BEARINGS | COUNTERFEITING
TDOO NM’ATK FEA KITE IT Counterfeiting is a growing problem
worldwide and the bearings industry is
probably affected worse than most.
So, what can be done?
Of all crucial engineering
components, bearings
are probably the most
commonly counterfeited.
The reasons for this can be
summarised very simply: supply and
demand.
First of all, it is relatively cheap
and simple to produce a superficially
convincing facsimile of a proprietary
bearing. As a consequence, there is
no shortage of producers out there –
in China especially – ready to meet
demand. So why does that demand
exist? Partly because bearings are
needed in such numbers throughout
engineering and because the real
thing does not come cheap. To
someone seeking much-needed cost
savings on a project, a chance to cut
expenditure can be all too tempting.
It almost goes without saying
that such apparent savings present
significant risks to the user. Safety
is the number one reason for
buying a genuine bearing. While
counterfeiters may be good
copycat manufacturers, their
ability to reproduce the advanced
metal technologies, lubrication
and finishes in genuine bearings
is minimal.
The problem, of course, is
that by their nature, bearings
are safety-critical components
and their failure can result in
catastrophic failure throughout the
mechanism into which they are
incorporated. A faulty bearing can
have devastating consequences. In
a pumping station, severe flooding
could cost people’s lives and ruin
ecosystems; or in the utilities sector,
outages can create hazardous
environments and costs to the
economy. In transport,
a faulty bearing can
cause havoc on the rail
network, motorways, or
at its worst, bring down
an aircraft.
It would be nice to
imagine that this was a minor
problem, but the facts suggest
otherwise. According to a study
published by the ICC (International
Chamber of Commerce), the annual
economic and social costs resulting
from this amounts to $1.7 billion
worldwide. Indeed, counterfeiting is
widely considered to be the single
biggest limiting factor on the growth
of the bearings market.
None of the major manufacturers
is immune. Recent examples
include the seizure of counterfeit
NSK packaging and labels in Hebei
Province, China. More than 23,000
fake boxes and cartons, which were
subsequently confiscated pending
further investigation and potential
prosecution, were discovered in
Linxi County, Xintai City.
The challenge of catching
counterfeiters, especially in countries
like China, is a time-intensive,
high-cost exercise. However, NSK
continues undeterred in its relentless
pursuit of these disingenuous
operations. The latest success in
Hebei arrived with the assistance
of an investigator and Chinese
government officials. Contained
within the counterfeit store was a
large quantity of fake, premiumbrand
bearing packaging, located
either on shelves, piled inside woven
bags or simply stacked on the floor.
Furthermore, inkjet printers and
people producing counterfeit cartons
were found on site. When questioned
about the seized bearing packages,
the owner of the business admitted
that all were fake.
Far from being limited to China,
the problem is global. In June,
Interpol seized more than 6,000
SKF-branded counterfeit products,
including bearings, seals and
lubrication systems.
Speaking to the press at
26 WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JULY 2019
/WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK