COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS
The dangers of counterfeit electrical products - and how to avoid buying them
Counterfeit electrical products that mimic recognizable brand names not only cost the global electrical products industry $600 billion each year, they can also disrupt projects, damage reputations and even cost lives. Common fraudulent products include: control relays for industrial equipment; circuit breakers; receptacles; ground fault circuit interrupters; power strips; surge suppressors; and power cords.
Westburne supplier, Eaton - a global technology leader in electrical products, systems and services-is all too familiar with the problem of counterfeiting. Here's what they recommend you do about it.
How big a threat is counterfeiting?
Cost to safety, productivity and reputation
Counterfeit electrical products can overheat or cause short circuits, leading to fires, shocks or explosions that can cost people their lives and lead to considerable disruption.
Cost to the economy
In the United States alone, counterfeiting costs the electrical products industry $200- $250 billion. Revenue “stolen” from legitimate companies like Eaton costs 750,000 jobs a year in the US, according to the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition.
Cost to business
The flood of imported fake products costs business millions of dollars. In 2012 the Department of Homeland Security reported over 3,400 seizures of “consumer safety and critical technology” products worth more than $146 million. Issues with fake products also often increase purchasing process costs as work is delayed while legitimate products are belatedly or urgently shipped.
How can you protect against receiving counterfeit products?
Purchase from authorized sources
Always purchase products from the manufacturers authorized distributors to minimize the risk of receiving counterfeit, used or re-labelled products. Purchasing products through unauthorized 3rd party brokers (also known as the gray market) increases your risk of receiving counterfeit products, as well as putting your employees or customers in danger and exposing your company to unnecessary liability.
Learn how to sport counterfeit products
Always scrutinize labels and packaging for certification marks and suspicious additional labelling not applied by the original manufacturer, and make sure that all parts are present. As well as being wary of unusually low process-especially through the internet-here are some key things to look for:
- Missing date code: Removed to hide the age of the circuit breaker.
- Old date code: Any product over two years old is no longer under factory warranty.
- Factory seals broken/missing: Product has been tampered with, resulting in no warranty or performance guarantees.
- Mislabelled products to change size/type: Product has been tampered with, causing a possible misapplication and a safety hazard.
- Non-English text: Product has non-English labels.
- Missing ULT sticker: Product is likely imported illegally and is not certified to meet US electrical codes.
- Low-quality labelling and/or misspelled words: Product is likely a counterfeit and made with substandard materials and workmanship.
- Old Westinghouse or Challenger label: These products have not been produced since 1999 and 1997 respectively.
- Not in a carton or in older white cartons: Product is used and/or outdated.
Use a Circuit Breaker Authentication Tool
There is a higher risk of counterfeits if you cannot trace the purchasing path to the original manufacturer. Eaton's Staged Circuit Breaker Authentication tool is intended to provide customers with the ability authenticate Eaton molded case circuit breakers (MCCB) through 400 amps.