Technical Member Profile: Index Corporation

The Index Group, located in Esslingen, Germany, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of precision turning and multi-task machine tools. Its products include single- and multi-spindle equipment, as well as sliding headstock machines.

The company was founded in 1914 and began exporting its products to the United States in 1923. Today, with more than 2,000 employees worldwide and an international network of distributors, the group provides machine sales, service and engineering to a range of manufacturers. Index Corporation, Index Group’s American subsidiary, was established in 1983 in Shelton, Connecticut. As it grew, it added facilities and technical centers throughout the United States.

To facilitate additional growth and improve efficiency, the company decided to consolidate most of its operations in a new headquarters that was completed in 2002. The 60,000-square-foot facility is located in Noblesville, Indiana, about 15 miles north of Indianapolis. The site was selected because 60 percent of the company’s customers are within 250 miles of the new headquarters. Index Corporation also operates three regional service centers in Connecticut, Wisconsin and California.

The company currently offers four main product lines: RatioLine turn-mill centers, VerticalLine flexible turning centers, MultiLine multi-spindle CNC machines and SpeedLine automatic lathes. Index also markets Traub single-spindle CNC machines and Swiss-type machines. The company’s equipment is used to machine a range of precision parts, including automotive
and aerospace components, as well as products used in the hydraulics, electronics and medical fields.

“For us, the main purpose of belonging to the PMPA is to introduce to the membership new technology and advanced concepts that can help them become more efficient and profitable in their operations,” explains Klaus Voos, Index’s vice president of quality management. “We feel that by providing solid information and practical solutions, we can help the industry improve
its competitiveness.”

Index’s Chief Executive Officer Olaf Tessarzyk adds, “We as a tech member see the need to bring new developments in technology to the attention of the PMPA membership and to offer training opportunities and materials that can help the membership sharpen its skills. We also can inform PMPA about where growth seems to be occurring and where opportunities are rising.”

Index was involved in developing the plan to launch the Precision Machining Technology Show (PMTS). “As part of our mission, we are very involved in the PMPA Technical Conference,” says Mr. Voos, who is a past chairman of the PMPA Technical Members Committee. “Index is an annual presenter at the conference’s Job Layout Sessions. As a way of introducing our ideas to the industry, we prepare layouts and provide information on a variety of topics. We have probably done 100 or more presentations at the Tech Conference.

“We approach members not as salesmen, but as a source of technical information and knowledge,” Mr. Voos continues. “By getting to know the members, we have been able to develop a different relationship than if we were only trying to sell our products. It’s really made a big difference for us and, we believe, for the members we have had the pleasure of working with.

“I’ve had exposure to other organizations and the PMPA really stands out,” Mr. Voos sums up. “Everyone is very cooperative and willing to share information with the other members. That’s really a great benefit. It’s a great organization.”