Tektronix
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Tektronix logo |
Tektronix is a
United States corporation that is currently a major presence in the test, measurement, and measuring industry. It manufacturers
oscilloscopes,
logic analyzers, and both video and mobile test protocol equipment. Tektronix is traded on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol
TEK , the nickname by which Tektronix is known to its employees, customers, and neighbors.
Several charities are or were associated with Tektronix, including the Tektronix Foundation and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust in Vancouver, Washington.
The company traces its roots to the electronics revolution that immediately followed
World War II. The company's founders
C. Howard Vollum and
Jack Murdock invented the world's first triggered
oscilloscope in
1946, a significant technological breakthrough. They founded Tektronix in southeast
Portland, Oregon, which they later moved to the suburb of
Beaverton following an employee vote. Its
IPO, when it publicly sold its first shares of
stock, was on
September 11,
1963.
For many years, Tektronix was the major electronics manufacturer in
Oregon, and in 1981 U.S. payroll peaked at over 24,000 employees. Tektronix also had operations in Europe, South America and Asia. Tektronix European factories were located in
St. Peter Port on the island of
Guernsey (then in the
European Free Trade Association), and
Heerenveen, Holland (then in the
European Common Market).
Tektronix operated in Japan as Sony-Tektronix, a 50-50 joint venture of Sony Corporation and Tektronix, Inc. Some Tektronix employees went on to create other successful
Silicon Forest companies that include
Mentor Graphics,
Planar Systems,
Floating Point Systems, Merix Corporation and
Anthro Corporation. Tektronix instruments enjoyed a leading position in the test and measurement market for decades, basically beginning with the firm's first cathode ray
oscilloscopes. Tektronix instruments contributed significantly to the development of
computers and
communications equipment and to the advancement of
research and development in the
high-technology electronics industry generally.
The early Tektronix was often described as exemplary in its employee relations practices. Rules were played down and trust and reliance on each individual's judgement were emphasized. Vacation and health benefits were unusually liberal, and a generous
profit sharing plan returned 35% of corporate pre-tax profits to employees. This worked well for Tektronix employees during the years that profits were substantial.
Some important non-test equipment Tektronix had created and sold include:
* the
Tektronix 4014 computer terminal;
* TekXPress
X-terminals. This business was sold to
Network Computing Devices* A line of color
computer printers which was sold to
Xerox in
1999.
* Operational video gear manufactured by onetime Tek subsidiary
Grass Valley Group, which was spun off as an independent company (and later bought by
Thomson).
In the
1980s, Tektronix found itself distracted with too many divisions in too many markets. This led to decreasing earnings in almost every quarter. A period of lay-offs, top management changes and sell-offs followed, until eventually Tektronix was left with its original market of test and measurement equipment. Upon his promotion in
2000, the current CEO, Richard H. "Rick" Wills, carefully limited corporate spending in the face of the collapsing
high-tech bubble. This led the way for Tektronix to emerge as one of the largest companies in its product niche, with a
market capitalization of $3 billion as of April, 2006.
The following notable individuals currently work for Tektronix, or have previously worked for Tektronix in some capacity. This list includes persons who are notable for reasons unrelated to their careers at Tek.
*
Jean Auel : technical writer; author
*
Kent Beck : engineer;
Extreme Programming developer
*
Tom Bruggere : engineer; later founded
Mentor Graphics in 1981.
*James B. Castles : Tektronix General Counsel; original Trustee of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust
*
Ward Cunningham : engineer;
Extreme Programming developer, inventor of the
wiki*
Gerry Langler : engineer; later co-founded
Mentor Graphics in 1981.
*
Steven McGeady : engineer; later
Intel Vice-President and co-founder of
Intel Architecture Labs*
Merrill A. McPeak : Director; former US Air Force chief of staff
*
Dave Moffenbeier : engineer; later co-founded
Mentor Graphics in 1981.
*
Norm Winningstad : engineer; founder of
Floating Point Systems, author
*
Delbert Yocam : Tektronix V.P.; former officer of
Apple Computer.
*Rodgers W. Jenkins : engineer; later, with Fred Tinker, founded
Rodgers Instruments LLC.
*
Tektronix 4014*
Oscilloscope*
Winning with People: The First 40 Years of Tektronix by Marshall M. Lee. Published by Tektronix, Inc., October, 1986.
*
Corporate Home Page*
Tektronix China (Simplified Chinese 简体中文)
