AarKel Tooling Technologies named 2026 Large Business of the Year by the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce
Congratulations to the team at AarKel Tooling Technologies, named 2026 Large Business of the Year by the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce.
Presented as part of the Chamber’s 138th Business Excellence Awards, the Large Business of the Year recognition is awarded to organizations with 76+ employees that distinguish themselves through business growth, innovation, marketing strategy and customer service excellence. Nominees are evaluated specifically on demonstrated growth, innovation within their sector, the impact of their marketing strategy, and the standards they set for customer satisfaction.
For AarKel, the recognition is particularly meaningful: this is the second time the company has earned the Large Business of the Year award in just three years.
And it comes at an exciting point in AarKel’s evolution.
Founded in 1977, AarKel has grown from its roots in tooling into an advanced manufacturing organization bringing together engineering, custom tooling, die casting dies, plastic injection and compression tooling, additive manufacturing and other technology-driven capabilities. Earlier this year, the organization also brought its brands and capabilities together under the unified AarKel Tooling Technologies identity.
The company is continuing to invest in what comes next. In May, AarKel announced a multi million dollar investment supporting dedicated gigacasting tooling and testing capabilities at its Wallaceburg operations thus expanding its ability to manufacture the extremely large, complex tooling required for next-generation manufacturing.
But awards like this ultimately reflect more than equipment, facilities or technology.
They reflect the people who solve difficult problems, continue learning, serve customers, improve processes and build the capabilities that allow a manufacturing company to keep evolving. AarKel President & CEO Larry Delaey emphasized when the award was announced: the achievement belongs to the associates. AarKel credits the recognition to the dedication, hard work and support of the people across the organization.
