Bearings manufacturers under threat from counterfeit products

SMB Bearings, distributor of EZO bearings, is urging customers to only buy bearings from reputable manufacturers and distributors.

EZO and other well-known bearings manufacturers, like SKF, are under threat from the sale of poor-quality counterfeit bearings.

Manufacturers of counterfeit bearings tend to use poor-quality raw materials and equipment, meaning that while customers are often paying the same price as they would for the genuine article, they are receiving a sub-par product. These bearings will have a shorter lifespan than the real thing, meaning frequent downtime of equipment, leading to financial expense.

Additionally, fake products tend to be less precise, as the surfaces are less smooth.

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Counterfeit products can be easy to identify. There may be differences such as spelling mistakes on packaging, incorrect markings on the ring face, or differing diameters, but the ability to more closely resemble authorised manufacturers’ packaging is increasing, thanks to easier access to high-quality graphics.

Counterfeiters have even gone so far as to mark products with EZO branding, but SMB Bearings wants to remind the industry that EZO often does not mark its own bearings because they are too small. Manufacturers must be vigilant in this matter.

“If an EZO bearing is suspected to be a counterfeit, customers are encouraged to consult either EZO or ourselves at SMB Bearings,” explained Chris Johnson, Managing Director of SMB Bearings. “We have trained technicians who will examine the bearing and determine whether it’s genuine.

“If a customer is still in doubt following our inspection, we are happy to obtain an EZO certificate of conformity, giving them proof of the product’s reputability.”