About First Brands Group
First Brands Group™ is a global leader in the automotive aftermarket. The company develops, markets, and sells premium products through a wide range of top brands. Its products include braking systems, filtration, ignition, fuel and water pumps, wiper systems, towing and trailering solutions, and aftermarket lighting. First Brands Group serves customers around the world, focusing on strong engineering and reliable supply.
The Challenge: Finding Qualified, Serious Suppliers Quickly
When First Brands Group expanded and updated its supplier base for automotive aftermarket parts, the team ran into several ongoing challenges:
Finding new suppliers quickly to replace or add to the current ones
Ensuring suppliers were qualified, competitive, and committed to new projects
Avoiding wasted time on early talks with suppliers who could not meet technical or operational needs
Managing supplier discovery across multiple commodities without manually engaging thousands of suppliers
Traditional supplier search methods made it difficult to balance speed with qualification. This often-delayed sourcing decisions and created more work for the team.
Why First Brands Group Chose MESH Works
First Brands Group chose MESH Sourcing to gain access to a reliable, structured platform to find and qualify global suppliers that fit their needs.
The main reason was to quickly find suppliers with the right capabilities for a high-mix low volume sourcing projects.
The Solution: Structured Global Sourcing with MESH
1. Targeted Supplier Discovery via MESH Marketplace
Using the MESH Marketplace, First Brands Group was able to:
Categorize projects by commodity groups and product types
Publish RFQs with detailed technical requirements, including materials, manufacturing processes, and 2D drawings
Protect sensitive information using built-in NDA workflows
Engage only relevant, pre-matched suppliers, instead of broadcasting RFQs widely
This approach ensured suppliers understood expectations before reaching out, which saved a lot of time for everyone involved.
2. Rapid Pre-Qualification with MESH Sourcing Audits
MESH Audits enabled First Brands Group to:
Quickly qualify or disqualify suppliers based on standardized criteria
Assess supplier capabilities across manufacturing, engineering, quality, and logistics
Eliminate suppliers early if requirements were not met
According to the team, one of the biggest advantages was the ability to discharge unsuitable suppliers quickly, preventing delays later in the sourcing cycle.
The Results: Faster Sourcing, Better Suppliers, Lower Cost
MESH delivered tangible outcomes for First Brands Group:
Approved Suppliers Added:
Nearly 2 new suppliers approved & onboarded from the MESH networkCommodity Focus:
Automotive cleaning partsSupplier Quality:
More serious, specification-aligned suppliers engaging from day oneTime Savings:
Reduced supplier outreach and early-stage qualification effortCost Savings:
Lower tooling and platform costs by avoiding multiple sourcing solutions
Competitive pricing from MESH-qualified suppliers
Customer Perspective
“MESH has really been helpful because suppliers already know our specifications before making contact, so we don’t waste valuable time. The Marketplace lets us add every detail upfront, which makes working with suppliers much smoother.”
—First Brands Group Sourcing Team
Conclusion
Before using MESH, First Brands Group faced the common automotive sourcing challenge of finding suppliers who were available, qualified, competitive, and committed. With MESH Marketplace and Sourcing Audits, the team changed how they find, assess, and work with suppliers around the world.
MESH helps First Brands Group qualify suppliers faster, use structured RFQs, and align with suppliers early. It has become an important tool for making their automotive supply chain stronger and saving both time and money.
Do you want to make it easier to find and qualify suppliers worldwide?
See how MESH Works can make your sourcing process simpler and help lower supply risks. Book a demo today.
