The paper proposed a simulation method to search for an optimal production control policy (z, Z) (z<Z). Values of the expected inventory cost rate (i.e. expected total cost due to both inventory holding and backlog per unit time) for the (z, Z) production control policy is minimal for a single machine system. The machine is subject to operation-dependent failure only and alternates between normal and failure. A numerical example is presented to illustrate how to estimate the inventory cost rates for various pairs of (z, Z) and how to get the minimal one among them. A numerical example is further used to compare the proposed simulation method (commercial eM-plant software) in terms of both execution times and the inventory cost rate values.