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Academic Case Studies

Helping participants with their understanding and application of modeling with a purpose

Students around a computer

Program Overview

Simio’s Academic Case Study Program is a re-imagining of the student competition that Simio hosted for many years, but with the specific goal of helping participants with their understanding and application of modeling with a purpose.

  • The Academic Case Study Program is a semi-annual release of instructional material formulated around an assignment, with teaching materials provided to support students in their investigation, as well as solutions for the assignment.
  • The program will be offered in the Fall and Spring of each academic year, and registrants will have online access to the materials for each term that they are registered.

To request instructor resources, email [email protected]. To receive these resources, you must be a verified course instructor. If you already are a grant order, please supply your Grant Identifier (e.g., AG-00000000-00000) with your request. Otherwise, please provide proof of your status and your affiliation with the academic institution.

Current Academic Case Study – Spring 2026

Three Rivers Pottery Studio is a small community-focused pottery business operated by Jamie, who faces the challenge of optimizing kiln firing schedules within strict labor and operational constraints. The simulation challenge involves determining optimal front desk hours and kiln firing policies to maximize the number of pottery pieces completed and taken home, while ensuring Jamie’s weekly working hours do not exceed 50 hours and that store closing times rarely extend beyond the set limit. The case study emphasizes managing kiln batch fires and customer scheduling to efficiently balance studio accessibility and operational efficiency over a weekly cycle.

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Previous Case Studies & Student Competitions

December 2025

Burgh Threads – Fall 2025
Burgh Threads is a small clothing manufacturing business that produces simple, durable garments including T-shirts, jeans, and dresses. After being mentioned by a popular vlogger in a widely viewed video, the company experienced a significant increase in sales accompanied by declining fulfillment rates. The owner is hesitant to invest in…
Academic Case Study
Spring 2025 Academic Case Study - Simio BBQ Pit Shop - Image of bbq ribs on a plate with baked beans and cornbread

December 2024

Simio BBQ Smoke Pit – Spring 2025
The Simio BBQ Smoke Pit is an up-and-coming local restaurant. It features a variety of BBQ smoked meats and classic sides. This makeshift cookout is nestled in an older, renovated building in a bustling downtown block. Due to size constraints, this is a carry-out only establishment. However, as Simio BBQ…
Academic Case Study

August 2024

Simio Aerospace – Fall 2024
Simio Aerospace, a manufacturer of commercial airliners, is evaluating planned changes to their final assembly systems. Their process line has multiple workstations, each with a statement of work consisting of 5 to 20 aggregated tasks. Each task has unique requirements for labor, tools and material handling. The current system is…
Academic Case Study

January 2024

Simio Fresh Mex – Spring 2024
You have been hired as a consultant by Simio Fresh Mex, a made-to-order Mexican food restaurant, where your task is to help the general manager improve the restaurant’s operations. The general manager is experienced in the food industry but has no technical or modeling background and wishes to improve Simio…
Academic Case Study

August 2023

Simio Warehouse – Fall 2023
This case study involves the development of model(s) for analyzing a warehouse that supports an e-commerce site for computer video cards used for advanced video processes and for AI and crypto currency applications. The facility handles three types of cards (A, B, and C) and Simio Warehouse orders the unpackaged…
Academic Case Study

May 2023

Bank of Simio Currency Exchange – Spring 2023
BankOfSimio is a global custodian bank that offers currency exchanges for their clients. For example, a client may want to purchase equity in a British company that conducts their business in British Pound Sterlings (GBP), but the client wants to spend United States Dollars (USD). BankOfSimio will take the USD…
Student Competition

August 2022

Estadio Simio Matchday Analysis – Fall 2022
The Simio Soccer Committee (SSC) is an organization that was newly developed to help improve the fan experience for exhibition matches (friendlies) that are held at the venue Estadio Simio. The operations team at the venue is presently under scrutiny for low profits, excessive wait times, and poor fan satisfaction….
Student Competition

May 2022

Simio Supply Logistics – Spring 2022
Simio Supply Logistics (SSL) is an organization that charters offshore vessels to and from various offshore drilling locations. SSL can choose from a variety of watercraft to rent monthly. The collection of platform supply vessels (PSVs) is selected and dispatched out of ports. These vessels service multiple deep-water rigs. The…
Student Competition

August 2021

Simio Clinic and Urgent Care – Fall 2021
The Simio Clinic and Urgent Care (SCUC) is an institution that provides an array of medical services including wellness check-ups, minor trauma aid, lab testing, and orthopedic care. This facility serves patients with unscheduled treatments and patients with scheduled primary care needs. Scheduled patients travel to the clinic for appointments…
Student Competition

January 2021

Simio Shelving Shop – Spring 2021
The Simio Shelving Shop is a shelving manufacturer and wholesaler specializing in several types of shelving units with design variations. The shop is currently experiencing low order fill rates, affecting the shop’s bottom line. Management recently hired an outside consultant to provide recommendations for revamping the inventory and buffering system….
Student Competition

August 2020

Simio BBQ Smoke Pit – Fall 2020
The Simio BBQ Smoke Pit is an up-and-coming local restaurant. It features a variety of BBQ smoked meats and classic sides. This makeshift cookout is nestled in an older, renovated building in a bustling downtown block. Due to size constraints, this is a carry-out only establishment. However, as Simio BBQ…
Student Competition

May 2020

Miebach Distribution Center – Spring 2020
The Miebach Distribution Center (MDC) is a warehouse that stores footwear and apparel items which are shipped as outgoing orders to customers. These orders range from “singles” which are single consumer purchases to multi-item orders. MDC is noticing an increase in orders as well as a diversification of order types….
Student Competition

August 2019

Regional Airport Passenger Experience Improvement Project – Fall 2019
A regional airport is seeing an increase in passengers as the surrounding communities are developing and experiencing economic growth. However, this volume increase is causing the airport to be frequently plagued by congestion that could hinder the economic growth in the area. For this reason, the airport is evaluating improvement…
Student Competition