Roxan De Ridder started as an Optimisation & Simulation Expert at PSA Antwerp on 3 January 2023. Using a computer programme, she tackles operational issues within the company.
As Simulation & Optimization expert in the transformation & development team of terminal operator PSA Antwerp, De Ridder runs simulations and carries out statistical studies. “Using a computer programme, we try to answer operational issues within PSA Antwerp,” she says. “For example, we are currently investigating whether the stacking of reefer containers can be done more efficiently. Reefers are stacked four stories high at our terminal. The question that arises is what the effect would be on productivity if we stacked reefers three floors high and only four floors high when it gets busy.”
Fast and efficient
“Thanks to simulation testing, we can get answers to simple questions much faster and more efficiently than with reallife testing,” she continues. “Whereas in the field, for example, we only have data and can analyse it after two months, we can now do so in two days thanks to the simulation programme.”
Besides the impact of decisions on productivity, sustainability also plays a major role in the studies. “For example, we can use a simulation to study whether or not operations on the quay would be more productive if prime movers (a type of quayside vehicle, comparable to straddle carriers, ed.) were electrically powered,” she says.
Independent
De Ridder works in a two-headed team. Together with her manager Geert Van de Weyer, who is an experienced professional in the field of supply chain optimisation, she tries to handle as many queries as possible up to studies. “Since my appointment in January 2023, I have mainly been busy mastering the simulation programme while learning. It is quite a complex programme, which also requires some skills around coding. My personal goal is to lead a study on an independent basis by the end of the year. In the long term, I hope we can build our team further.”
Junior
De Ridder holds a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Antwerp. She started her career in September 2021 at Deloitte as a consultant in Risk Advisory. After 1.5 years, she made the switch to PSA Antwerp. “I got a lot out of the people I met there and am very grateful for that, but I felt it was time for a new challenge,” she says.
All my family works in the port. My dad also works at PSA Antwerp
Port family
“I have always had a great fondness for data analysis, which is also very important in the logistics sector,” she continues. “Since I was eighteen years old, I went to work every summer as a job student at PSA Antwerp. I was a receptionist, took inventory, worked in the finance department and helped with invoicing. On top of that, all my family works in the port. My dad himself also works at PSA Antwerp. I am very happy that, as a junior, I got the chance to develop further in this very interesting sector. I feel at home at PSA Antwerp and hope to develop my career there,” she concludes.
