Plant Services - January 2008 - (Page 33) MANAGEMENT Reliability identify counterfeit products by physical appearance,” says Snyder. “ e counterfeits we are seeing today are indistinguishable – I cannot see the difference. “We work with the government and customs. We give them brochures that show what to look for and the next shipment has fi xed it. We say to look for grease on the contactor jaws, they put grease on the jaws.” Even newer identification technologies, such as RFID chips and laser etching, can be quickly adopted by counterfeiters. “Many counterfeits look pretty much like the real thing. ey might even have duplicate die marks and moldings that serve no purpose. We have seen situations where manufacturers have added holographic labels to their products, and the counterfeiters copied it nine months later,” says Pauley. “Sometimes our engineers have to take devices apart to compare the legit and counterfeit version, and the fakes quickly fail if their performance is tested.” Still, the battle for positive identification starts with the naked eye. “We work with the OEMs for a way to authenticate a product,” says Jack Walsh, director of sales, Videojet (www.video jet.com). “ e first way is by quality – a high-quality product and packaging so you can tell by looking. But counterfeiters are clever, and there isn’t always packaging, so we do track and trace. At the low level, it’s covert marking on the product itself [Figure 1]. e high level is using RFID or other markings as a license plate that travels with the product.” Every product move in the supply chain is recorded, and authorized distributors must be able to show traceability back to the source. “An unauthorized supplier won’t be able to provide the history,” Walsh says. “ is is going on in the automotive industry right now. It’s called serialization, and it’s being used on safety-critical and high-cost items.” Registered part IDs can be accessed through the Internet. “If a distributor gets a suspect part, or Customs sees a load of suspect parts or a warranty claim is questionable, they can call the J More resources at www.PlantServices.com/thismonth “Statistics on the types, values and origins of gods seized by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency” Download the “No Trade in Fakes” supply chain tool kit from the Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (CACP), or see the Webinar “Rotork copes with copies” “Responsible repair and refurbishing” Learn more about or report counterfeit circuit breakers supplier and check it out,” he adds. “We’re supplying end-to-end turnkey systems for this. “You can’t penalize the distributors and shut them down when they say they didn’t know the part was counterfeit. Now the manufacturers have a way for them to know.” Know your suppliers Perhaps the best way to avoid counterfeit devices is to buy from manufacturers and distributors that are well known to your own company and its engineers. It’s also vital to maintain frequent personal contact with authorized suppliers because counterfeiters can set up false representatives and corporations to support their fake products and documentation. “When you’re in a rush, you might not check some certifications as closely as possible,” says Bartlett. “So, besides checking that documents aren’t bitmapped images and telephoning to confirm suppliers’ claims and identities, buyers also must be responsible for their devices’ audit trails, and make sure where, when and who makes these products.” EMERGING MARKET CONTENT DISCOVER W W W.DISCOVERCURTIS.COM ©2007 Curtis-Toledo, Inc. 17638_2 07 CTGNL GENRL Emerging.indd .PLANTSERVICES. 1 9/19/07 33 7:30:29 http://www.PlantServices.com/thismonth http://www.videojet.com http://www.videojet.com http://www.discovercurtis.com http://www.discovercurtis.com http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.