Beware counterfeit bearings, after latest seizure11 May 2010

Plant engineers are being warned to watch out for counterfeit engineering spares, following a court order in France, which saw a distributor fined for selling counterfeit SKF bearings.

Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) products specialist Brammer says the threat of fakes – of bearings and other engineering components – is growing, as evidenced by the increasing numbers of seizures

Says Brammer's Jeremy Salisbury: "Given the problems these [counterfeit] products can create, in terms of unscheduled downtime, reduced performance, damage to machinery and invalidation of warranty, as well as the risk to employee health and safety, it is not worth the risk of buying through an unauthorised source."

And he adds: "All major manufacturers of bearings and other engineering spares recommend that customers source their products through their network of distributors to ensure they are getting products supplied direct from the manufacturer."

That is the only way to guarantee authenticity and to ensure that they are to the latest specification and able to perform as specified, he insists.

Brammer is an authorised distributor of bearings for leading manufacturers including SKF, NSK, Timken, Schaeffler and Cooper.

Brian Tinham

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