Vapi 5 November 2024: SKF India, in its ongoing initiative to ensure genuine and reliable products for its customers, announced one of the largest known counterfeit product seizures in Vapi, Gujarat. In collaboration with the Gujarat police, SKF India’s Group Brand Protection (GBP) team has been investigating major counterfeit operations for some time.
On 18th October, enforcement actions were taken against three locations in the Vapi area, resulting in the seizure of approximately 3,000 +counterfeit SKF bearings valued at around 50 lakh INR, including a wide range of CARB, SABB, Y bearings, TRBs, DGBBs, and SRBs. In addition, more than 500 packaging materials bearing the SKF trademark were also confiscated.
The raid led to the filing of an FIR, and the owner’s son was taken into custody. Furthermore, the police executed enforcement actions against another firm, where a significant quantity of counterfeit DGBBs and SABBs was discovered, and all counterfeit SKF products were seized, resulting in another FIR being filed against them.
“Counterfeit products pose serious risks to our customers and the integrity of our brand,” said Mr.K G Sathyanarayan, Head of India Brand Protection at SKF India. “We have zero tolerance for counterfeits and are committed to protecting our customers from these substandard products. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Gujarat police for their support in this significant operation, which underscores our dedication to combating counterfeiting in the industry.”
Counterfeit products continue to be a challenge in recent years, making all markets susceptible to receiving these unpredictable quality products unknowingly. The consequences of counterfeit products can lead to production losses, unplanned shutdowns, lost sales, and damage to brand reputation. The total financial impact resulting from counterfeit products is often difficult to quantify.
SKF India remains vigilant in its efforts to keep counterfeits away from the market. The company actively educates its customers on the importance of purchasing genuine bearings. This raid was initiated based on a tip-off received from end customers who had suffered production losses due to counterfeit bearings.
Counterfeit products look like genuine products and only trained SKF Experts can recognize if a product is genuine. SKF actively assists local authorities in continuously acting against this illegal activity. SKF supports customers by verifying the authenticity of doubtful products by encouraging customers to use an easy-to-use app called “SKF Authenticate” or email to: genuine@skf.com
The best way to safeguard authenticity is to source products from authorized sources. To know your nearest SKF Authorized distributor, please log on to www.skf.com/inand click “Find a Distributor” tab. Alternatively, please contact SKF’s local representative for support.
