Structure
Good problem solving turns ambiguity into a set of decisions that can be tested, sequenced, and explained.
Challenges
Problem solving is part of the work.
We use puzzles as a small expression of the same mindset industrial automation needs: patience, structure, and the ability to stay with a difficult problem until the route is clear.
Why Puzzles
Engineering judgement starts with how people think.
Industrial automation depends on people who can work through constraints, understand how systems connect, and make practical decisions under pressure.
Patience
The best answers often come from staying with the detail long enough to see which constraints really matter.
Judgement
Engineering is rarely about cleverness alone. It is about knowing when a solution is clear enough to act on.
CURRENT CHALLENGE
Haxaku Code Breaking
Haxaku Code Breaking is a six-part challenge built around complex logic puzzles, lateral thinking, and the kind of careful reasoning that rewards persistence. Each part adds another layer to the code-breaking trail, giving solvers a fresh route to explore every week.
A different part will be released each week from 3 July 2026, just in time for the summer holidays. Once all six parts have been solved, a final challenge awaits.
There will be a scoring element and a leaderboard, so this challenge comes with a little friendly competition as well as the satisfaction of cracking the answer.
Coming soon.
ARCHIVED CHALLENGES
Previous challenges will stay available.
New challenges will be released every two months, giving each one time to breathe, compete, and be solved properly. Once a challenge has finished, it will move into the archive so previous challenges remain available for anyone who wants to catch up, compare scores, or take another run at the code.
Careers At ICSS
Think like this? We should talk.
If you enjoy problem solving, careful reasoning, and practical engineering judgement, and you can see yourself in the work, values, and standards described across this site, we would like to hear from you.
Send us your CV and tell us what kind of problems you like solving.