Chelar Tool & Die completes expansion of facility

Mid-America Commerce & Industry, Sep 01, 2005

Chelar Tool & Die, Inc., Belleville, Illinois, has recently expanded its facility with a 16,000-sq.-ft. addition.

The 43-year-old firm is a contract job shop that designs and manufactures stamping dies and stamped products as well as offering machining and grinding.

The expansion was needed to accommodate the company's growth with more room for equipment and a larger engineering/design area.

Founded in 1962 by three partners, Chelar Tool & Die started with seven employees in a 7,500-sq.-ft. building. Surviving numerous economic cycles and other changes, the company has grown and now operates in over 50,000-sq.-ft. of space with 52 employees working two shifts.

"Our customer is king," stated Malcolm Katt, president and son of one of the original founders, Elmer Katt. "Our mission is to deliver quality."

Chelar Tool & Die's seven engineering and design staff can design complex progressive dies and draw dies up to 60" x 144" that weigh as much as 40,000 pounds. They can work with most CAD/CAM programs. Programs used onsite include: CadKey; VisE on the design side and MasterCam, Esprit and CamTool on the manufacturing side.

The company has an extensive array of machining and grinding equipment. Some of the major pieces include: two Agie wire EDMs (one with a robotic pallet system); three OKK machining centers; a Makino V56 vertical machining center and a new Okuma MCV-A1 vertical bridge mill.

Stamping equipment includes three presses ranging up to 600 tons with a bed size of 72" x 168."

Chelar Tool & Die serves such industries as: appliances, HVAC, electrical, computers and other special projects.

The company is a big supporter of manufacturing. Katt has served as president of the St. Louis NTMA chapter and an apprentice from the company won the NTMA national apprentice competitions in 2005. "We firmly believe in developing our people from within the company," commented Katt.

As he contemplated the company's long history, Katt noted, "My grandfather always told me. 'When you make a promise, you are bound by your integrity,' that's why we are proud of our 98% on-time delivery on dies."

Chelar Tool & Die can be contacted at: (618) 234-6550; Fax (618) 234-6572; 11 North Florida Avenue, Belleville, Illinois 62221; chelar@chelar.com.