From Assembly Headaches to Seamless Flow: How Intelligent Automation Built Predictable Performance for Xerox/Tektronix

The Client: Crafting High-Performance Printers

Imagine a company known for innovation, one that pioneers the very tools we use to bring digital ideas into the physical world. That was Tektronix (now part of Xerox) at their Wilsonville, Oregon facility. They were responsible for assembling their cutting-edge four-color printers – complex pieces of technology requiring precise final configuration and testing before they could reach customer desks.

The Challenge

As demand for their latest color printer soared, Tektronix faced a classic growth challenge: how to scale a complex final assembly process that required significant customization for each order. Their existing methods, while perhaps suitable for lower volumes, couldn’t handle the increasing throughput or the need to quickly adapt to fluctuating demand and specific customer requirements.

The Bottlenecks of Manual Processes

• Assembly Guesswork: Without a dynamic system to guide each printer through its specific assembly steps, coordinating the customized configuration of hundreds of units daily became a logistical puzzle. Ensuring the right hardware and software were installed for each unique order required constant oversight and manual direction.
• Traffic Jams on the Floor: Relying heavily on forklifts to move products between assembly stages created congestion, delays, and bottlenecks on the production floor. Pallets sat waiting, and workflow momentum was lost.
• Limited Footprint: Like many growing businesses, Tektronix needed to maximize the use of their existing space. A sprawling, manual process or a traditional, inflexible line would consume valuable square footage.
• Reacting to Demand: Handling surges in orders, especially at the end of financial quarters, put immense pressure on a system that lacked inherent flexibility and precise control over individual units. They needed a way to manage workflow order and pace, not just push products through.

The Solution

Recognizing that their operational performance needed to match the high performance of their printers, Tektronix sought a fundamental shift. They didn’t just need new equipment; they needed a complete, integrated system designed to bring order and intelligence to their complex final assembly process. This is precisely where the expertise of a material handling system integrator, like FloStor Engineering, becomes invaluable.

Think of a system integrator not just as a supplier of conveyor belts or lifts, but as the architect and project manager of your internal logistics structure. They look at your entire operation – the products, the processes, the space, and the challenges – and design a cohesive system where every component works together harmoniously. They select the right technologies from a vast network of manufacturers and then make them sing together as a single, intelligent unit.

FloStor partnered with Tektronix to engineer a solution that was both simple in its footprint and sophisticated in its control: an intelligent, down-and-back powered roller conveyor line.

Engineering the Flow: A System Designed for Control

Instead of a chaotic flow of products, FloStor designed a highly controlled environment. The system utilized slave pallets – essentially mobile workstations – that carried each printer through its assembly journey.

• Zoned for Precision: The core of the system was a 136-foot long powered roller conveyor line segmented into an impressive 127 individual power zones. Imagine the line as a series of short, independently controllable segments. Each zone could be activated or deactivated, allowing precise control over the movement and stopping of each slave pallet.
• Bringing the Work to the Worker: The line was designed with eight major work areas containing individual workstations. Instead of workers moving across the facility to find printers needing specific tasks, the intelligent conveyor system delivered the right printer, on its pallet, directly to the required workstation.
• Smart Navigation: To direct pallets to the correct stations for their specific customization needs, the system used a clever, low-tech solution integrated with high-tech control. Each pallet had a reflective slider that workers would set to correspond with the number of the next required workstation. Photo eyes along the conveyor read the slider position, communicating the pallet’s destination to the central control software.
• Intelligent Decision Making: These same photo eyes acted as sensors, providing real-time data to the control software on which of the 127 zones were occupied. This data allowed the software to make intelligent decisions, powering zones on or off to create gaps, stop pallets at specific stations, and prevent collisions – enabling “zero-pressure accumulation” where pallets wouldn’t bump into each other.

The Power of Integration in Action

FloStor’s role as the integrator was critical in weaving together these different elements – the conveyor hardware, the numerous power zones, the photo eye sensors, the custom transfers that popped up to divert pallets, and the controlling software – into a seamless, intelligent system. They didn’t just install pieces; they created a unified workflow engine.

• Automated Transfers: At workstations where a pallet needed to leave the main line, a chain-driven transfer unit would automatically rise up between the rollers, diverting the pallet smoothly into the work area.
• Ergonomic Workstations: The system incorporated features like ball transfer tables with locating pins at some stations to allow workers easy, ergonomic access to the printer for tasks, and used ergonomic lifts at the unpack and packing stations to reduce manual handling strain.
• Closed-Loop Efficiency: The system even integrated the reuse of packaging materials. Dunnage and cartons from incoming shipments were automatically conveyed to the end of the line for repacking completed printers, creating a smart, sustainable loop.

“As a result, [the system] has the ability to manage the process in whatever order needed to meet the day’s orders as well as accommodate surges in throughput at the end of the quarter.” – Doug Henkle, Manufacturing Engineer

The flexibility and control offered by the zoned conveyor and intelligent routing eliminated the “assembly guesswork” of the past. Tektronix could now process printers in the exact sequence required by customer orders, easily accommodate demand spikes, and maintain high levels of accuracy. The system occupied a minimal 9,700 sq ft footprint while dramatically increasing control and throughput. By partnering with an experienced system integrator like FloStor, Tektronix transformed a potential bottleneck into a predictable, efficient, and intelligent final assembly powerhouse, ensuring their operational flow was as high-performing as the products they built.