Who We Are
Buckley Systems is a New Zealand manufacturer of precision electromagnets, ion beam physics hardware, and high vacuum equipment. Our magnets and systems are used to manufacture end products that impact the lives of millions of people worldwide – from silicon chips, flat panels and touch screens to cancer treatment systems and physics research facilities.
With our principal export markets being in Asia and North America, we regard ourselves as an international company proudly grounded in New Zealand - a country that has produced some of the most resourceful innovators and inventors the world has seen.
We count one of them as our founder. Still a constant presence on the manufacturing floor, Bill Buckley’s talent and vision has endured for five decades and continues to be sustained by our team of world-class engineers, physicists, project managers, technicians, designers and manufacturing specialists. Every day we question the impossible and consistently innovate solutions for our customers that truly do represent the heart of what we are - Ingenious at Work.
Without a doubt, Buckley Systems' ongoing success is driven by our talented and committed staff. As an employer of 300+ people, we have both depth and breadth of skill within our management, manufacturing, design, technical and support teams to meet any challenge. Here are some of them:
Our Board of Directors - Bill Buckley, Janice Urlich and Dr Nigel Evans – share a deep knowledge of Buckley Systems, its past successes and future potential. The Board performs the traditional functions of overseeing governance, monitoring risks and leading the strategic direction. Additionally, the board successfully harnesses the passion and drive within the organisation needed to support our unwavering commitment to build the best products.
Working collaboratively to build Buckley Systems into an effectively managed, enduring leadership organisation is our handpicked Executive team. The goals of this group include fostering a culture of innovation and ingenuity while ensuring the company has the resources needed to design, manufacture and deliver quality products on time, on budget and beyond expectation.
Understanding and respecting our clients’ commercial realities is paramount. From estimations and quoting, controlling a complicated supply chain, managing large-scale projects and ensuring that commercial agreements deliver win-win outcomes, this is the team dedicated to best commercial outcome.
The Advanced Systems Design, Test and Process Improvement group is dedicated to finding optimised, cost effective technical solutions which ensure products meet specification. Working collaboratively, the capabilities of this team span physics and mechanical design, research and development. It also encompasses magnetic testing and analysis utilising the latest 3-D FEA tools and a fully equipped magnetic measurements lab.
Turning the designer’s dream into a practical reality is the key focus for our top team of Manufacturing experts. This team lives and breathes scheduling, planning, machining, electro coil manufacture, integration, problem solving and the many intricate and unique production processes that go into building a top class quality product.
The Finance and Support team integrates all other functions within Buckley Systems. They meticulously perform the many specialised tasks needed to ensure operational effectiveness and efficiency. These activities include transaction processing, analysis, planning, investment, risk management, regulatory compliance, reporting and the efficient management and development of resources.
We believe that our company culture is the foundation of our future. Highly skilled, motivated, productive people are at the heart of what we do at Buckley Systems. The People, Development and Culture team design and deliver programmes and services to ensure an engaged workforce is retained, developed and ready to meet the challenges of our market; delivering on our brand promise – Ingenious At Work.
Our Engineering Contracts Design team have specialised skills in particle beam and accelerator systems including magnets, vacuum chambers and support structures. They use SolidWorks premium 3D CAD software, and have extensive knowledge of specialist materials, to quickly develop and evaluate an optimal, reliable solution. The team can help you to appropriately use our cutting edge manufacturing technologies to meet your needs for precision, cost and repeatability. They can also recognise common pitfalls and obsolete techniques, steering you towards a more reliable and modern design.
A desire to build “big things” sees founder Bill Buckley pursuing an interest in nuclear physics and looking for opportunities to enter the electromagnet sector.
Joins forces with a group of nuclear physicists interested in building high-energy electromagnets for the university research market. Later becomes a manager of a general engineering firm Hurst Precision, contributing to the making of accelerator magnets for universities and other research laboratories.
Works with Dr Hilton Glavish and Dr Peter Rose, physicists with grand designs for ion implantation of silicon semiconductors. Provides the skilled engineering and machining required to realise their designs.
Creates Power and Buckley Engineering with two employees, surviving on simple engineering jobs while trying to break into the burgeoning US computer chip market.
Starts exploring how to make coil electromagnets, where prior to 1983 the company only made the steel componentry for the magnets. Keeps the business running via tool and die work for clients like Fisher and Paykel.
Establishes Buckley Systems Ltd, dedicated to manufacturing coil electromagnets for ion implanters and advances on the US market.
Stock market crash increases US interest in Buckley Systems, attracted by good pricing and unparalleled engineering ingenuity.
Becomes a major supplier to the US factories servicing Silicon Valley ion implanter markets.
Experiences significant growth, nearly doubling sales.
Collaborates with IBIS Technology to produce the world’s first machine capable of insulating circuitry within silicon chips, the technology that today contributes to making servers, workstations, portable and desktop computers, wireless communication devices, optical components and automotive electronics.
Awarded New Zealand Trade Exporter of the Year.
Achieves ISO9001 certification, highlighting the firm’s manufacturing controls, quality management and continual process improvements.
Contributes to a ground breaking project with Industrial Research Ltd, American Superconductor Company and Alphatech – one of the world’s first commercial applications of high-temperature superconductors
Unveils the BSL500 at Big Boys Toys, a first of its kind 500cc motorbike manufactured entirely by CNC machining centres and SolidWorks Design software In New Zealand.
Bill Buckley takes ownership of the Western Springs Speedway in Auckland. Buckley Systems Racing runs the operation.
Awarded New Zealand Trade Exporter of the Year a second time.
Opening of Buckley Systems International offices in Rowley, Massachusetts.
Company wins its first magnet supply contract for a full research facility, the Australian Synchrotron Light Source.
Maximus, the racing supermaxi yacht with engineering design and componentry manufactured by Buckley Systems, wins class honours in the Transatlantic New York to Cowes Ocean Race, and places second.
Develops the process of machining laminated dipole and multipole cores to achieve tolerances demanded by next generation magnets.
Design, prototyping and production of Brookhaven National Laboratory magnets gets underway.
Design and production of 640 ring magnets commences for the Taiwan Light Source, the sister ring to Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Synchrotron.
Entry into medical market with the production of the first 120 units of Varian medical magnets used in oncology treatment centres.
Bill Buckley recognised five times – American Chamber of Commerce Exporter of the Year and Supreme Winner; Auckland Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Innovation; Entrepreneur of the Year Master; New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year; IPENZ Supreme Technical Award for Engineering Achievers.
Production of the first 28 tonne glass implanter magnets gets underway, requiring a significant increase to production floor space.
Bill Buckley recognised four times – Finalist in NZTE’s New Zealand International Business Awards; Services to Motorcycling Award from Motorcycling NZ; Finalist for World Entrepreneur of the Year in Monte Carlo; ANZCham New Zealand Taiwan Business Excellence Award.
Bill Buckley recognised in the New Year Honours List when made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to technology, business and motorsport.
The world’s leading supplier of precision electromagnets, charged particle beam systems, ultra high vacuum equipment, medical therapy technology, border security systems and particle accelerators for physics research, supplying more than 90% of the world’s silicon chips implanters, and employing close to 300 people.
Buckley Systems’ competitive advantage lies in our ability to convert theoretical designs into practical, working devices, and consistently manufacture to extraordinarily small tolerances in an efficient and cost effective way. We build on this competitive advantage by developing close, long term relationships with both customers and partners.
One of our most collaborative partnerships is with Dehnel-Particle Accelerator Components and Engineering (D-Pace). After twenty years of successful collaboration, Buckley Systems invested in D-Pace in 2014. The two companies have been responsible for the development and provision of beamline systems, beam diagnostics and ion sources. The D-Pace relationship is a win/win for our customers: Buckley Systems can be more closely involved from the concept stage in sophisticated design and build projects with customers and D-Pace can conceive solutions in concert with Buckley Systems’ advanced manufacturing techniques and processes.