Originally Posted By: Olas
That's what happens when one company buys the rights to manufacture under license.
Bosch make their own filters in their own factory, Mann make their own filters in their own factory.
Neither are US companies, but US interests bought the right to slap the Mann & Bosch names on US produced filters. This is where the problem comes from.
Imagine if Colt, Levi, Coca Cola, Ford and other US manufacturers gave permission for some low-brow Chinese manufacturer to slap their brand names on poorly made junk - you'd have exactly the same undeserved quality perception issues.
That's not exactly what happened in this case... Some years back Bosch, and Mann got together, each buying a 50% stake in Purolator. They then started making some Bosch and Mann filters in US purolator factories. Cut to about 2 years ago, Bosch pulled out of the joint venture, leaving Purolator wholely owned by Mann-Hummel.
But Purolator continues to have the contracts to make all 3 brands of filters.