Tektronix lays off employees

Published 12:00 am Friday, November 8, 2019

Tektronix said Wednesday that it has laid off an unspecified number of employees, two months after the company reduced its workforce by close to 200 through a round of buyouts.

“We are aligning our organization to enable us to continue to deliver business results,” the Washington County company said in a written statement. “As part of this alignment, we have opened high priority roles in some parts of our business and eliminated a small number of roles.”

While Tektronix did not say just how many employees lost their jobs, the number appears smaller than the tally from last summer’s buyouts. Tek said it will seek other jobs for those who are laid off, either within Tektronix or other businesses run by its parent company, Fortive Corp.

Godfather to Oregon’s technology industry, Tektronix makes oscilloscopes that engineers use to measure the performance of electronic devices.

Fortive does not disclose detailed financial results for its businesses but did say Tek’s core revenues declined by nearly 10% last quarter. Fortive CEO Jim Lico told investors last month that Tek is suffering because of economic weakness in Europe and a federal ban on sales to Chinese wireless chip giant Huawei.

Lico told investors he expects the economic weakness to continue at least into next year.

Tektronix has already endured a turbulent 2019, replacing its president twice at the beginning of the year and selling off its historic video business in April. The company said its buyouts last summer were designed “to align our organization to current business performance and deliver profitable growth.”

Founded in 1946, Tektronix employed more than 24,000 worldwide at its peak in the early 1980s. The company endured years of declines beginning in the ‘80s, selling off ancillary businesses as revenues fell and steadily reducing its workforce. It employed about 100 people in Bend until it shut down its plant in 1998. Built for Tektronix, the building now houses an Ibex Global call center.

Tek won’t say how many employees remain on its 250-acre campus near Beaverton. It remains among the state’s best-known companies, though, and appears to be among its largest technology employers.

Marketplace