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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.

History

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.

Employee relations

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.

'Non test' products

Some important non-test equipment Tektronix had created and sold include:

Slump

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.

Notable people who worked for Tektronix

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.

See also

Books

  • Winning with People: The First 40 Years of Tektronix by Marshall M. Lee. Published by Tektronix, Inc., October, 1986.

External links

Companies based in Oregon | Electronics companies of the United States

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Tektronix".

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