Plant Services - January 2008 - (Page 30) MANAGEMENT Reliability problem is still much worse than people realize or are willing to admit that it is.” No one knows how many counterfeits go unreported, so it is difficult to estimate how widespread the issue is. “ is is what we know, and there are probably more,” Pauley says. “Customs usually inspects about 2% of all cargo, and the rest can’t all be crystal clean.” e British Valve and Actuator Association’s (www.bvaa.org.uk) technical director reports there was very little counterfeiting of mainstream valves just five or 10 years ago, but now there’s more anecdotal evidence than ever before about fake products and parts, coming mostly from Asia and specifically China, says Rob Bartlett, director of the organization. “Everyone has a story.” Typically, a defective part will be returned to the manufacturer, often through an authorized distributor. “We find out which contractor returned it, find out where he got it, trace down the source and refer it to the Consumer Product Safety Commission,” says Bill Snyder, vice president, channel development, Square D. “It gets traced back to one or two factories in China, which get raided and shut down. But they reopen a few days later, a couple of miles away.” e parts being copied were never manufactured in China, Pauley points out. “People think this is what happens when you manufacture in China, but these products are not made by us in China,” he says. “ ey have counterfeit ‘Made in USA’ labels on them. is is not a ‘manufactured in China’ problem, it’s a different group. ese are criminals under U.S. law.” Wild, wild Web One contributor is Internet-based businesses that routinely sell millions of dollars worth of equipment and en- able the smallest shop to market and deliver items worldwide. ese speedy, global transactions can be helpful, but participants reportedly don’t conduct as much verification and certification as traditional manufacturer-to-distributor channels. “We haven’t personally identified any counterfeit items, but our customers report seeing many items on eBay for more than 30% off list prices,” says David Stock, a system integrator at Innovative Control Inc. (ICI, www. innovativecontrolinc.com), Crystal Lake, Ill. “If someone else wants to purchase equipment that way it’s fine with me, but I think buying in an environment without distributors and traceability is a serious risk.” Some purchasers accept counterfeiting and knowingly buy fake devices. “Some people actually choose to purchase counterfeit products, assuming MORE THAN A NAME: THE CASE FOR FACTORY PARTS Some vendors extend the de nition of counterfeit parts to include aftermarket and other components, especially when those are substituted for factory parts without the knowledge and consent of the equipment owner. “It’s relatively easy to nd counterfeit parts. Generally, counterfeit (non-genuine) parts look like the original parts, but don’t have the same quality as genuine Atlas Copco parts,” says Alessandro Fantacone, aftermarket product manager, Atlas Copco Airpower – Belgium (www.atlascopco.com). “They’re cheaper, and as consequence they have lower quality. Non-genuine parts suppliers target high-volume consumables – oil and air lters, and lubricants.” Like many manufacturers of specialized, heavy-duty industrial equipment, Atlas Copco takes signi cant pains to ensure the quality of consumables because they affect equipment durability, e ciency, and performance. “When developing a new machine we have a very strict procedure where we qualify parts in several stages, performing extensive tests to see how they’re operating and performing,” says Fantacone. “We work with high-quality suppliers and collaborate in the design of key components. If our replacement parts aren’t used, we can’t assure that the machine will function as originally designed.” Non-factory lubricants and air lters also come with risks. “There’s a direct link from oil quality to machine life. Non-standard oil higher air lter pressure drops increase energy consumption and nearly always cost more in electricity than saved by purchasing a non-genuine part.” Non-factory parts may appear to be a good purchase, but may lead to some hidden costs such as higher maintenance and operating costs due to shorter lives and higher energy consumption. “If a service organization is o ering you a non-Atlas Copco part, it’s because the service organization is interested in making higher pro ts,” Fantacone adds. “They may sell it at 80% of the price of the Atlas Copco part but they pay much less for it, and the reason is simple: performance and quality are much lower.” Fantacone suggests you take these steps to guard against inadvertently using nonoriginal parts: 1. Always ask for genuine parts. 2. Make sure your service provider is using factory parts. Look at the manufacturer’s Web site to see the part and the box, and look at what is going into your machine. 3. Check the billing or receiving paperwork against the manual to see that the part numbers match. 4. If you see a big price di erence or if suddenly the part is half the price, it’s probably not a factory part, and will lead to higher lifecycle costs. 5. Remember that machine downtime is a huge cost. Sectioning a typical non-genuine and a genuine Atlas Copco oil lter shows where the wrong seal material or size can cause oil leaks, a bypass valve with the wrong setting can starve a compressor’s airend of lubrication, and lter media tensile strength, chemical compatibility, micron (Beta) rating, and pleating a ect performance. In severe cases Atlas Copco has seen non-genuine media disintegrate because of chemical incompatibility or restrict oil ow enough to cause airend damage or failure. can lead to higher water content and lower bearing life,” Fantacone says. “We work to minimize energy consumption. Most counterfeit air lters have higher pressure drops than genuine Atlas Copco air lters. These 30 .PLANTSERVICES. J http://www.bvaa.org.uk http://www.atlascopco.com http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com
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