# Twin Air case study: foam filter supply base

> How SourceSquid reverse-engineered Twin Air foam air filters, then built a named manufacturer longlist in India and Eastern Europe and a plan to qualify it.

Source: https://sourcesquid.co/clients/twin-air/

Case study · Sourcing

# Specify first, then find the factory.

SourceSquid builds a new supply base for Twin Air’s foam air filters across India and Eastern Europe. We started with the product itself: a physical teardown that turned each filter into a specification suppliers can quote against.

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2
    regions searched

5
    qualification phases

1
    measured spec behind every quote

Netherlands · Foam air filters **Twin Air**

  * Reverse engineering
  * Foam specification
  * India and Eastern Europe
  * Supplier qualification

The brief

## What the client asked for.

Twin Air, based in the Netherlands, makes foam air filters.

Foam filters depend on details that are easy to miss in a quote: the foam type, its density, the pore size and how the filter is assembled. The brief: new manufacturers in two regions who match the established product exactly.

Requirements

### What had to be true

  * Specification first, suppliers second
  * Two regions: India and Eastern Europe
  * Named manufacturers, not trading companies
  * One qualification path for every candidate

What we did

## Step by step, decision by decision.

The real choices behind the result, in the order we made them.

  1. 01

### Physical teardown

We took the current filters apart and measured them before contacting a single supplier.

OutputTeardown report
  2. 02

### A full specification

Foam, density, pore size and assembly written down as a specification suppliers can quote against.

OutputFilter specification
  3. 03

### Named longlist in two regions

A focused search in India and Eastern Europe produced a longlist of named manufacturers.

OutputManufacturer longlist
  4. 04

### Five-phase qualification

Each candidate moves through the same five phases, from first contact to approval.

OutputQualification plan

What changed

## The results.

  * ### Quotes that compare

Every candidate quotes against the same measured specification.

  * ### Two regions, one standard

India and Eastern Europe searched on identical criteria.

  * ### A clear route to approval

Five phases, from first contact to approved supplier.

What the client got

## Deliverables, in hand.

  * 01**Teardown and specification** Foam, density, pore size and assembly, documented.
  * 02**Named manufacturer longlist** Real factories in India and Eastern Europe.
  * 03**Five-phase qualification plan** One path from first contact to approval.

## At a glance

Client
    Twin Air

Country
    Netherlands

Sector
    Foam air filters

Discipline
    Sourcing

  * Reverse engineering
  * Foam specification
  * India and Eastern Europe
  * Supplier qualification

[Start a program like this](https://sourcesquid.co/start/?from=case-twin-air)

Services used

## The services and tools behind this work.

[Service**Product sourcing** Named factories, compared on landed cost.](https://sourcesquid.co/sourcing/)[Service**Quality inspections and audits** Audits before approval, inspections after.](https://sourcesquid.co/quality/)[Tool**Teardown cost** Estimate a part from its teardown.](https://sourcesquid.co/tools/teardown-cost/)[Tool**Test advisor** Which tests your product needs.](https://sourcesquid.co/tools/test-advisor/)[Tool**Supplier health check** Score a supplier in minutes.](https://sourcesquid.co/tools/supplier-health-check/)[Atlas**India Sourcing Atlas** Clusters, processes and materials.](https://sourcesquid.co/india-atlas/)

[← Previous case study**Rotom** ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ESG advisory for a German packaging group.](https://sourcesquid.co/clients/rotom/) [Next case study →**Woosh Air** Over USD 73,000 a month saved with a complete alternate supply chain.](https://sourcesquid.co/clients/woosh-air/)

Your turn

## Start your own program.

Send one drawing, photo or quote. A principal replies with a free teardown in 48 hours.

[Get a free teardown in 48 hours](https://sourcesquid.co/start/?from=case-twin-air)[Talk to a principal](https://sourcesquid.co/contact/)