From a young age, Bill Buckley dreamed about building very large things. But even he probably didn’t expect to become the leading supplier of crucial equipment used to make more than 90% of the world’s silicon chips.
Brought up on a Te Kauwhata dairy farm, Buckley left school at 16 to become a shipbuilding apprentice. He had various manufacturing and engineering jobs, and his early business career proved difficult. Having founded Buckley Engineering in 1978, he travelled relentlessly trying to break into the US market – with little success.
Having sold a majority shareholding in the business to stay afloat, Buckley finally managed to achieve some success in his goal to build electromagnets. But he eventually decided to sell out of the original business and start afresh in 1986 with Buckley Systems Ltd (BSL). The company capitalised on the IT boom in Silicon Valley to become a major supplier to American factories.
“Now employing over 350 staff and worldwide exports that have exceeded $1 billion, Bill’s pathway to success was his unwavering commitment to investing in the right people and machinery to make sure customers’ expectations were fully met,” the company’s website states.
However, it also notes that things have not always been easy in such a specialised industry. He once noted that keeping the company afloat had been a “tremendous uphill battle” at times.
Buckley and his family control 100% of BSL, which operates from a $23 million cluster of industrial buildings in Mount Wellington. Known for his humility and his relentless work ethic, Buckley is still a constant presence on the manufacturing floor, and has been known to zip around on a Segway.
While most of BSL’s revenue comes from supplying electromagnets for the semi-conductor industry, the company doubled its factory space in 2016 to meet growing demand for other products. This includes electronics and medical technologies, such as photon therapy, that could revolutionise cancer treatment.
To that end, BSL has bought a 50% stake in the Canadian-based design company D-Pace, which has allowed it to develop and commercialise new products for the particle accelerator market. And in Japan, BSL has signed an agreement with Hakuto Company Ltd – one of the leading agents for high-tech international companies.
Due recognition
It has also helped establish a world-first cancer treatment facility at Helsinki University Hospital.
BSL’s export quest is being supported by the NZTE international growth fund, which has provided aid through to 2021 to promote its capabilities in new international markets.
Buckley’s 40-year career has attracted due recognition, starting with a trade exporter of the year award in the mid-1990s, followed by his selection as the 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2013 he was inducted into the Hi-Tech Hall of Fame, and was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to technology, business and motorsport.
Last year, he was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.
A generous supporter of the motor racing community, Buckley has been the promoter of the Western Springs Speedway for many years and in early 2019 was involved in a public spat over a decision, later rescinded, to move the sport to a different venue.
Writing an open letter to Mayor Phil Goff, Buckley stated: “Phil, you need to front up to this and take control of the RFA (Regional Facilities Auckland) who have little or no regard for any of the 90-year history this sport and venue provides.”
In conjunction with Hilton Glavish, Buckley has also funded the Buckley Glavish Chair in Theoretical Climate Physics at the University of Auckland.
He and his wife Elizabeth live in an $8m home in Kohimarama.