Food Processing - November 2007 - (Page 40)

COUNTERFEIT PARTS Bearings especially Bearings, in all their forms, represent an often-counterfeited class of parts. They’re replaced often, and there is a broad range of both supply options and sources. Falsiﬁcation of bearing identity has reached such proportions that manufacturers, major customers and testing and certiﬁcation organizations worldwide are discussing a “Global Bearing Code of Conduct.” The Japanese Bearing Manufacturers Assn. has gone so far as publishing a poster showing a pair of handcuffs whose one side is a large ball bearing. The poster says, “Counterfeit bearings are illegal. They can cause injury or death. Don’t produce them! Don’t sell them. Don’t buy them.” “We’re seeing some counterfeit bearings from China,” conﬁ rms Bill Bayliss, business manager-aftermarket at FMC FoodTech (www.fmctechnologies.com/ foodtech), Madera, Calif. “Some bearings are very sophisticated and, as a result, very expensive. But there’s a reason they’re so expensive. Some customers are ﬁ nding out the hard way.” Some fake bearings are obvious on inspection. Visible clues can include packaging differences, alternate countries of origin or serial number formats and differences in the look of subcomponents. Names and logos may even be spelled incorrectly. Increasingly however, the more sophisticated fakes are essentially identical under routine inspection or testing. However, the hidden differences, determinable only by experts, may have serious consequences. Schaefﬂer KG, maker of well-known INA and FAG bearings, suggests these non-visible differences can include nonhardened races, use of alloys without adequate corrosion resistance or wear resistance, unserviceable seals or defective lubrication. In some cases, according to reports from major bearing manufacturers, the fakes can look “more real” than the legitimate product. In most cases, the ﬁ nal determination can only be made by an authorized distributor or the manufacturer. A form of counterfeiting applicable to many devices, but of particular issue for bearings, is remanufacturing or refurbishing of worn parts. This also can be extremely difﬁcult to detect in the ﬁeld, since the parts themselves may remain The real and the fake: The Square D 15-amp breaker on the left with the red tab visible is real. Its near-twin on the right is a counterfeit. MORE ON THE WEB The Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy, associated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, offers a web-based seminar featuring speakers from Bendix Commercial Vehicles, Ernst & Young and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. Access it at www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2007/263.html. WWW.FOODPROCESSING.COM PHOTO: SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC http://www.fmctechnologies.com/foodtech http://www.fmctechnologies.com/foodtech http://www.timken.com http://www.timken.com/conditionmonitoring http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2007/263.html http://www.timken.com http://WWW.FOODPROCESSING.COM

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Food Processing - November 2007 Contents Editor's Page NewsBites Regulatory Rollout Food Biz Kids Our Favorite Products of 2007 Ingredients Product Development Plant Operations Packaging New Product Profiles Toops Scoops

Food Processing - November 2007

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