SKF destroys 15 tons of fake bearings
Sweden's SKF says counterfeit bearings with a market value of approximately EUR 1 000 000 have been destroyed in Greece, following the successful completion of legal proceedings commenced in 2009.
- The raid in 2009 resulted in the seizure of 17,000 pieces of counterfeit rolling bearings, with a total weight of 15 tons and a market value of over EUR 1,000,000 These have now been destroyed at a metal recycling facility in Greece, by crushing them in a scrap press, to ensure they will not resurface on the market, the company says in a statement.
According to SKF, a wide range of companies from the marine and other industrial sectors were affected by the counterfeit SKF bearings sold by this non-authorized dealer in the Piraeus area. Instead of getting the premium quality product they thought they were purchasing, the customers ended up with products of unpredictable quality and performance.
- Counterfeit industrial products like bearings are not bought intentionally by customers, so the best way to fight counterfeit is to raise awareness. Customers who accidentally purchase counterfeit products are being cheated financially and risk damage to their machinery and expensive downtime, says Tina Åström, Director, SKF Group Brand Protection.
SKF urges its customers to carefully select their supplier of SKF products. The best way to safeguard authenticity is sourcing through distributors authorized by SKF.
Customers that suspect they might have been sold counterfeit products should use the SKF Authenticate app for smartphones to take and send photos of suspect products directly to SKF for verification. The app can be downloaded for free from Apple App Store or Google Play. They can also e-mail pictures of the suspected bearings to genuine@skf.com
- All premium brands are affected by counterfeit products. SKF, along with other bearing manufacturers affected by counterfeiting are working to fight against this problem and have launched a counterfeit awareness campaign through an umbrella organization, World Bearing Association (WBA). The campaign aims to make customers aware of the risks and problems with counterfeits, SKF says.
More information can be found at www.stopfakebearings.com
More information on SKF’s brand protection work can be found on: www.skf.com/group/our-company/organization/skf-care/business-care/anti-counterfeiting/index.html
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