Identifying counterfeit bearings – and taking them off the market – is vital in order to prevent costly machinery failure, according to Andrew Mynett, Key Account Manager at SKF.
Counterfeiting is usually associated
with luxury consumer products
such as designer handbags and
watches. However, the problem
is also prevalent in the engineering sector.
The numbers are astronomical. The
Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) estimates that,
in 2019, more than 3.3% of all traded goods
that crossed borders were counterfeit. In
monetary terms, this exceeds €400 billion,
or US$500 billion.
When a counterfeit consumer product
such as a watch fails, the effect is little
more than hurt pride (and a bruised wallet).
In industry, the effects of a counterfeit
bearing can be catastrophic – and far more
expensive than the cost of the bearing itself.
It can lead to both expensive downtime and
machinery damage.
Bearings are precision products
designed to work under specific conditions.
Processes such as heat treatment – and
the use of high-grade steel – help them
withstand tough conditions such as high
loads and extreme temperatures. You
would never use the wrong bearing in an
application, yet it is impossible to know
what you are getting with a counterfeit.
The product quality is unknown; hence
performance is unreliable.
A fake bearing will appear identical to the
product it is trying to emulate. However, the
similarity will end there. An ‘original’ may be
made from surface-treated, high-grade steel
with accurate tolerances; the counterfeit
version will have none of these things.
Oblivious to this, a customer will install the
fake bearing into their machine.
It is no accident that counterfeit bearings
are sold in place of the genuine article.
Typically, non-branded bearings – which
are widely produced – are bought in by the
counterfeiters and branded with the logo of
a leading bearing manufacturer, including
SKF. These bearings are then typically put
onto the market through online sales.
The deception is enhanced by the packaging, which
will feature highly
sophisticated company
logos, barcodes and
branding – all of it false.
In some instances,
counterfeiters supply
a ‘certificate’ with the
product. Again, this will
not be genuine.
With such a high
prevalence of fakes,
users and distributors
need to be on their
guard. One tip for
avoiding fake bearings
is pure common
sense: do not buy if the
deal seems too good
to be true. This is especially important
for a product like a bearing. However,
fake bearings are not always offered at
knock-down prices – as a Rolex watch
might be. Typically, counterfeit bearings
are sold online by
distributors that
have been duped
into buying them.
The distributor will
then sell them on
– often unwittingly
– which will typically
result in an angry
customer.
The best way
to safeguard product authenticity is to
purchase SKF products from authorised
distributors. Being an authorised SKF
distributor comes with responsibilities,
implying that sourcing practices are at the
highest level.
Because of the huge damage that fake
bearings can cause, SKF takes the issue
of counterfeiting very seriously. It regularly
collaborates with authorities to ensure that
fake products are taken off the market. One
recent case in China tracked down a fake
distributor. In the Middle East, authorities seized 20 tonnes of counterfeit,
SKF-branded bearing grease. It was
identified because the buyer was alert
enough to realise that it literally did not smell
right. Even in the UK – where the problem
is less widespread
– Trading Standards
have seized
counterfeit bearings
from a small supplier.
Non-branded
bearings may be
genuine products
with legitimate
uses in engineering.
However, they
are typically inferior to highly engineered
bearings – which are designed for specific,
demanding applications.
Users who unwittingly buy fake products
are not only cheated of their money.
Their machinery is also at risk of severe
damage – which can have huge financial
consequences. For this reason, it is critical
to stay vigilant about the practice of
counterfeit bearings.
This article was originally published by
Hayley Group at bit.ly/hlySKF