How It All Began — The Story Behind Let’s Chain It

Supply chain and value chain management are among the most critical competencies for businesses today. Yet many organizations still operate in silos, where procurement, operations, sales, and supply chain behave as disconnected functions. Recognizing this gap, Trax Group — a leader in digital transformation and learning in Saudi Arabia — conceived Let’s Chain It: a learning journey that uses simulation to enable participants to experience how real business decisions ripple across the value chain.

Let’s Chain It is built around The Fresh Connection, a globally recognized business simulation from Inchainge, which places participants in a virtual company facing real-world challenges. Trax Group’s version localizes the event for Saudi Arabia, combining theory, experiential learning, and performance analysis.

Through Let’s Chain It, participants see firsthand how decisions in procurement, operations, and sales impact financial metrics, customer service, risk exposure, and profitability. Each round is followed by debriefs that analyze what decisions worked or failed, and why.

The Evolution Of Let’s Chain It Journey

Because Let’s Chain It is relatively new in Saudi Arabia, its history is evolving rapidly. Below is an outline of key milestones and shifts:

• Partnership with Inchainge: In 2025, Trax Group officially partnered with Inchainge to bring Let’s Chain It to Saudi professionals, using The Fresh Connection as the core simulation.
• Increasing Local Focus: Initially, the event was held across multiple cities and regions; now the emphasis is on creating deeper impact in key urban centers (e.g. Riyadh).
• Improved Format & Scope: Over time, the event format has refined — balancing face-to-face workshops, remote rounds, and tighter role definitions.
• Growing Participation & Reputation: In recent editions, the number of participating companies has increased, and the event has gained prestige among corporates and educational institutions.
• Integration with Trax’s Ecosystem: Let’s Chain It is now firmly embedded into the Trax Academy and Trax consulting/training offerings, which allows participants or sponsoring companies to leverage additional learning, technology or consulting services.

Because the event is still maturing, each year brings tweaks and refinements based on participant feedback, sponsor engagement, and evolving business realities.

Special Highlighted Moments for 2024

The 2024 edition of Let’s Chain It was a landmark in several respects. Here are some of the highlights and lessons:

1. Cities & Stages
   • The event kicked off with in-person workshops in Riyadh and Jeddah on designated dates.
   • After the opening rounds, remote rounds were conducted for local finals or consolidation.
   • A global final stage followed, where top-performing Saudi teams competed on an international level.
2. Participant Volume & Reach
   • Dozens of corporate teams from across Saudi sectors competed.
   • The reach extended nationally, drawing interest from logistics, manufacturing, retail, and supply chain-focused organizations.
3. Learning Outcomes & Feedback
   • Many teams reported that the event forced them to think beyond their functional silos.
   • Participants said they better understood cross-functional trade-offs, how decisions in procurement or operations can affect financial health, and the importance of alignment.
   • The simulation’s debrief sessions were especially valuable: seeing real-time consequences of decisions and adjusting strategy accordingly.
4. Recognition & Awards
   • Top teams were recognized and awarded (depending on your structure) with certificates, exposure, or special privileges.
   • Winners sometimes earned training vouchers, further learning opportunities, or paid access to Trax’s offerings.
   • The event built momentum and reputation, making 2024 a benchmark edition.
     

Last year’s edition showed that Let’s Chain It isn’t just a simulation — it’s a way to challenge corporate teams, push their boundaries, and make them think like integrated value chain leaders.

How Let’s Chain It Works : Journey Program

To understand the depth and appeal of the event, here’s a detailed breakdown of its structure, mechanics, and participant experience.

1. Team Composition & Roles

Each participating organization forms a team of 4 mandatory roles:

• VP / Head of Supply Chain.
• VP / Head of Operations.
• VP / Head of Purchasing / Procurement.
• VP / Head of Sales.

Optionally, a Director / Coach role may be added — normally a senior executive who helps guide and review strategies

Teams must come from the same organization (i.e. inter-organization teams are not allowed), to reflect real internal alignment and collaboration. 

2. Simulation Platform: The Fresh Connection

• The Fresh Connection is a web-based business simulation developed by Inchainge. It is widely used globally in universities and corporates.
• In the simulation, teams manage a virtual company (often a fruit juice manufacturer) in crisis. They must make cross-functional decisions around procurement, operations, sales, etc.
• The simulation enforces trade-offs: each decision affects financial outcomes, lead times, stock levels, customer satisfaction, risk, and profitability.
• After each round, decisions are evaluated, results are shown, and participants debrief to understand what worked and why.

3. Event Stages

Let’s Chain It typically unfolds in three structured stages:

• Stage 1 – Opening Workshops (In-Person):
  A face-to-face one-day workshop (in Riyadh, possibly Jeddah) where teams receive training, orientation, and then play 2–3 simulation rounds.
• Stage 2 – Local / National Rounds (Remote):
  Teams who advance enter remote rounds (3 rounds typically), competing virtually under timed constraints.
• Stage 3 – Global Finals (Remote):
  Top teams advancing from local rounds compete on an international level over multiple rounds. Teams from multiple countries may participate.

This structure ensures both in-person coaching and remote scalability.

4. Learning & Feedback Cycle

• After each simulation round, participants see numerical and graphical feedback — results, KPIs, deviations, etc.
• Debrief sessions led by trainers or facilitators help teams reflect on decisions vs outcomes.
• Insights from one round feed into the next decision round (i.e. iterative learning).
• Post-event, participants typically receive reports summarizing performance, key lessons, and recommendations.

5. Scoring & Advancement

• Teams are ranked based on return on investment (ROI), supply chain performance, service levels, cost control, and risk management.
• Only the top teams from Stage 2 advance to the Global Finals.
• In some editions, sponsorship guarantees may allow one team from a sponsor to qualify or to get bonus positioning.

6. Participant Benefits & Takeaways

By participating, organizations and individuals gain:

• Real-world exposure to decision-making under pressure.
• Deep understanding of cross-functional trade-offs.
• Experience applying strategy in practice, not just theory.
• Collaboration skills across functions.
• Visibility and prestige in national & global arenas.
• Post-event insights and benchmark reports.

Why Let’s Chain It Matters: The Power Behind the Learning

Experiential Learning vs Traditional Training

One of the biggest strengths of Let’s Chain It is its learning-by-doing approach. Instead of passive lectures, participants actively make decisions and see consequences immediately. This helps knowledge stick, accelerates understanding, and builds confidence.

End-to-End Integration

The program forces participants to see the business as a linked value chain — not siloed functions. This integration mindset is critical in modern supply chains. 

Realistic Trade-Offs & Risk Management

Every decision has pros and cons: lower cost may reduce service, pushing inventory may raise risk. Participants learn to balance these trade-offs — a key skill in real operations.

Local Relevance + Global Benchmarks

While the event is tailored for Saudi Arabia, its use of a global simulation (Fresh Connection) means participants can benchmark against international teams and global standards.

Organizational Benefits

Companies gain insight into internal alignment, identify capability gaps, and often get new strategic perspectives from participants. Sponsors can align their brand with leadership, innovation, and learning.

Alignment with National Vision

Let’s Chain It supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to strengthen its logistics, supply chain, and industrial capabilities under Vision 2030. By building local capacity, it dovetails with national goals of economic diversification and excellence in supply chain sectors.

The Journy Leaders

• Mr. Mohamed Ismail: The strategic Managing Director who provides the vision for transformation and developing future leaders.

• Eng. Ahmed Maghraby: The technology pioneer CEO with 25+ years of experience, specializing in digital integration and system connectivity.

• Dr. Ahmed Farouk: The consulting expert Director who translates complex challenges into clear, actionable, and resilient strategies.

Challenges that Shaped Us

No new program is perfect. Based on feedback and experience so far, here are some common challenges and lessons:

1. Team diversity / readiness: Some teams struggle early because roles (procurement, operations, sales) have different mindsets. Pre-event onboarding is critical.
2. Time constraints vs depth: Balancing enough rounds to learn, vs not overextending participants, is tricky.
3. Data overload: Participants may be overwhelmed by metrics and dashboards; trainers must guide well.
4. Remote technical issues: In remote rounds, connectivity, time zones, or software glitches can hamper performance.
5. Scalability vs intimacy: As number of teams grows, ensuring quality coaching and feedback remains challenging.

Trax Group and organizers continuously refine the format, adjust timing, provide better training support, and streamline outcomes.

The Road Ahead — What’s Next for Let’s Chain It

Looking ahead, Let’s Chain It can evolve in several ways:

• Deepening specialization: Create tracks (e.g. sustainability, digital supply chain, AI integration).
• Enhanced sponsor integration: Sponsors might get co-branded modules, data dashboards, or learning paths.
• Blended / hybrid formats: Combine in-person + virtual to reach more cities.
• Alumni network & continuous learning: Post-event communities where participants continue sharing, benchmarking.
• Certification alignment: Tie performance or modules with recognized certifications (e.g. CPIM, CSCP) under Trax Academy.
• AI / analytics feedback loops: Use AI/analytics to give richer feedback during simulation rounds.