Posted to News on 6th Jul 2020, 09:35
Counterfeit bearings - know the risks
NSK Bearings joins a number of other key brands warning buyers against the perils presented by counterfeit bearings, which is now a global problem. The company says that it remains focused on eradicating the issue, recognising (as well all do) that these fakes put safety at risk and can also lead to users experiencing reduced reliability and higher lifecycle costs. The company cautions against the drive across all industries to remain competitive and profitable to such a point that some purchasing decisions become based solely on unit price, ignoring other factors such as total cost of ownership (TCO) performance and sourcing from a known and trustworthy supplier.
NSK points out that counterfeit bearings might last long enough to pass pre-production trials, but that subsequent premature failure in the field can cast uncertainty over the performance of a machine, system or vehicle to which they are fitted with the subsequent potential to compromise the brand reputation and damage sales for the user. The materials used to produce fake bearings are not of the quality provided by leading OEM suppliers who have decades of experience in materials science, and steel quality is a major factor in bearing reliability. The company states that there can be a difference in bearing operating life of up to 20 times between genuine and counterfeit examples.
Like so many other counterfeit products, the originators behind these substandard products go to considerable lengths to disguise their merchandise as the real thing: the picture shows the packaging on counterfeit bearings. Caveat emptor.
Go to www.nskeurope.com to learn more.
