New lab checks quality of foreign-made parts
By TOM DROEGE
World Staff Writer
Above, quality inspector Scott Bielby demonstrates
RL Hudson's new heat
aging oven. Below,
engineering test technician Wes Lyon checks
the tensile
strength of a rubber sample on the
company's new Instron machine.
TULSA, OK — Manufacturers in Asia supply thousands of rubber parts that a Broken Arrow-based company engineers for brands such as WeedEater, Jacuzzi and Ditch Witch.
The leader of RL Hudson says that without adequate product testing, American companies that buy from China and other overseas locations take a gamble from a quality standpoint.
“There are a lot of good manufacturers in Asia, and there are a lot of bad manufacturers,” said Rick Hudson, the company’s president and founder. “Just going to China to buy cheap stuff doesn’t cut it.”
At RL Hudson, a $1 million laboratory has been developed specifically for testing imported materials to make sure they’re up to snuff.
Inside the lab at 2000 W. Tacoma, engineers in white coats use lasers, souped up scopes and other diagnostic tools to inspect O-rings, hoses and gaskets that arrive from Asia.
“If there is a problem with a shipment, we send it back,” said Chris Owen, the company's marketing director.
Shoddy parts can make a machine malfunction or, worse, cause injury. For example, a hose that bursts on an outboard motor could spew hot fluid on the user, Hudson said.
To save time and money, the lab tests samples of products before full production begins.
“Most of this has to be done when there’s a new part,” Owen said. “Our customer base has gotten so sophisticated, they require a detailed approval process.”
The concept of quality assurance is new for most Asian manufacturers, and RL Hudson not only inspects for physical characteristics, but it also monitors the chemical makeup of products.
“There are dozens of different rubber compounds,” Hudson said. “Depending on the temperature and operating conditions, some compounds work, others don’t. Our chemist will create a formula for a part depending on those conditions, and we require our manufacturers to use that precise compound.”
Asia is the least expensive source of rubber parts because of low labor
costs, Hudson said.
He realizes that contracting with overseas companies has become an emotionally
charged subject.
“I believe in this buy-American concept,” he said. But through
some types of outsourcing, he said, “the reality is, this country
gains.”
Why? Take a plastic part on a chain saw. If the saw’s manufacturer buys the component from Asia cheaper and therefore drops the retail price of the product, then the American consumer saves money, the executive said.
“There are two ways to get rich,” Hudson said, “by spending money or by saving money.”
Hudson spends about two months a year visiting factories and business people in Asia. He speaks some Chinese, as do several of the engineers on the RL Hudson staff. Overcoming language and cultural barriers has become a huge advantage for the company, he said.
RL Hudson has seen rapid growth since it began doing business out of the founder’s home 24 years ago. Today, the company has 75 employees. It reported sales of $19 million in 2003 and projects an increase to $25 million this year.
Last year, RL Hudson moved into a new $3 million headquarters with 36,000 square feet housing offices, labs and a distribution center.
Several acres of vacant land to the north of the building near 61st and 145th East Avenue await the next expansion.
Hudson said the company wants to break ground in about two weeks on
additional labs and warehouse space to keep up with growth, which is
estimated at 35 percent annually now.
“People may not see it in Tulsa, but the economy is good,” he
said. “There’s strong demand for cars and construction equipment.
This is a boom time.”
© 2004 World Publishing Company
Note: This is an edited version of an article that appeared in the September 23, 2004 edition of the Tulsa World.
