As a global manufacturer of air filters, oil filters, and intake systems, K&N Engineering (K&N) is a business with quality, precision, and sustainability at its core. Providing a solution that combines performance requirements with sustainable practices, K&N offers an unrivaled air filter to several markets. Originally focused on the automotive industry, the business has since used its decades of expertise and industry knowledge to diversify into other sectors.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s foundation is a truly unique story that begins with two motorcycle racing enthusiasts, Ken Johnson (K) and Norm McDonald (N), and their ground-breaking innovation. Determined to develop an air filter that could perform under the demands of dusty off-road environments, the pair experimented with numerous types of filter media until they found the solution \u2013 an oiled cotton design.<\/p>\n
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Not only did the oiled cotton filter efficiently capture contaminants, but it also meant that the filter could be washed and reused. Thus, the original and now infamous K&N High-Flow Air Filter was born and the pair established a company with a manufacturing facility in California in 1969.<\/p>\n
Today, innovation still runs through K&N\u2019s core as it continues to develop and enhance its industry-leading filtration technology. Aside from its renowned High-Flow Air filter, the business also offers cabin filters, oil filters, intake systems, and a vast range of accessories and cleaning products. Leigh Tomlinson, General Manager, K&N\u2019s Global Markets, joins us to discuss the company\u2019s heritage and its ongoing expansion into other markets.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur product\u2019s biggest selling point is that it\u2019s not only highly effective, but is designed to be washable and reusable, making it a much more sustainable choice as it significantly outlasts consumer alternatives,\u201d Leigh begins. \u201cSince Ken and Norm developed our original high-flow filter 53 years ago, we have developed filtration solutions for a number of applications across different categories. Our products go right across automotive, including cars, trucks, and motorcycles, ultimately helping vehicles breathe and perform better.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin the last five years specifically, we\u2019ve taken our experience of improving airflow to new markets, particularly in what we call our industrial marketplace. We\u2019re now serving a variety of customers in this space, helping organizations to eliminate tens of thousands of air filters going into landfill \u2013 and we\u2019re only just getting started!<\/p>\n
\u201cTo put it into perspective, there\u2019s data out there that suggests 100 million air filters are discarded and end up in landfill every year, which gives you a sense of the challenge we\u2019re working to overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of its diversification and expansion into new sectors, K&N is becoming a key player in the data center industry. \u201cIt all began when a major data center client approached us with a challenge,\u201d Leigh narrates. \u201cThey were looking for a dust filter that could breathe better, but was able to be washed and reused, avoiding the hassle of constantly discarding and renewing tons of filters, particularly in a sustainable-minded era.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur technology has a high airflow with reduced resistance, which meant we could solve two problems in one for this particular customer \u2013 delivering performance and sustainability. This process effectively kickstarted our venture into creating a line of industrial and data center air filters, and it turns out that the very same formula that made our engine filters successful also works in data centers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe product has three big wins for the data center market. Firstly, our air filters are, as I\u2019ve explained, washable and reusable, which minimizes the frequency of replacement, in turn dramatically reducing costs. Secondly, our low restriction technology results in higher air flow, meaning fans within the data center turn slower and thus save energy. The energy savings vary depending upon the type of data, but many of our customers report substantial savings.<\/p>\n
\u201cLastly, our filters are a game changer when it comes to sustainability goals,\u201d he continues. \u201cWith organizations facing ever-increasing sustainability demands and goals to cut down waste and transportation emissions, using our filters can have a significant impact on what is becoming an increasingly important customer environmental footprint.\u201d![\"\"](\"https:\/\/manufacturing-today.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/01\/KN-Engineering-219-Body-Image-2-300x212.jpg\")
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Such innovative products rarely come without state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, and K&N is no exception. \u201cIn 2020, we moved our manufacturing operation from California to Dallas, Texas, which enabled us to integrate cutting-edge technology into our processes to ensure both efficiency and precision,\u201d Leigh explains. \u201cOur site features advanced conveyor systems and automated raw material routing to optimize the flow of material though our production process, ultimately reducing waste and improving production speed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also employ advanced robotics to automate operations like milling and tube bending. By combining automated technology that optimizes processes with our filtration solutions we can quickly and consistently produce high-quality, sustainable filters for across a variety of applications.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning to the future, Leigh details some of the challenges K&N are navigating: \u201cThe biggest challenge for us is deciding where to focus. If we take data centers, for example, they are everywhere, in every city in the world. While we\u2019ve got an established presence in most countries across the globe, we\u2019re the new guys within this space, so we must prioritize our time effectively and consider how to prove our concept in a critical infrastructure environment. We\u2019ve invested in top talent from the data center space to not only help us build a five-year strategy, but also to understand how to communicate our product in a different way that enables us to understand key insights and needs of clients in this field.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, our filtration solution goes beyond data centers. If you think about industrial filtration, there\u2019s manufacturing facilities, shopping centers, government buildings, and hospitals. That\u2019s without exploring domestic and residential filtration for air conditioning units or domestic furnaces, for example. It\u2019s a positive challenge to be faced with, but we must strategize how to pivot to where the opportunities are arising over the next ten years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also important to note that there\u2019s still a lot of innovation within the automotive industry. We\u2019re bringing a new dry filter within our automotive product range, for example, which doesn\u2019t need oil and can be cleaned in a different way, yet still offers the same features, benefits, and performance our customers have come to expect from us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s definitely a lot of room for us to grow even further,\u201d Leigh concludes. \u201cWe\u2019ll continue to solve problems for our existing customers while identifying opportunities to expand in different markets and add new clients to our portfolio.\u201d<\/p>\n