(December 8, 2010)
In the last two decades, counterfeiting in general has grown by 10,000 percent globally. While there has been much reporting about consumers being taken advantage of by counterfeits in music, film, home electronics and designer clothing, a far greater risk lies in industrial counterfeiting of items such as tires, seals and bearings. All these products are safety-critical and fake versions pose a real threat.
As a result, the World Bearing Association (WBA) has launched an awareness campaign to inform about safety hazards arising from counterfeit bearings. “Our initiative is aimed at sensitizing the public on the dangers associated with counterfeits,” says James W. Griffith, WBA president and president and chief executive officer of The Timken Company. “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 to various audiences over the next three years through e-mails, Web banners, social media and the campaign site, www.stopfakebearings.com. At the site, interested consumers can learn more about counterfeiting and about what branded-bearing manufacturers are doing to stop it.
“Bearings support our daily life, although we can not see them. If counterfeit bearings find their way into our customers' products, it will not only afflict the product reliability, but it may also damage the safety of our customers' products. This can cause an immediate threat to our feeling of security and safety in our daily life. What is more, fake bearings betray our customers' expectations and their trust in our NSK brand, which we have been building up carefully for almost 100 years. In order to keep our commitment to our customers all over the world to guarantee their safety and security, NSK participates actively in the WBA campaign to stop product counterfeiting,” says Norio Otsuka, NSK President and CEO.
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. Law enforcement 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. Please visit www.stopfakebearings.com to learn more.
About the World Bearing Association:
WBA is a non-profit and unincorporated industrial association. It was founded in 2006 by three regional bearing associations: the American Bearing Manufacturers' Association (ABMA), the Federation of European Bearing Manufacturers' Association (FEBMA), and the Japan Bearing Industrial Association (JBIA). WBA promotes the common lawful interests of the world bearing industry, such as open economic engagement, sustainable development and the protection of legal rights of companies.
WBA has created an Anti-Counterfeiting Committee. This Committee within the WBA is dedicated to addressing the counterfeiting of premium brand bearings and to assisting law enforcement agents in eradicating it. The WBA, and each bearing company, take action and arrange informational campaigns, such as this, to raise awareness about counterfeiting.
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