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How MES Helped Donaldson Hy-Pro Overcome Casting Challenges for a Hydraulic Filtration Housing

As a manufacturer of the highest quality hydraulic filtration systems designed to reduce the environmental impact from the use and disposal of industrial fluids, Donaldson Hy-Pro is on a mission to eliminate equipment failures, end downtime, and increase the longevity of hydraulic equipment.

It takes extraordinary attention to detail, exacting specifications, and tight manufacturing tolerances for their filtration solutions to solve the hydraulic & lube oil and diesel fuel problems of their customers.

So, when Donaldson Hy-Pro needed a high-precision filtration head for a new product launch, they turned to MES for help in developing the prototype designs, engineering the solution, sourcing suppliers, and coordinating the efforts of multiple teams and suppliers.

This case study explores how MES delivered a high-quality, engineered casting solutionwith advanced machining despite having to navigate an extended design process, deliver multiple variants, and coordinate multiple suppliers and teams.

Application: In-Tank Filtration Assembly for Particulate Contamination Removal

According to Donaldson Hy-Pro, TFR2 In-Tank Filter Assemblies are ideal for particulate contamination removal in hydraulic power unit return line and mobile hydraulic OEM installations. Available in a compact design and three head size options, the TFR2 uses an inside-to-outside flow to remove dirt and contaminated fluid with the element.

Specifically, thehead of the filtration assembly is comprised of the filter, gauges, a lid, and input/output path, all of which are designed to deliver clean fluids back to the tank smoothly.

The Need for Consistency in Industrial Hydraulics

Because the head is integral to the fluid contamination solution, it does the heavy lifting. That means the product head (housing) had to be manufactured with the utmost consistency.

While consistency in diecast manufacturing is always important, this time it was even more crucial. To perform at its best, the assembly needed to be able to withstand the high pressures and dynamic conditions of hydraulic systems. It also required a pre-seal feature and zero-leak bypass valve.

The MES team knew that precise, repeatable tolerances would be essential to creating reliable sealing surfaces to help prevent costly (and potentially hazardous) fluid leaks.

Precision

  • Hydraulic systems operate under high pressure.
  • Dimensional variations (even small ones) can result in leaks, pressure drops, or complete system failure.
  • Tolerances are typically measured in thousandths of an inch/fractions of millimeters.

Reliability & Safety

  • Hydraulic components must align precisely with other parts of the assembly.
  • Inconsistent parts could cause misalignment, resulting in improper sealing.
  • Failure can lead to costly downtime or, worse, catastrophic and dangerous events.

Performance

  • Flow rates [100 GPM]and pressure handling depend on exact dimensions and material properties
  • Inconsistent wall thickness affects thermal behavior and pressure capabilities
  • Surface finish [125 microns] irregularities can increase wear and friction

The diecasting process is ideal for hydraulic components because it can deliver this needed consistency through controlled metal flow, rapid solidification, and highly repeatable production parameters.

The Challenge: A Complex Filtration Head

When Donaldson Hy-Pro needed a reliable partner to provide design support, manufacturing expertise, and global supply chain sourcing and management, they turned to MES.

Our challenge was to help finalize the development and manufacture of a new product: an innovative filtration head for in-tank filter assemblies, comprised of two parts provided by MES.

The filtration head, cast from ADC12 aluminum alloy, required a highly complex buttress thread—not only for strength, but for precise engagement. The thread had to start and stop at the exact position—without fail—to ensure proper alignment with the lid. Machining consistency was critical, as each rotation of the 356-T6 aluminum lid applied axial force to the internal filter, pushing it into its seated position. Too much or too little pressure would misalign the filter, compromise sealing integrity, and potentially interfere with proper installation.

This complexity was especially apparent in the design and production of the lid. Unlike more common NPT thread designs, which rely on a tapered profile to create sealing pressure, the TFR2 application demanded a buttress thread capable of withstanding high axial loads while maintaining a secure, repeatable engagement. This thread type was chosen to eliminate the risk of the lid disengaging under dynamic hydraulic pressure—a failure mode that could lead to system leakage or, in the worst case, explosive separation of the lid.

The stakes were high. The head component is rated for a maximum operating pressure of 150 psi (10 bar), and in real-world conditions, pressure surges can drive transient loads far beyond that. If the buttress threads are even slightly out of specification—due to pitch error, poor surface finish, or misalignment—the resulting forces could cause the lid to dislodge violently, posing a serious risk to equipment and operator safety.

Precision at the Thread Interface: Tolerances That Leave No Room for Error

To meet Donaldson Hy-Pro’s safety and performance specifications, MES engineered the lid’s thread form in strict accordance with ANSI B1.9-1973. This involved manufacturing a single-start buttress thread with a 5.48 mm pitch and a 6-degree pressure flank angle—geometry specifically selected for its load-bearing strength and shear resistance. But strength alone wasn’t enough. Dimensional tolerances had to be controlled down to ±0.025 mm on the pitch diameter and ±0.01 mm on thread start position, ensuring perfect thread timing and leak-free engagement with the head.

These tolerances presented a significant challenge within a gravity die casting process. MES overcame this by:

  • Designing precision steel tooling with optimized thermal expansion profiles
  • Applying thread-forming simulations to preemptively correct for post-casting shrinkage (approx. 0.6%)
  • Utilizing CNC-controlled thread milling with custom cutters to ensure uniformity
  • Verifying every production lot with non-contact optical metrology systems capable of detecting deviations as small as ±0.005 mm
  • This level of precision at the thread interface not only ensured dimensional consistency but also guaranteed that every lid would seat and seal correctly—every time.

The MES Solution: Global Sourcing, Expert Engineering Support, and Precision Diecasting

Engineering Collaboration

Armed with marching orders to “deliver a part to print,” the MES team got to work. First up? Ensuring flawless thread alignment.

  • Leveraged advanced CNC machining expertise to ensure consistent thread placement.
  • Made pre-seal design adjustments to guarantee proper filter seating.
  • Delivered three variants.

Design Agility

Throughout the months-long development process, MES worked closely with Donaldson Hy-Pro to accommodate ongoing design adjustments and changing requirements.

  • Employed an iterative design process to align with the customer’s evolving port configurations.
  • Ensured that design was optimized for efficient manufacturability at scale.
  • Quickly adapted to design changes and variations.

Global Sourcing

To ensure component integrity, MES leveraged its global network, selecting high-quality suppliers to manufacture the filtration head and lid at a lower cost without sacrificing quality.

  • Developed a casting solution that leveraged the expertise of two different suppliers.
  • Implemented stringent quality control measures to verify dimensional accuracy.
  • Managed multiple supplier relationships, ensuring compliance with the project’s exacting standards.

Precision Diecasting

Because precision and consistency were non-negotiable, the MES team closely collaborated with suppliers to ensure component integrity.

  • Ensured structural strength and reliability by using high-pressure die casting (HPDC) to manufacture the filtration head.
  • Used gravity die casting to the lid, allowing for superior dimensional accuracy and thread precision.
  • Relied our in-house Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE) to ensure consistency and compliance at every step.

The Results: A Precision-Engineered Filtration Head

From global reach to technical expertise to a relationship-driven approach, this project is another example of how MES delivers consistent performance, supply chain resilience, and value-added solutions to our customers—and to you.

“We successfully closed the project through PPAP (Production Part Approval Process),” explains MES Sales Account Manager Austin Downs. “Since then, we’ve been promoted to their parent company for RFQ. It’s a huge compliment and a testament to our capabilities and reputation, and we look forward to partnering with them,” says Austin Downs, MES Sales Account Manager.”

To learn more about the MES way or to explore how MES can help with your next project, contact us today.

Specifications At-a-Glance

Filtration Head for TFR2 In-Tank Filter Assemblies

  • Application: Particulate contamination removal in hydraulic power unit return line and mobile hydraulic OEM installations
  • Type of material/metal: Aluminum
  • Processes: HPDC (high-pressure diecasting), GDCgravity diecasting
  • Component dimensions: 4.85” x 7.50”
  • Weight: 1.5 [lid] -2.5 kg [head housing]
  • Max operating flow: 225 gpm (852 lpm)
  • Max operating pressure: 150 psi (10 bar)

 

India Isn’t the Bet — Optionality Is

Over the past few years, India has become a central pillar in global sourcing conversations. For many organizations, it has been framed as the next big answer — a hedge against China, a beneficiary of shifting geopolitics, or a country poised to unlock cost advantages once trade agreements fall into place.

But this framing misses a more important truth.

India itself was never the bet. Optionality was. 

The Risk of Treating Countries as Strategies 

Too often, sourcing strategies become country strategies. Organizations decide they are ‘moving to India’ or ‘shifting out of China’ and then attempt to align suppliers, volumes, and internal expectations around that single decision.

This approach assumes stability — in policy, costs, infrastructure, and execution. But global trade has entered a period where volatility is the rule, not the exception. 

This has never been more true than last year. As Mark Carney noted in Davos this week “We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition”. Rules based international order which existed since World War II and future policies look unpredictable at best and violent at its worst.

Trade agreements stall. Tariffs change. Sanctions emerge. Logistics routes are disrupted. Basing sourcing decisions on any single expected outcome introduces unnecessary risk. 

Optionality as a Strategic Advantage 

The most resilient sourcing organizations are not betting on one country to outperform all others. They are building sourcing portfolios that can flex as conditions change.

In this context, India plays a critical role — but not in isolation.

We increasingly see high-performing organizations pairing India with:
• Mexico for speed, proximity, and tariff certainty
• Vietnam for labor-intensive manufacturing
• China for complex ecosystems and scale where required

India’s value often lies in engineering depth, supplier diversity, and long-term capability development — not blanket volume transfers. 

Why Optionality Matters More Than Trade Deals 

Trade deals are episodic. They move in cycles and are subject to political timing beyond the control of sourcing teams.

Optionality, on the other hand, is structural. It is embedded in how suppliers are qualified, how tooling is structured, how contracts are written, and how volumes are allocated.

Organizations that wait for policy clarity before acting often find themselves late — paying higher prices, facing capacity constraints, or scrambling to qualify suppliers under pressure. 

Designing for Optionality 

Optionality does not mean indecision. It means designing sourcing programs that work across multiple scenarios.

In practice, this includes: 
• Qualifying suppliers in parallel across regions
• Structuring tooling and IP to remain portable
• Phasing volume commitments rather than making irreversible bets
• Separating capability sourcing from volume sourcing
• Maintaining commercial and logistical flexibility

These design choices allow organizations to move with confidence — even when policy outcomes remain uncertain. 

The Question Sourcing Leaders Should Be Asking 

The most important question is no longer:
“Will India get a trade deal?”

It is:
“Have we built enough optionality into our sourcing model to succeed regardless of the outcome?” 

Final Thought 

India remains an important part of global sourcing strategies. But the organizations that succeed are not betting on India alone.

They are betting on flexibility, resilience, and thoughtful design.

India isn’t the bet.
Optionality is. 

Why Many India Sourcing Programs Underperform

For many global manufacturers and sourcing organizations, India is often framed as a tariff story — a hedge against China, a beneficiary of future trade agreements, or a long-term cost arbitrage opportunity.

But when India sourcing programs underperform, tariffs are usually blamed far more than they deserve.

In practice, most India sourcing initiatives fail for operational reasons, not policy ones. And that distinction matters — because trade policy is outside a purchasing leader’s control, while execution discipline is not.

Tariffs Are the Convenient Explanation — Not the Root Cause

It’s tempting to attribute challenges in India sourcing to external factors such as delayed trade agreements or geopolitical uncertainty. But look closely at stalled programs, and a pattern emerges: performance breaks down well before tariffs ever enter the equation.

Where India Sourcing Programs Actually Break

1. Quality ramp timelines are systematically underestimated. India has strong engineering depth, but quality systems often take longer to stabilize, especially at scale. Most Indian suppliers do not parallel path tooling builds, labor availability and equipment capacity well and it leads to lead-times at least 30-50% more than China, across most processes.

For example, the high pressure die cast tool for a 500 Tonnage press would be 7 weeks in China but 10-12 weeks in India. India’s leadtime is often longer since most of the times, sample completion is not included in tool completion timelines.

Metal Die Casting – Bombay Metrics
 

 

2. Tooling ownership is vague until it becomes a problem. Tooling disputes are among the fastest ways to derail sourcing efforts. Indian tax laws have very rigid rules for how to carry tooling and how to amortize them. They do not allow expensing them like most Western countries as well as China do, creating issues between suppliers and customers, especially when volumes negotiated are not met.

This often creates stress especially when annual usage is not close to the estimated volumes.

3. Supplier capacity is overcommitted. Many suppliers are serving multiple global OEMs and prioritizing the most urgent or highest-volume customers.

Unlike China, Indian suppliers pay higher interest rates for commercial loans. They are also not easily available so there is a general aversion to risk. Most Indian suppliers look to get business first and then add capital, which is at odds for most of the OEM and Tier I suppliers in North America.

4. Working capital friction slows execution. Payment terms, advance requirements, and currency exposure often delay engineering and tooling progress. Section 43H tax law requires suppliers to be paid within 45 days. This is putting significant pressure on OEMs and customers which buy from Indian suppliers.

There has always been a push and various governmental programs to pay suppliers early but in last 24 months, it is enforced with rigor. At Year-End, many companies are not able to get credits for invoices if they are not paid within 45 days. While this is most applicable for suppliers which are under 250

5. Inland logistics is underestimated. Port congestion, inland transit, and documentation variability frequently impact reliability more than tariffs. Logistics is fragmented and if not correctly with attention to detail, Inland time can easily double. Shipment from Delhi manufacturer to Neva Sheva Port can range from 8 days to 17 days, based on trucking or train partner selection, GST and customs paperwork filing and advanced container design.

What Successful Programs Do Differently

Winning India sourcing programs use phased ramps, invest early in supplier development, clearly define tooling ownership, and align engineering, quality, procurement, and finance from the start.

Final Thought

India can absolutely be a competitive sourcing destination. But success depends less on trade incentives and more on disciplined execution. Trade deals may come later. Strong operating models must come first. Indian suppliers need a lot of handholding, guidance and supervision to execute well.