“The model we developed with Tilburg University is really a game changer”

As Head of Supply Chain Development of the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP), Belgian national Nils Van Wassenhove is managing a portfolio of innovation projects at the Headquarters in Rome.

“I am an engineer with a Masters in Business Administration. Social impact has been on my mind for quite some time. My thesis was about the Supply Chain Management of the International Federation of the Red Cross and during my first job, I worked as a business analyst at Oxfam.

Five years ago, an opportunity at the WFP presented itself and I did not hesitate a second. I feel very privileged to have a chance to work on innovations for supply chains that save lives.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

A new way of distributing food

At the WFP we strive to accomplish a world without hunger. We are always working on new ways to further optimize the food assistance supply chains.

Giving people in need the food directly, is the traditional approach. This works best in countries like Syria and South Sudan where basic infrastructure and services might be lacking. Where markets are functioning, WFP’s approach is to transfer cash or vouchers, so people can buy products on local markets.

Game changer

In the new mathematical model we developed together with Tilburg University, we are able to define the optimal supply chain for every specific situation, keeping in mind costs, logistics networks, the nutritional value of the food basket etc. Further reducing costs through mathematical optimization allows to serve more beneficiaries with less resources, and hence to save more lives.

This model is really a game changer. For example, using data and intelligence on our supply chain to run the optimization model, we were able to save 20 million US dollars by changing commodities in the food basket. With that amount of money, you can feed many families for several months. All supply chain scenarios can be quickly mapped, assessed and costed using our optimization model.

Important bridge

Professor Hein Fleuren of Tilburg University has been working with the WFP on several logistics projects. With this optimization model, we continued to build on the strong relationship. It is very important to create bridges between the academic and the humanitarian sector. Tilburg University is a partner of choice for WFP due to its renowned expertise in the fields of data science and operations research.

Both parties benefit greatly from this collaboration. WFP works with Tilburg University experts, academics and students, and jointly we identify opportunities to improve humanitarian supply chains. Knowledge is shared between partners leading to applicable research and innovations.

We already hired three students from Tilburg University to support the development of the optimization model. Koen Peters and Tim Wolter are working at the headquarters in Rome to develop the mathematical models. Riley Badenbroek is helping us to build a state of the art interface."