants who want to go beyond the basics of the bullwhip effect. It suits operations and planning teams in manufacturing and consumer goods, as well as master's and MBA programs looking for a richer simulation that covers component dependencies, multi-product planning, and disruption management in a single session.
When to use this template?
The game is most effective in corporate training, executive workshops, and advanced classroom settings where participants already grasp the fundamentals and are ready for more realistic complexity. Because difficulty builds round by round, it works equally well as a half-day standalone workshop or as the practical centerpiece of a broader supply chain or S&OP course.
How does it work?
Players manage their stock week by week, placing orders and production with a two-week lead time. The game runs for an unknown number of weeks, so no one can simply plan to the finish line. Complexity escalates across three rounds:
Round 1 — The linear chain. A single product (Premium toothpaste) flows from Tube Producer to Factory to Pharmacy. With no visibility between stages, small demand swings amplify upstream — the classic bullwhip effect — and the debrief makes the cause visible on the results graphs.
Round 2 — Shared components and disruption. A second product, Standard toothpaste, is added alongside Premium. Both draw on the same tubes, so the Factory must balance a high-margin SKU and a high-volume SKU against one constrained input. Mid-round, a freight disruption caps how many tubes can be received, forcing players to react and collaborate. Everyone can now see each other's stock and orders, opening the door to demand reviews and synchronized replenishment.
Round 3 — Network redesign and allocation. Production splits into a dedicated Premium Factory and Standard Factory, each managing its own tube supply. The Tube Producer now serves two clients with conflicting demand patterns, and must allocate limited tubes between them when orders exceed stock — a direct lesson in prioritization and supply chain network design.
The Toothpaste Supply Chain Network Game Key Learnings
Bullwhip effect: See first-hand how minor demand variations magnify as they travel upstream, and how visibility and collaboration dampen them.
Bill of materials & shared components: Experience how a single constrained input couples the fate of two products and complicates planning.
Multi-product trade-offs: Decide whether to favor the higher-margin SKU or protect availability across the full portfolio.
Supply disruptions & resilience: React to a real-time disruption and explore buffering, supplier diversification, and faster response.
Allocation & prioritization: Step into the supplier's shoes and ration scarce components between competing customers.
Collaboration & S&OP: Use shared visibility to align demand and supply across the chain — the foundation of Sales & Operations Planning.
Together, these learnings move participants from simply spotting the bullwhip effect to managing the genuine complexity of a multi-product, multi-echelon network — the trade-offs, bottlenecks, and disruptions that define real supply chain decisions.
Resources
Try the Toothpaste Supply Chain Network Game now!
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