Sander Onstein is lecturer-researcher at the Logistics department of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). His teaching activities include, amongst others, Physical Distribution (1st year students), Supply Chain Management (2nd year students) and bachelor thesis supervision. As a researcher of ‘Smart Mobility & Logistics’ he is part of the Urban Technology research group, an interdisciplinary research team (logistics, engineering and built environment) within the Faculty of Technology.

From 2016 - 2021 he performed his PhD research under supervision of Prof.dr.ir. Lori Tavasszy (TU Delft) and Dr. Dick van Damme (AUAS). The PhD thesis deals with the factors that influence company decision-making on distribution structure design (DSD). Distribution structure design includes the distribution type (centralized / decentralized) as well as the location(s) of distribution centers between production and consumption locations. The research strategy is qualitative and includes case studies into three industry sectors: Fashion, Consumer Electronics and Online Retail. The thesis can be downloaded here.

From 2012 – 2014 he worked on the RAAK-PRO financed research project ‘Supply Chain and Network Strategies for Logistics SMEs’. The research focused on strengthening the position of logistics SMEs at Schiphol Airport and the Port of Amsterdam. He coordinated (student) research for several companies, e.g., KLM Cargo, ICL Fertilizers and FloraHolland. The publication can be downloaded here (in Dutch). Next to this he carried out a benchmark study on Airport-Seaport regions.

Key publications:

• Onstein, A.T.C., Bharadwaj, I., Tavasszy, L.A., van Damme, D.A., and el Makhloufi, A. (2021). From XXS to XXL: Towards a typology of distribution centre facilities. Journal of Transport Geography, Vol. 94 (June 2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103128
• Onstein, A.T.C., Tavasszy, L.A., Rezaei, J., van Damme, D.A., and Heitz, A. (2020). A sectoral perspective on distribution structure design. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 1-29. DOI: 10.1080/13675567.2020.1849074
• Onstein, A.T.C., M. Ektesaby, J. Rezaei, L.A. Tavasszy & D.A. van Damme (2019): Importance of factors driving firms’ decisions on spatial distribution structures, International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, DOI: 10.1080/13675567.2019.1574729
• Onstein, A.T.C., L.A. Tavasszy, and D.A. van Damme (2018). Factors determining distribution structure decisions in logistics: a literature review and research agenda. Transport Reviews, DOI: 10.1080/01441647.2018.1459929