Email LinkA MEASURED APPROACH
Darrel Kunkel analyzes every angle of our quality initiatives.
by Jim Morgan
One might assume that a man who spends all day every day working with numbers and measurements would want nothing whatsoever to do with anything even remotely angular or mathematical in his spare time. Not so Darrel Kunkel.
“A good game of pool can be very compelling,” he says evenly. “I’ve always been intrigued by the strategy and concentration required to play well. Not that I’m a pro, by any means. But I do have my own table! I appreciate the thought and skill that goes into each shot, and the need to always be thinking ahead.”
Darrel’s role as RL Hudson & Company’s Director of Quality gives him plenty of opportunities to hone his strategic planning skills, particularly now that Hudson operations are taking on an increasingly global aspect. Looking back on his career thus far, Darrel considers his current position as nothing less than an 8-ball in the side pocket.
A HOUSE DIVIDED Born in Savannah, Georgia, Darrel spent the bulk of his formative years in Tulsa. Growing up, he joined his older brother and younger sister on the tennis courts while attending Holland Hall preparatory school on an educational scholarship. But he held no delusions that he was the preeminent ace of the Kunkel tribe.
“That distinction belonged to my sister, Cheryl,” he concedes with obvious good humor. “I was ranked second in Tulsa for a time, but she was number one in the state and went on to get her professional certification. My brother Harold and I couldn’t quite compete with that.”
Following graduation from Holland Hall, Darrel attended Oklahoma State University, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management. His attendance at – and continued allegiance to – OSU has sparked a fair amount of rivalry within his own household; his wife of twenty-three years, Betsy, is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. As a result, their family car bears the distinctive “house divided” license plate reflective of split loyalties within Oklahoma.
“It’s all very good-natured,” Darrel says with a laugh. “And our two sons, Robert and James, have learned to take it all in stride. But on game days, particularly when OSU and OU play each other, things can get, well…interesting!”
IN THE FIELD Darrel’s first job out of college was working as an industrial engineer for TRW Reda Pump, manufacturer of submergible oilfield pumps. It was an applied course in capital equipment justification and facility layout, and Darrel studied hard for three years. Moving on, he served as a manufacturing engineer for Burgess Norton, maker of piston pins for diesel engines. He became part of their statistical process control (SPC) team, marking his first significant exposure to the quality realm.
“That was a tremendous learning experience,” he recalls. “It really gave me a chance to see firsthand how important and far-reaching quality initiatives can be. I was with Burgess for a total of seven years, and I served as their Quality Manager for the second half of that tenure. What I learned there has been invaluable over the years since.”
From Burgess, Darrel went to the engine division of Rockford Products. Rockford as a company specialized in cold-form products and fasteners, and Darrel himself specialized as their Quality Manager. As such, he became very familiar with QS 9000 requirements, ultimately overseeing the QS registration for all five divisions of the company during his seven-year stay. He subsequently joined Suntec Industries, a pump manufacturer as their Quality Manager in Bowling Green, Kentucky. That’s where he was in the spring of 2005 when his wife’s brother saw an advertisement in the Oklahoma City newspaper, an ad placed by RL Hudson.
“It was great timing,” Darrel says. “Betsy and the boys and I were very interested in returning home to Oklahoma, and everything I saw related to Hudson was positive and encouraging. I’ve been very happy with how well everything has worked out.”
GATEKEEPING Having joined the Hudson team a year and a half ago, Darrel admits that he now has greater “gatekeeping” resources to manage – both in terms of laboratory personnel and inspection equipment – than ever before in his career. He also appreciates the ways in which other departments within RL Hudson complement and coordinate with quality.
“We in quality work very closely with Frank Horn and the Hudson engineering department,” explains Darrel. “And we also have lots of interaction with Sam Burgess and our material technology department. That close coordination is one reason we continue to excel. I also think the improvement of our production part approval process (PPAP) documentation has been key. And I think we’ve done a pretty good job of developing internal auditors to facilitate our ongoing ISO 9001 conformance.”
Regarding quality registration, Darrel is eager to allay any concerns customers might have regarding the dissolution of the QS 9000 standard. He notes that, with the standard going away in December, a decision was made earlier this year for Hudson not to pursue renewal when it came due. (The replacement standard – TS 16949 – does not apply to Hudson processes.) Still, a key element of QS procedure – the PPAP documentation – is being retained at Hudson and will be integrated into the process-oriented ISO 9001 system.
AHEAD OF THE GAME “There’s also a growing consensus here at Hudson for us to explore Six Sigma,” says Darrel. “I’m very excited about that prospect. The Six Sigma approach allows for the collection of data and the resolving of problems in a very structured way. It fits perfectly with, and builds upon, RL Hudson’s established foundation for continuous improvement. That’s very exciting, and I know our customers will see the benefits from a proactive approach.”
In the meantime, Darrel can continue cultivating a proactive mindset while playing pool upstairs at home. It doesn’t hurt that the felt covering his table is the same color – a deep maroon – featured in the RL Hudson logo.
“You know, I didn’t make that connection for the longest time,” he acknowledges with a sheepish grin. “But it is the identical color. So I guess, in a way, even when I’m playing pool, I’m never that far away from my role in Hudson quality.”
He pauses for a moment, and his dark blue eyes sparkle with mischief. “I wonder…Are calipers allowed in tournament play?”
