Henriette Franz is a supply chain engineer at 4flow management. She started at 4flow in 2020 – during the Covid pandemic. Now, she’s responsible for the robotic process automation team at 4flow. In this interview, she talks about what she finds exciting about supply chain management, her advice for other young women in the industry, and where she plans to take her next workation.

You’re a mathematician by training – how did you discover your interest in supply chain management?

Before I started my career, I had no contact with supply chain, but I remember an example from a math lecture that focused on network optimization for public transportation in Berlin. Even then, I found it really interesting. I like that supply chain always has these smaller tasks you need to solve, and they affect other processes. That way of thinking made a lot of sense to me as a mathematician.

How do you apply your background in mathematics at 4flow?

I enjoy tinkering with problems and the freedom I have when developing solutions. Everything I know about supply chains, I learned on the job. At 4flow, I mostly work on the robotic process automation (RPA) team – really interesting work. We optimize and automate processes, which also works well with my background in math.

What exactly does robotic process automation involve?

We’re responsible for automating rule-based and time-intensive processes and designing them in a more efficient way. At the beginning, I developed bots to do that and looked for use cases. Now, a team of RPA experts takes care of that, and I’m the point of contact for everything related to RPA at 4flow. That means that both our RPA experts and other teams come to me with questions about process automation. I also offer RPA trainings within 4flow and research and test new RPA products. It’s really exciting to me to see how I can keep developing at 4flow.

What have you come to appreciate the most in your time at 4flow so far?

What makes 4flow special to me is how we work together. I started at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic working from home, and still I never felt left behind because everyone was so ready to help out. I also really appreciate that you have so much flexibility to be creative. Everyone can contribute their ideas, and we turn them into real-world solutions. That means there’s lots of potential for personal development. And I like that I can travel so much for my job at 4flow – also with the remote work policy. I’ve taken workations in Spain and Greece so far, and next year I’m planning to work from the mountains during the skiing season. The freedom to work from where I want is something I really appreciate.

What has been your favorite 4flow moment so far?

My highlight so far as been my trip to the 4flow office in Campinas, Brazil. I supported the teams on-site with process optimization. My colleagues’ hospitality was incredible – I was warmly welcomed into the group and the after-work activities. That was a really great experience.

What tips would you give other young women planning a career in supply chain management?

My most important tip is just trust you can do something, voice your ideas and ask questions. We women are just as smart as men, we’re just more reserved sometimes. Working in my team, I quickly realized my gender doesn’t make a difference. That’s why it’s important to demonstrate your own potential. I’d also advise younger colleagues to build up a network. You don’t have to know everything, you just have to know who at the company knows what. So make those connections as soon as possible, and don’t be afraid to ask for advice.