How a $2 Million Dollar INDEX Multi-Spindle Makes You Money, Richard Kingsbury-EP 229

Why would anybody buy a CNC multi-spindle for $2 million? Or $3 million for that matter?

My guest on today’s podcast, Richard Kingsbury, has the answer. Richard is Managing Director of the Kingsbury Engineering Division, England’s INDEX distributor.

In this interview, Richard gives a history lesson of screw machining. We discuss how you sell a $2 million dollar CNC multi-spindle. Most importantly, we talk about how a machining company can make lots of money with these Ferraris of multi-spindles. I know, I should call them Porsches as they’re made in Germany.

In any case, INDEXs are so choice!

If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

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Link to Graff-Pinkert’s Acquisitions and Sales promotion!

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Interview Highlights

Kingsbury’s Origins

In 1945, a bankrupt Germany was forced to pay reparations to the allies in the form of intellectual property and capital equipment. INDEX’s products and designs were assigned to BSA Tools, a British company, with rights to sell these machines for 10 years (1945-1955)

During this period, George Kingsbury (Richard’s grandfather) ran a subcontract shop that used both BSA-built INDEX machines and original INDEX machines. He quickly recognized that the original INDEX products were of superior quality. Sensing an opportunity, he developed a plan to become Index’s distributor when BSA’s rights expired in 1955.

To demonstrate his commitment to INDEX, George sent his son (Richard’s father) to work at INDEX in Germany for nine months. When INDEX’s sales director visited the UK, George showcased his facility and then made a bold proposition over lunch: if INDEX would grant him exclusive distributorship rights for the UK and Ireland, he would immediately place a purchase order for 30 cam automatic machines, with 120 days to pay. The sales director couldn’t resist such a proposition, and the deal was struck. George returned to his office to inform his two sons that they had 120 days to sell 30 cam automatics. It was the beginning of Kingsbury’s relationship with INDEX, which continues nearly 70 years later as the second-longest-running Index dealership in the world, after only Japan.

Today, Kingsbury has evolved into a diversified enterprise with three divisions: engineering (machine tools), timber, and property, employing 350 people and generating approximately $140 million in annual revenue.

Why INDEX CNC Multi-Spindles Make Sense Over Other Machine Tools

In our interview Richard made a great analysis of cam-driven multi-spindles like Wickmans verses modern CNC multi-spindles. He explained that while Wickman machines were excellent for high-volume commercial parts, they required highly skilled operators who could fine-tune them with copper hammers—a dying breed in today’s workforce. In contrast, INDEX’s CNC multi-spindles represent a technological