For Cavalier Tool: Fast Is the Best Way Forward – Customer Testimonial

By Okuma America Corporation

Innovation doesn’t keep business hours, but if it did, it would operate just like Cavalier Tool and Manufacturing Ltd.: 24/7/363. While other shops clock out, Cavalier Tool and Manufacturing Ltd.’s next shift is just getting started. Work moves constantly, continuously, and faster than competitors, with shortened cycle times resulting from iron-clad processes and high-performance Okuma machine tools. Even on their two days off, multi-day jobs still run. Monstrous chips still fly. Every spindle revolution still counts.

Cavalier Tool knows how to deliver optimal results without pause. It’s how they’ve worked for 50 years, transforming their own standards of speed and putting customers first along the way. It’s how they want to work for 50 more, but with an even greater impact.

A CANADIAN MANUFACTURER WITH A GLOBAL REACH

Cavalier Tool is a respected global manufacturer of mid- to large-sized molds. Injection, aluminum, multi-shot, gas counter pressure, and more — the Windsor, Ontario, company stands on five decades of perfecting molds for a diverse customer base. Their always-on workflows include exceptionally big workpieces for a variety of buyers, too.

Instead of exclusively adhering to geographical tradition (as Detroit’s cross-border neighbor) and doubling down within automotive markets, Cavalier Tool aligned itself with outside industry opportunities over time; around 70% of business today focuses on consumer, commercial, recreation, heavy trucking, and agricultural sectors. “We build for 140 different customers each year,” says Brian Bendig, president of Cavalier Tool. “We’re in the top 10 of ‘largest non-automotive shops in North America.’”

It’s a strategic decision that strengthens Cavalier Tool’s competitiveness, company stature, and category leadership, job by job, year over year. So is their commitment to investing in the right machine tools that complete every mold and component — to spec, with speed, ahead of schedule.

THE OKUMA IMPACT

To make big, powerful parts and outrun conventional manufacturing paces, Cavalier Tool relies on big, powerful machines that outrun the rest in capability. That’s why they partner with Okuma.

The relationship started in 2015 with Cavalier Tool’s first Okuma machine tool, the GENOS M560-V, a flagship vertical machining center in the industry. This industry-leading VMC has one of the biggest tables and maximum table loads in its class, a 15,000-rpm spindle, and a 32-tool magazine. From the very first cut, its structural proficiency and ultra reliability showed Bendig, his team, and most importantly, his customers, a future full of new possibilities. Cavalier Tool could deliver tighter tolerances, take on more complex jobs, and provide some of the shortest lead times the mold and die= industry has to offer. In no time, like it so often does, one Okuma machine served as a stepping stone to more.

Cavalier Tool added two identical Okuma lathes, then two of the same model double column machining centers to their floor over the next eight years. New contracts and repeat business followed, and a pattern emerged. “When we’re building a job, there are a hundred things to do,” explains Bendig. “Over a 12-week build, a block is touched six or seven times. The Okumas have cut that in half. They can do far more operations, which means we don’t have to go to other machines.”

Each time a part is moved, operations lose revenue and increase cycle times. Bendig tells us, “Every time you move a block, it’s $1,000 to $3,000 in costs and time is lost.” That’s an unwanted combination for a manufacturer who promises speed (and shortened deadlines) alongside precision. Okuma machines’ process versatility changed that — and still does — with fewer setups, no matter how intricate the part or mold.

Standardization of machine tools also keeps Cavalier Tool at the forefront of fast builds. “We have a lot of duplicate machines,” says Bendig. “It’s intentional. We keep the same head and the same travel, and consistency in control is crucial. We program to an environment because it’s good for workforce retention and great for process, especially if an urgent job comes in. Anyone on any of our five shifts can operate the machine.”

“Our Okumas are busier than the rest of our machine tools. Work migrates toward those machines. That always tells you something’s right,” adds Larry Caron, plant manager.

GO BIG OR GO BIGGER

Lots of work migrates to the Okuma MCR-A5CII double columns, proof that going big pays off.

With these investments, Cavalier Tool’s cutting and operational speeds quickened. They gained the table space and travels needed to take on parts that simply couldn’t fit on standard lathes and machining centers — like larger molds and longer, taller structural components. Smaller, high-mix jobs can also be run on the same platform. Their MCR-A5CIIs mill and have multi-axis capabilities for 5-face machining, too, keeping more options (and thus, parts) on one piece of equipment. The automatic tool changer (mounted on the cross rail) holds 80 tools, the 2-station auto attachment changer handles wide-area machining with ease, and each component is intentionally designed for precision.

“The [double column] machines have higher accuracies, even as they get bigger,” Bendig says. “There aren’t a ton of builders who do that well.” But Okuma does, relying on a highly rigid guide system and a bridged, square structure to take heavy cuts on heavy parts, holding tolerances every time.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL COVERAGE ON CAVALIER TOOL & MANUFACTURING’S WEBSITE

Cavalier Tool is proud of these machines and the many types of work they can say “yes” to with them. The first MCR-A5CII added capability at an increased pace. The second one added scale and capacity — a force multiplier for even faster output and greater flexibility.

A third one would guarantee uptime on oversized jobs, further expand throughput, and never having to tell customers, “We can’t.”

Cavalier Tool went all in.

INVESTING WITH CONFIDENCE

Investing in a third double column made perfect sense. Resource planning, business projections, and cost-benefit analyses at the beginning of 2025 showed Bendig, Caron, and the Cavalier Tool team that another Okuma double column, the MCR-BV this time, would be a lot more than just an extra spindle. On paper, it took weeks off orders, opened up time on other machines, and enabled more complex toolpaths. In theory, it handled parts up to 196 inches long and supported up to 35 tonnes of material. But before any contract was signed, Bendig wanted to see how the MCR-BV performed in person.

Windsor, Ontario, and Houston, Texas, are 1,313 miles from each other, but test cuts came together quickly at Hartwig (Houston), a long-time Okuma distributor with the MCR-BV on its showroom floor. Materials were shipped. Tools were in place. The machine was booked, ready, and waiting.

“We needed a bunch of horsepower and rigidity for heavy drilling. A lot of people like to say their machine tools are rigid, but we like to see how much cutting we can actually do. We got a three-inch drill and a six-inch facemill in there. We cut straight and cut on an angled head. This machine threw chips everywhere,” says Bendig, impressed by torque and speed. “It was faster than we thought it’d be. It did everything great. All eyes were on us and the machine during the test cut. No one in the room had ever seen their tool run like this.” That’s because no one makes double column machining centers like Okuma.

Bendig finalized the deal with an assured confidence, which added the following strengths and differentiators to Cavalier Tool’s operations:

• Table sizes up to 3,000 mm x 5,000 mm and column spacing of 3,150 mm
• True 5-face indexing and continuous 5-axis contouring for roughing, drilling, semi-finishing, and finishing — all without refixturing
• A 43-kW integral motor and 6,000-rpm spindle that delivers up to 1,406 Nm of torque
• Multitasking attachment heads, including an extension head, right angle head, and universal 5-axis head
• 180-pocket tool magazine to increase flexibility, reduce non-cutting time, and simplify job changeovers
• The ability to hold 73,000 lbs. when cutting oversized blocks, tall/wide molds, or performing aggressive milling

The initial costs of the MCR-BV were significant, but the returns quickly justified its value. Production volumes are at an all-time high on this double column and their two MCR-A5CIIs. The average reduction in cycle times on all three double columns (compared to current equipment) is 30-40% — even up to 80% on the right parts. Customers get access to perfect parts without compromises in lead time or quality and without design limitations.

“Okuma is one of the best machine tool builders I’ve ever worked with,” says Bendig. “I’d buy another one tomorrow.”

EMEC’s relationship with Cavalier has continued to evolve through a shared commitment to progress and innovation. Alongside Okuma, EMEC works closely to identify new ways to enhance performance, efficiency, and growth. We’re proud to stand behind Cavalier’s success and remain dedicated to supporting them at every stage of their journey.

HALF A CENTURY OF EXCELLENCE, FULL CONTROL OF THEIR FUTURE

Cavalier Tool uses its Okumas to innovate today and tomorrow, solving customers’ immediate challenges and anticipating long-term business wins.

The towering machines are a production advantage and a sales tool — repeatable rigidity and precision earn big, high-stakes jobs every day; consistent controls make operator training and scheduling more flexible; and true, sustained speed underpins Cavalier Tool’s ability to sell lead times, not price.

“Our equipment is our brochure. When customers visit our shop and want to know how their order will go on a truck in fifteen weeks, I show them our Okuma machines, the technologies they have, and what the tech can do for them. We make their lives better with shorter build times and higher accuracy,” explains Bendig.

The Okumas at Cavalier Tool can’t help but be fully booked. They provide every competitive advantage, blow other processes out of the water, work at top speeds, and open possibilities for boundless business growth.

Now, and in the future, the more capacity, capabilities, and opportunities Cavalier Tool has with a partner like Okuma, the fewer limits their customers face — 24/7/363.