Skip to main content
SIMCEL’s simulation engine (DRP - Distribution Requirements Planning) calculates how your supply chain performs under the demand and constraints defined in each scenario.

​
Prerequisites

Before running a simulation:
  • SIT levels must be set per distributor and product
  • The scenario should be associated with a supply plan
  • If needed, upload the supply plan via Data Management (ETL)

​
How to run a simulation

1

Open scenario menu

Click the three-dot menu next to the scenario you want to simulate.
2

Click Run Simulation

Select Run Simulation from the menu.
Scenario three-dot menu expanded showing available actions, with the Run Simulation option highlighted, next to the scenario name in the scenario list
3

Validate Sales In

SIMCEL performs a sanity check on Primary Sales for negative values. If negatives are found, a popup warning appears. Confirm to continue or cancel to adjust.
Validation popup warning dialog showing a message that negative Primary Sales values have been detected, with Confirm and Cancel buttons allowing the user to proceed with or abort the simulation
4

Monitor progress

A progress dialog shows each simulation step with real-time status. You can click Keep working to temporarily hide the dialog and continue using SIMCEL. A loading indicator appears next to the scenario being simulated.
Simulation progress dialog showing multiple sequential simulation steps, each with a status icon indicating Pending, Running, or Success state, and a Keep working button at the bottom to dismiss the dialog while the simulation continues in the background

​
Simulation progress

StatusMeaning
PendingStep has not started yet
RunningStep is currently being processed
SuccessStep completed successfully
ErrorStep encountered an issue (expand to see details)
Simulations can take several minutes depending on the size of your network and the number of products.

​
What happens during simulation

SIMCEL runs the simulation in daily steps, progressing one day at a time from the initial dataset:

​
Step 1: Initial stock determination

Uses the closing stock from the period before the simulation start date as the opening inventory.

​
Step 2: Sales and inventory simulation

For each month in the planning horizon:
  1. Add supply - Supply quantity is added to beginning inventory
  2. Compare against demand - Inventory is compared with unconstrained Sales In
  3. Calculate constrained output:
    • If inventory meets or exceeds demand: Constrained Sales In = Unconstrained Sales In
    • If inventory is insufficient: Constrained Sales In = Available stock
  4. Calculate closing stock: 
    Closing Stock = Opening Stock + Supply Quantity - Constrained Sales In

​
Step 3: Metrics calculation

SIMCEL computes all downstream metrics:
  • Constrained Primary Sales - Volume the company can supply to distributors
  • Constrained Secondary Sales - Sales to end customers considering available distributor supply
  • Constrained Stock Value - Inventory levels at period end
  • Constrained SIT (Stock Days) - Stock at distributors expressed in days of sales
  • All financial KPIs - COGS, margins, P&L metrics
  • Carbon emissions - Inbound, storage, outbound CO2
  • Atomic KPIs - Granular data with product, distributor, and location details

​
Simulation output

After a successful simulation, the following are available:
OutputDescription
Simulation Sales InConstrained Sales In per distributor
Demand Fulfillment MetricDistributor demand broken into orders with fulfillment status
Inventory MetricsOpening/closing stocks, quantities received/shipped
Atomic KPIsGranular data with product, distributor, location details
All 51+ KPIsFully calculated across every dimension

​
When to re-run a simulation

Re-run your simulation when:
  • You add or modify events in your scenario
  • You change demand assumptions or apply demand shaping
  • You update the supply plan or master data
  • You upload a new supply plan via ETL
Unsimulated scenarios show no data when switching to Constrained mode. Always run a simulation after making changes to see updated results.

​
Interpreting results

After simulation, navigate to:
  • Supply Planning - Review order fulfillment rates and inventory evolution
  • Business Explorer - Review financial KPIs and P&L impact
  • CO2 Report - Review carbon emissions
Create multiple scenarios with different supply plans or events, run simulations on each, and use scenario comparison to find the optimal plan.