Cavalier Tool & Manufacturing Ltd., based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, had the most profitable year in its 35-year history in 2009, thanks largely to the incorporation of Lean Six Sigma into its industrial mold-making process, said company president Brian Bendig, in a recent interview with Manufacturing Digital magazine.

According to Bendig, the success the company enjoyed last year was contingent upon having three components in place: the right people, the right process and the right equipment. In the last three years, he said, Cavalier has looked at its entire business, from office functions to manufacturing processes, to find areas where efficiency was lacking.

As a result, Cavalier has become known for its short lead times, Bendig said. There are complex tools currently in production with five-week lead times, he added. In addition to running a 24/7 shift, the company also sets strict in-house goals to keep the business process moving. “It allows you to move quickly,” says Bendig. “We tend to be busier than most because of our machines, technologies and speed to market.”

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