The diagnostic instruments used to calibrate machinery and assemble products are often invisible to the consumer. However, these instruments and tools play an important role in manufacturing and service industries. If it weren`t for precision diagnostic equipment and television testing systems, much of what we receive in the consumer market, from technology products to television broadcasts, could not be created at the high quality levels we`ve come to expect-could you imagine watching a hockey or football game on television today without instant video replays?
Tektronix understands the importance of precision measurement tools. In fact, they are a world leader in providing essential measurement tools that other companies need to build the technologically advanced products we use each day. Headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon and founded in 1946, Tektronix manufactures more than 3000 products within three broad business groups: measurement, color printing, and video and networking. With $2 billion in revenue, Tektronix is the world leader in manufacturing oscilloscopes and television testing, measurement and monitoring equipment.
Tektronix is also a pioneer in broadcasting. The company has received eight Emmy awards for its advanced production switchers used by the television industry. Its video editing systems are the leading choices among film editors using digital, non-linear systems. With over 2,500 patents Tektronix has won numerous research grants, including some of the first Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) with the U.S. Government and national labs.
Like any competitive organization, Tektronix is concerned about efficiency and improving cost effectiveness. In industries that rely on technology to compete, access to information is critical. Providing users with information also makes a company more competitive, but consolidating information access across an organization is a challenge. When Tektronix made the move to provide its end users with direct access to information about its products, the company chose Seagate Crystal Info to do the job.
In 1991, the IS department at Tektronix began a major transformation that was designed to align information systems more closely with the business divisions to improve overall cost effectiveness. Considerable consolidation and technology changes were required to make this a reality. During the process to integrate communications, the IS department consolidated many business data centers around the world to a single global data center and migrated its systems to UNIX and Windows NT. More specifically, they converted a DEC VAX and IBM mainframe environment to a user-friendly open systems technology that included Seagate Crystal Info as the standard reporting tool.
With fewer data centers and many diverse user groups needing instant information, giving end users direct access to information was a necessity. As it stood, the IS department couldn`t afford a bottleneck in the system that created all of the organization`s reports. And, they couldn`t meet the reporting requirements across the organization by having developers writing reports using several different tools-it was too labor intensive. In addition, the time required to change reports once they were written was prohibitive.
"Deploying Seagate Crystal Info gave us the breadth and clarity we were looking for," explains Tom Messenger, Crystal Project Leader at Tektronix. "It`s an easy tool to use and it offers great connectivity, it has taken off like wildfire at Tektronix. Our biggest challenge now is keeping up with the end-user demand to access the system." Tektronix evaluated several tools before selecting Seagate Crystal Info as its primary information delivery system. Messenger and his team finally settled on Seagate Crystal Info because it was cost effective, easy to learn, and easy to use. It was the perfect fit for the IS department`s needs.
Seagate Crystal Info is now used worldwide by over 500 Tektronix employees in various departments including marketing, manufacturing, service, financials, and human resources. The system generates reports such as sales summaries, order management, manufacturing quality, and data accuracy. "We have multiple mission-critical business functions that rely on Seagate Crystal Info," says Messenger. "Immediate access to information is important for time sensitive processes such as shipping products." Tektronix now generates approximately 400 reports each day and distributes them to users within several functional areas of all three business divisions.
Not only does Seagate Crystal Info generate the reports that Tektronix users need in each department, it also provides a common information delivery tool they can use to view reports online. "Our end-users around the world have better access to reports," explains Messenger, "I estimate that by using Seagate Crystal Info, we`ve managed to cut report development time in half compared to some of the other tools we were using. This has, in turn, decreased the workload for the IS department. The work that IS has traditionally been responsible for has been distributed to end-users. IS is no longer a bottleneck and the end-users have timely access to the information they need-everybody is happy with the system."
Now that Tektronix has consolidated its information systems using Seagate Crystal Info, it can focus on building its leading products in less time. Access to information has made its users more efficient, which has made the entire organization more competitive-success at Tektronix is one thing that`s easy to measure.
Pull Quotes
"Deploying Seagate Crystal Info gave us the breadth and clarity we were looking for. It`s an easy tool with great connectivity, it has taken off like wildfire at Tektronix."
"Our end-users around the world have better access to reports... by using Seagate Crystal Info, we`ve managed to cut report development time in half compared to some of the other tools we were using."
Technical Sidebar
At Tektronix, Seagate Crystal Info accesses over three terabytes of data on 120 Oracle and Progress databases running on 25 SUN and IBM servers. The APS/Info Server is a Compaq 1600-2 engine with 512 MB RAM running 10 threads.
Industry: Manufacturing
Seagate Software Product: Seagate Crystal Info
Databases: Oracle 7 and Progress 7
APS and Info Server: Compaq 1600-2 engine, 512 MB RAM. 10 threads.
Client: Tektronix Netstations, Windows 95, Windows NT
Seagate Software
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