About us
Clarklake Machine, Inc.
Serving customers since 1966 · Family-owned and operated since 1981. Today Clarklake Machine, Inc. is owned and operated by Matt and Joe DeKarske.
Clarklake Machine, Inc. is a precision CNC machining partner for customers who operate in regulated industries, especially aerospace and defense supply chains where requirements are explicit, evidence matters, and consistency is non-negotiable.
From our facility at 9451 South Meridian Road, Clarklake, MI 49234, we combine disciplined manufacturing practices with pragmatic communication. We are structured to support documented traceability, controlled revisions, and inspection planning that maps to your drawing notes and purchase order flow-downs.
Our team invests in the fundamentals: capable equipment, calibrated inspection, clear work instructions, and training that keeps our quality management system effective: not just compliant on paper. When your program needs alignment on key characteristics, source control, or first-article evidence, we work with you early so production stays predictable.
Our history
1966–1981: Saari Associates and new ownership
Clarklake Machine, Inc. traces its roots to 1966, when Roy Saari and his two partners formed Saari Associates. The company was incorporated in 1973. The original location was on Airline Drive in Jackson, Michigan.
In 1974 a new building was built at 9325 South Meridian Road, and Saari Associates, Inc. moved in; three years later, a 1,600-square-foot addition was completed. In 1978 the property next door at 9451 South Meridian Road in Clarklake, Michigan, was purchased, and the company moved again. Still needing more space, the team added a 2,400-square-foot expansion in 1979.
In the summer of 1981, Henry, Mark, and Mike DeKarske became the owners of Saari Associates, Inc.
1995–2003: Expansion, renaming, and offices
In 1995 Saari Associates, Inc. needed another addition. The building expanded south by 5,000 square feet to its present size of 19,200 square feet of manufacturing space and 1,728 square feet of office space. During that work, the flat roof on the existing building was replaced with a pitched roof to stop the leaks for good.
In 1996 the company adopted the name Clarklake Machine, Inc.
Henry DeKarske retired in 2000, leaving Mark and Mike DeKarske as equal partners.
The front office received a complete facelift in the summer of 2003.
2008–2019: Tooling innovation and AS9100D
In late 2008 three machines were down for the same reason (a broken tool disk) and one disk had been replaced only two weeks earlier. Something different was needed. A tooling engineer developed the CMI Segmented Tool Disk for the Haas VF series machining center; sales began on eBay in 2009 and continue today.
In 2012 Mike DeKarske passed away, leaving Mark his shares. With Mark leading the company, Clarklake Machine earned AS9100D certification in early 2019 and replaced one of its lathes with a Haas ST-30. In late 2019 Mark learned he was seriously ill. Wanting to keep the company in the family, he approached his brothers Matt and Martin (Joe) DeKarske, who accepted the transition.
2019–today: Family partnership and capabilities
On October 6, 2020, after Mark's passing, Matt and Joe DeKarske became equal partners. In late 2021 Clarklake Machine added two SVM4100 Doosan machining centers, each with a fourth axis, replacing some older equipment.
The site, building, name, and ownership have changed over the decades; and so have the products. In the 1960s and early 1970s the core work was tool and die, with production jobs filling in; the shop included a full tool room and six tryout presses. In the mid-1970s the first major production job arrived: machining clutch housings on conventional equipment. In 1979 the company purchased its first numerically controlled machining center. Today Clarklake Machine no longer builds dies or runs tryout presses, but it operates modern CNC equipment alongside a quality management department and an engineering department with two seats of SolidWorks and various CAM packages to support precision part manufacturing.