Meet Our People: Jeff, Application Engineer

Meet Jeff Perry, Application Engineer for the Customer Support Team, who recently celebrated his 30^th anniversary with Zuken USA. Jeff is a valuable member of the Zuken family, and his many outstanding contributions over the years are certainly a factor in Zuken’s success. We’re proud to have him on our team, and we sincerely appreciate his hard work and efforts. I wanted to learn about this talented engineer, so I reached out to him, and I’m pleased to share his story.

From Electronics Technician to Application Engineer

In 1980, I started my career as an electronics technician and worked my way up to a field support engineer. I traveled to multiple customer sites to repair customers’ equipment. I then became interested in circuit design and worked for a few smaller companies designing circuits and manufacturing PCB prototypes for onsite testing. Later, I worked for a larger company and started using CAD software for design work. Finally, in 1992 I took a position with Racal-Redac, a CAD company acquired by Zuken in 1994. Thirty years later and I’m still proud to be employed by Zuken. My career journey has been quite a ride, and I wouldn’t change anything about it!

All Things Customer Support

As an application engineer, I provide customer support and training for our customers. I teach them how to use our software and write technical notes to help them navigate the onboarding process. My days are unpredictable, which makes my job exciting. Sometimes a customer will contact me to let me know their software isn’t working correctly or they feel the application isn’t working as documented. Other times, they’ll connect with me because their design won’t open or their system crashes. It’s my responsibility to help them find a solution–and quickly. The most rewarding aspect of my job is helping our customers find success by resolving their problems and achieving their end goals.

My Team

Only a few of us are on my team, but we’re very effective in our work. Most of the time, I work independently, but I occasionally collaborate on projects with my teammates. I’ve been in the industry for a long time, and I feel very comfortable asking questions or voicing my concerns to any of my colleagues. I’m fortunate to work with such a talented group of partners who come together to produce great results.

Most Memorable Project

In my 30 years of working at Zuken, I’ve been involved in many projects, as you can imagine. My favorite one that comes to mind dates back to 12 years ago when my team and I had a wonderful time helping one of our biggest customers implement a new CR-8000 installation. Fast forward to today, that customer is still with us, and it’s been a pleasure supporting them as their lead AE.

Cooking, Family Time, and Golf

In my free time, I enjoy playing a friendly round of golf with friends. It challenges the mind and body and allows me to look inward and work toward improvement. There’s nothing like spending a couple of hours, or even an afternoon, out on the golf course. I also like hosting dinner parties at my house and have been known to make the best seafood dishes around town! But my favorite activity, by far, is spending time with my family, especially my two beautiful grandkids, who keep me on my toes and young at heart.