Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an analyst at Nukon?

From poring over the tiny details in an effort to save customers money, to contributing towards the development of exciting new technology designed to tackle the war on waste - we spoke to former Junior Analyst-turned-Nukon Senior Analyst Scott Schulz for an overview of his role and what it looks like day-to-day.

5 minutes with Scott Schulz

Q: What is the primary goal of a Nukon analyst?

A: Nukon Analysts excel in that grey area between Information Technology and Operational Technology environments (IT and OT). We need to have a solid understanding of both software and automation systems to be able to bridge the gap effectively.

Q: What does a typical workday look like for you?

A: My day will often start with a stand-up meeting with my project team to go over what we have achieved and discuss any issues we are dealing with. I’ll work through the tasks assigned to me and field any support calls coming in for customers with existing systems.

Q: What industries does Nukon currently work in?

A: We work mostly in food & beverage, manufacturing and utilities with a number of smaller OEM product development jobs.

Q: Do you have a favourite sector to work within? Why?

A: Not Particularly. The rewarding part for me is seeing something I have worked on being used and appreciated out in the real world, and you can get that in any sector.

Q: How does your work contribute to improving processes for businesses into the future?

A: Improving efficiency is a big deal for all of our customers and that is at the centre of what we do. From analysing energy usage data, to helping customers identify where they can reduce costs, to connecting systems so plant data is where you need it without unwieldy spreadsheets or paper systems.

Q: What are the benefits of being part of the wider SAGE Group – and does this impact on the type of work you get to undertake?

A: The collective knowledge you have on tap within the SAGE Group is huge! If I come across an obscure problem I can’t solve, I can share it out to the engineering team and chances are someone else has not only encountered it but also has a neat solution for it too. Or, if one of our clients needs upskilling or has a resourcing challenge for a key project our other brands can help out. An example of the Group working together is the CDS container sorting solution where Nukon worked alongside sister company SAGE Automation to develop an automated counting solution.

Q: Do you have a favourite project?

A: I really enjoyed working on the CDS project (mentioned above) which allowed me the opportunity to build a product from the ground up that is now being deployed to depots across the country. It’s been pretty exciting keeping up with and solving all the little problems that have emerged along the way as the solution grows.

Q: What is the most challenging aspect of your role?

A: Having to wear multiple hats and be on top of several projects can be a challenge. One moment I may be working on a project and receive a phone call from a customer having trouble with a different system and I need to be able to quickly change gears to offer them support. At any time I may be involved in requirements gathering with a customer, development work, fielding support calls and coordinating with vendors and project partners.

Q: As an expert in this emerging sector, what is your interpretation of Industry 4.0 and how would you describe it to others?

A: I think the best way I have heard our work described is that 'our solutions are the glue that sticks systems together'. There are a lot of products out there that excel at a single thing and what we do is select the right mix of products and integrate them to work together and form a system that offers more than just the sum of its parts.

Q: What is the best part about working for Nukon, and the wider SAGE Group?

A: We really get the best of both worlds at Nukon, we are a small start up with the backing of a well-established business in SAGE. With offices in almost every state there are colleagues that I have never met face-to-face but with constant webcam chats it doesn’t feel like I am working with strangers.