Mercedes-Benz fake parts destroyed in Sharjah

Photo: Fotosearch

Article source: DriveArabia
================================
Thousands of counterfeit Mercedes-Benz spare parts worth over Dhs 8 million have been seized and destroyed after a major raid in Sharjah, UAE.
More than 65,000 fake commercial vehicle parts including brake pads, turbochargers, alternators, oil coolers, piston rings, gasket kits and belt tighteners were recovered in a joint operation between law enforcement authorities, a law firm and Mercedes-Benz Middle East & Levant.
Hundreds of boxes of the fake parts were seized in Sharjah industrial estate from a Chinese counterfeiter, who has a record of copying other brands and was earlier this year prevented from exhibiting at the Automechanika exhibition.
“We work very closely with the local authorities to beat the counterfeiters who are actively cheating companies out of millions of dirhams,” said Mr. Ivo Kapitski, Vice President and Director, After Sales, Mercedes-Benz Middle East & Levant. “We believe that this raid sends a strong message to the others dealing in fake auto parts and would like to thank the authorities for their hard work and diligence.”
Besides being illegal, the trade in counterfeit parts has a negative impact on the economy when it comes to national revenues. It could also have a possible fatal impact on drivers and their passengers if counterfeit parts such as brake pads malfunction, as well as reducing the brand-owner’s return-on-investment when it comes to unlawful exploitation for a quick profit by the counterfeiters.
“These parts are manufactured solely to make a quick profit. They use low quality materials and are not subject to the extensive quality tests that we perform at Mercedes-Benz,” added Mr. Kapitski. “Although the customers may think they have a good bargain, we advise them to report any kind of suspected parts to their local Mercedes-Benz distributor.

Raid on counterfeit truck parts in Sharjah.

Source: Construction Week Online, 26 August '09
======================================
Sharjah Municipality, in coordination with Bosch and its UAE service providers, has recently conducted raids on two warehouses in Sharjah’s industrial area following reports of counterfeit auto parts trade.
The raids resulted in the confiscation and destruction this week of more than 30,000 counterfeit auto parts of various German brands. In addition, the counterfeit dealer was banned from participating in a major regional automotive exhibition.
It was revealed that the authorities who carried out the raids found that some of the fake products were already packed and ready to be shipped to a neighbouring GCC country.
“In our bid to fight counterfeiting, we have been working closely with our service providers who regularly update us and the municipalities with information about potential counterfeiters.” said Volker Bischoff, GM of Bosch ME. “We believe that this successful raid in Sharjah will send a strong message to those involved in dealing with fake auto parts that the UAE Government will not show any leniency towards offenders.”
Bischoff pointed out that counterfeiters are taking advantage of Bosch’s reputation of manufacturing top quality auto spare parts. “Motorists around the world know that the Bosch brand stands for excellence and quality, and unfortunately this is what the pirate manufacturers are capitalising on,” he said. “However, in recent years we have introduced several measures to combat product piracy, most importantly the keySecure label.”
Counterfeit parts are not to be confused with copy products. The former misleads the buyer about the brand of the component, while the latter are simply generic replacement parts.