Walter J. Huckaby
About Walter J. Huckaby
Walter J. Huckaby serves as the Regional Quality Manager at Kennametal, a position he has held since 2017. With extensive experience in quality management and operations within the company, he has contributed significantly to regional quality compliance and customer satisfaction.
Work at Kennametal
Walter J. Huckaby has been serving as the Regional Quality Manager at Kennametal since 2017. In this role, he is responsible for executing and managing regional quality compliance requirements. His responsibilities include resolving regional customer quality issues by collaborating with sales, advanced engineering, research and development, and global manufacturing locations. Huckaby has held various positions at Kennametal, including Quality Assurance Manager, Plant Manager, and Ceramic Operations and Quality Assurance Manager, accumulating over 20 years of experience with the company.
Education and Expertise
Walter J. Huckaby holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied from 1992 to 1994. He also earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from Lafayette College, completing his studies from 1979 to 1983. Additionally, he studied at Stevens Institute of Technology from 1986 to 1988. Huckaby has extensive experience in managing quality activities for manufacturing and supply bases across the Americas, focusing on compliance and customer satisfaction.
Background
Walter J. Huckaby began his career at Kennametal as a Senior Development Engineer from 1988 to 1990. He then transitioned to the role of Quality Assurance Manager, where he worked from 1990 to 1995. Following this, he served as the Quality Assurance Manager again from 1996 to 1997. Huckaby's career at Kennametal includes various managerial roles, such as Plant Manager in multiple locations, including Cleveland/Akron, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, and Charlottesville.
Achievements
Throughout his tenure at Kennametal, Walter J. Huckaby has played a key role in managing quality compliance and customer satisfaction. He has successfully coordinated with customers, technology teams, suppliers, and engineering to address both internal and external quality and performance issues. His extensive experience in quality assurance and operations management has contributed to the overall effectiveness of the manufacturing processes at Kennametal.