Czech police have confiscated more than 30 tonnes of counterfeit bearings in a raid on a non-authorised dealer in the North-East region of the Czech Republic. The dealer had been selling the bearings to end-users and to other dealers in the Czech Republic and other countries, mainly in Europe.

The manufacture and trade of counterfeit products is a growing problem affecting all brands and all markets. The fake bearings seized in the Czech Republic were masquerading as genuine products from SKF and other suppliers.

Bearing manufacturers argue that counterfeit products are not only illegal, but can also pose a safety risk to users a well as resulting in shorter service lives, poor product quality and damage to equipment.

“Our commitment to fight both the manufacture of counterfeit products and the trade in them is not only about protecting the SKF brand,” says SKF president and CEO, Tom Johnstone. “It is also about protecting our customers and the public from a potentially serious safety risk and from being cheated into paying for a genuine SKF product and being supplied a fake alternative.”

SKF collaborated with the Czech authorities in the recent raid.