Who are you?
My name is Jesse Bleij and I joined Districon in November 2021. I have a bachelor's degree in Econometrics and Operations research at the University of Groningen. During my studies, I found myself interested in the field of mathematical modelling and optimization. Therefore, during my master's degree, I chose to specialize myself in Operations Research at the University of Rotterdam. What's most appealing to me is that the techniques you learn during the studies can be applied in very practical problems.
At Districon I work as a supply chain optimization consultant. In my job, I can apply the skills and knowledge that I obtained during my studies. In my work I focus on translating supply chain problems into mathematical models to help and support our clients to make the best possible decisions.
Outside of work, I like to spend time with my friends and family. Besides that, during the weekend I can be found playing a Sunday league match on the football field.
My experiences
I've been at Districon for just over a year and I've already encountered a broad variety of clients and projects. That's one of the things I enjoy most in this job. Each project that we do is different, which makes our work very adventurous and challenging. Since we work for many different clients, you have the opportunity to have a look behind the scenes at multiple companies. It's very interesting to see that organizations can be very different. However, the challenges they face are often very similar. The work for Districon also involves projects that go across country borders. Dealing with multiple languages and cultural differences makes the work challenging, but also a lot more fun.
What I enjoy about Districon is that we work in small project teams. We work hard in the team and motivate each other to achieve our goals and to celebrate our performance together.
The projects that I've worked on vary from network design studies to planning problems. We answer questions such as: where should we place our new distribution center, such that we adhere to growth targets, while keeping our logistic costs as low as possible? Then, with help of mathematical models, we make a representation of reality, such that we can answer these questions as good as possible. Besides this mathematical approach, it is important to be pragmatic. In the end it is very satisfying to provide a practical advice, which the client can use to move forward.
Vision of the future
What I have already learned in my job at Districon, is that the world of supply chain and logistics is continuously changing. We have seen that threats such as pandemics, wars and scarcity can have a significant impact on logistics. I expect that in the future it will become more important to have a resilient supply chain, that can deal with threats like these.
Moreover, sustainability has become a very important topic for decision makers. It has become more and more important that a supply chain is designed not only most cost-efficient, but also in a way that is least harmful for the environment. I personally think that this topic is very important. Therefore, I gladly contribute on this with my advice!
Next nominee
For the next ‘in the spotlight’, I would like to nominate Mark Vijlbrief. He will share his insights into the world of air cargo. I'm looking forward to read from his experiences!