Cameron Tool operates a full CNC machining floor built around die construction and precision production parts. Six dedicated detail mills for die component work, an FPT Column Mill at 138"x236" for large format programs, and a G&L Boring Mill at 99"x140" for heavy structural machining. Precision CNC machining services for die components, production parts, and large-format work across automotive, defense, and industrial programs.
Cameron Tool Corporation was founded by John Pettinger in 1966 with three employees operating out of a 2,400 square foot building in Lansing, Michigan. The mission was straightforward: build precision stamping dies to the highest standard and deliver them on time. Fifty-five years later that mission has not changed.
Today Cameron Tool operates from a 92,000 square foot facility at 1800 Bassett Ave in Lansing, employing over 90 skilled toolmakers, machinists, designers, and engineers. We build progressive, transfer, compound, and line dies for automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, defense contractors, and industrial manufacturers across Michigan and the broader Midwest. We run a production press floor from 150 to 2,250 tons. We offer in-house tryout, simulation, wire EDM, precision CNC machining, global hybrid tooling, and die repair under one roof.
The model has not changed since 1966. We integrate die design, machining, EDM, press tryout, and production stamping under one roof so our customers deal with one team and one standard of work from first concept through validated first article. Fragmented vendor chains create accountability gaps that show up on your production floor. We eliminate them by keeping every phase of the program in-house.
Continuous improvement is not a program we run. It is how we operate. Feedback from every tryout and every repair goes back into our tooling design and process knowledge. That loop drives down scrap, extends die life, and keeps our customers renewing programs year after year rather than shopping the job out to a different shop.
Vertically Integrated Under One Roof Design, machining, EDM, press tryout, production stamping, repair, and inspection all happen at our 92,000 square foot Lansing facility. No handoffs between vendors. No accountability gaps. One team owns your program from first design through final production validation.
Ford Q1 Award Recipient Cameron Tool is a Ford Q1 Award recipient, one of Ford Motor Company's highest supplier quality designations. Ford Q1 certification reflects consistent quality management, on-time delivery performance, and a quality system that meets the rigorous standards Ford requires of its supplier base. It is a standard we maintain across every program we run.
ISO 9001:2015 Certified Our quality management system is ISO 9001:2015 certified, governing design, machining, inspection, and delivery across all programs. Every die we build is documented through structured design reviews, CMM inspection at critical build stages, and formal tryout sign-off. For OEM programs with strict traceability requirements, our quality system supports the full documentation trail.
Accredited Apprenticeship Program Cameron Tool runs an accredited in-house apprenticeship program to develop the next generation of skilled toolmakers and machinists. In an industry where experienced tradespeople are increasingly difficult to find, we invest in building that expertise internally. The apprentices training in our shop today are the toolmakers and machinists who will be running programs for our customers in the years ahead.
State of the Art Design Capability Our engineering department runs AutoForm simulation software for forming process development and springback analysis, and NX 2406 integrated to manufacturing with color and feature recognition. We develop overbend predictions, validate forming feasibility, and produce fully detailed 3D designs before any steel is cut. Problems caught in engineering cost a fraction of what they cost on the press floor.
Cameron Tool operates from a 92,000 square foot facility at 1800 Bassett Ave in Lansing, Michigan. A 20,000 square foot addition completed in 2018 houses our dedicated 1,500-ton Schuler straight side tryout press, the 1,200-ton Komatsu production press, and a large format die construction bay with our 2,250-ton Bliss press, rolling bolster, and 65-81" shut height.
The facility houses our full press floor running from 150 to 2,250 tons, our CNC machining department, three Charmilles wire EDM machines, CMM inspection lab, engineering and design office, and die construction floor. Every phase of a die program stays inside this building.
Lansing puts us at the center of the Michigan automotive manufacturing corridor with direct access to OEM and Tier 1 suppliers across Detroit, Grand Rapids, and the surrounding region.
Cameron Tool is located at 1800 Bassett Ave in Lansing, Michigan, at the center of the automotive manufacturing corridor that runs from Detroit through the greater Lansing area and into western Michigan. We have been part of the Lansing manufacturing community since 1966 and are committed to staying here, growing here, and developing the skilled trades workforce that keeps precision tooling strong in Michigan.
We serve OEM and Tier 1 suppliers across the Michigan automotive corridor and work with customers across the Midwest who need a vertically integrated die builder with genuine in-house depth, proven quality credentials, and 60+ years of automotive tooling experience behind every program.
Whether you have a new progressive die program to source, a production tool that needs emergency repair, or are looking for a long-term tooling partner in Michigan, tell us what you are working on. We will get back to you fast.