The World Bearing Association has launched an awareness campaign to inform about safety hazards arising from counterfeit bearings.
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The WBA reported that counterfeiting overall in the past two decades has grown by 10,000 percent globally. “Our initiative is aimed at sensitizing the public on the dangers associated with counterfeits,” says James W. Griffith, WBA president and president and CEO of The Timken Company, Canton, OH. “The WBA is thus intensifying its anti-counterfeiting initiatives – that means information for customers on the one hand and consistent prosecution of offenders through the competent authorities on the other.”
The WBA anti-counterfeiting information campaign will reach out over the next three years through e-mails, Web banners, social media and the campaign site, www.stopfakebearings.com. At www.stopfakebearings.com, interested consumers can learn more about counterfeiting and what branded-bearing manufacturers are doing to stop it.
“Everyone who buys, sells, mounts and uses bearings can be adversely affected by counterfeits, so it is in their best interest to be on the lookout for them,” Griffith says. “Manufacturers of products containing industrial bearings may be held responsible for damages. We want purchasers to realize that counterfeiting is a widespread and serious problem.”
Counterfeiting also violates intellectual property, such as patents and trademarks. Because counterfeits look like and are marketed like genuine, premium-brand products, it usually takes a trained expert to identify them. The competent authorities and the concerned brand manufacturer may be contacted.
Premium manufacturers invest continuously to develop their technology and improve the quality and value of their products. “When counterfeiters copy the look of industrial bearings – and apply respected brand names that aren’t theirs – they are infringing upon the rights of the manufacturer,” Griffith said. Visit www.stopfakebearings.com to learn more.