MHI Solutions Improving Supply Chain Performance
Where Are They Now?
Just how much can artificial intelligence (AI) improve material‑handling software such as warehouse execution systems? As an operations engineer for FORTNA, an Atlanta‑based supplier of supply chain software and solutions, Amber Clauss is determined to find out.
Clauss, 23, reports directly to the company’s chief technology officer and is leading its generative AI initiative. She joined FORTNA in July 2023 and spent a year in its Leadership and Development Rotation program, gaining exposure to data analytics, project management, recruitment and software development. She moved into her current role last June.
“We’re building out our internal approach to generative AI to increase productivity,” Clauss said. “The end goal is to enhance our software and try to make AI a differentiator for our company and our industry. I really like that I get to learn about this cutting‑edge aspect of our industry. I get to learn about people, technology and processes, so I show up to work every day excited to learn.”
With parents working as aerospace and chemical engineers, Clauss said she was destined to become an engineer herself. A native of Manassas, Va., she regularly attended Engineers Week at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., as a kid. There, she participated in hands‑on learning activities provided by local engineering chapters and national organizations such as the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
“I grew up making slime with my mom at the AIChE slime booth, so I always had exposure to science and engineering,” Clauss said.
Clauss said her father took note of her interest in people and processes and suggested that she study industrial and systems engineering in college. That major proved an ideal fit for Clauss, who graduated from Virginia Tech in June 2023 with a bachelor’s degree.
During college, she mentored younger students in a dorm reserved for women interested in STEM fields and served as president of the college chapter of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. She also earned a scholarship from the MHEFI for her senior year.
“I was grateful for that financial support because it allowed me to dedicate more time to my studies and the things I was passionate about,” Clauss said. “When you apply for scholarships, you also get a chance to reflect on your achievements, and I think that’s rewarding. I put a lot of intentional effort into growth and development.”
Prior to graduating, Clauss had summer internships with WestRock, a provider of packaging solutions and the food distributor US Foods. She worked at WestRock’s corrugated cardboard manufacturing plant in Mooresville, N.C., helping to optimize its maintenance operations, including the procurement of replacement parts for machinery.
At US Foods, Clauss was a warehouse optimization intern in Rosemont, IL, working to identify process improvements and boost throughput.