seals & Bearings
The fighT AgAinST fAke beAringS
Counterfeit bearings can shorten the life of rolling bearings, leading to premature failure of machines, vehicles and other rotating equipment. Apps such as OriginCheck from Schaeffler can help buyers detect suspicious counterfeit bearings.
way for buyers to protect themselves and their customers is to purchase only direct from the manufacturer or through a certified distributor. as a purchaser of bearings, you need to be sure
C
that the products you are buying are genuine and will perform as the product datasheet states. Most do not need to worry because they buy these products either direct from the manufacturer or via a certified distributor. These methods guarantee that any technical problems with the product can be resolved quickly and efficiently. “Brand and product piracy is not a phenomenon that is limited to asia or south east europe. it also takes place right on our doorstep,” says ingrid Bichelmeir-Böhn, leader of the global Brand Protection Team at schaeffler. "The german and european markets are no longer only flooded with counterfeit luxury or consumer goods, there is also an increase in counterfeit industrial products that are relevant to safety such as rolling bearings." so why do some companies still continue to
purchase counterfeit bearings? Cost is almost certainly the overriding factor here. However, although the offer price for the bearings may initially look attractive, buyers must ask
ounterfeit bearings are a frequent cause of personal injury and material damage to vehicles and industrial machines. The best
themselves what the potential hidden costs are in terms of product liability and credibility with their customers if the product turns out to be counterfeit and things inevitably start to go wrong. These could, for example, be critical bearings on high value machinery in a production plant. The buyer therefore needs to take into account the cost of any production downtime if the bearing fails early. in addition to lost sales and significant loss of
image through inferior-quality goods that may affect future business, there have been enormous costs arising from the investigation, seizure and professional disposal of counterfeit bearings. The disposal requires tight security, as only fully destroying the counterfeits will eliminate the danger for the consumer. But the damage affects not only those
companies that produce brand-name goods and invest heavily in research, development and quality assurance. it also affects those companies that install these components. rolling bearings are used in virtually every piece of rotating plant and safety-critical machinery and vehicles, from machine tools, robots and wind turbines, through to passenger cars, trucks and rail vehicles. Whenever customers or sales partners have
reason to believe that a schaeffler bearing they have purchased may be a counterfeit, they can
contact the Brand Protection Team (BPT) directly or via one of schaeffler’s national companies. The BPT – the central department responsible for inquiries related to counterfeiting – can be contacted at
piracy@schaeffler.com. The BPT receives many of these types of
inquiries. The following events show that counterfeit products are commonly found on a global scale.
44 MaY 2021 | FaCTOrY&HanDlingsOlUTiOns
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58
