The Timken Company is providing this news release on behalf of the World Bearing Association (WBA).
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.
In October 2012 Canadian Customs intercepted and seized a shipment of counterfeit Timken bearings. These products are safety-critical and fake versions pose a real threat. "Counterfeiters are becoming more sophisticated in copying our bearings," said Dan Szoch, Timken program manager - anti-counterfeiting. "Out of the box, it's often difficult for users to detect the difference between genuine and fake Timken bearings" says Dan Szoch, Timken program manager.
Although to an untrained eye, the counterfeiters had successfully copied the appearance of Timken products, they failed to duplicate Timken quality.
Could you determine if either of these two Timken labeled products is a counterfeit?
If you can't, you are putting your life and others at risk.
Always buy from authorized Timken dealers.
A counterfeit Timken bearing. The scoring marks are a result of poor quality and would negatively impact the bearings performance and shorten it's lifespan. (photo The Timken Company)
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