Counterfeit products can enter the supply stream in a variety of ways.

Even legitimate distribution organizations can find that through the complications of stock lifts, surplus product buying, even warranty returns, can provide avenues for counterfeit products to end up in inventory, only to be discovered some time down the road, if at all.

In a hyper-competitive environment where every legitimate player is looking for a little edge here and there, even diligent buyers can miss the clues that might point to a suspect product.

It is, to be sure, a global concern and not just for suppliers who lose out on sales; everybody in the supply chain is at risk when counterfeit products end up on vehicles.

One of the aftermarket’s most active battlers against counterfeit products is ACDelco.

While not alone, their commitment to protecting their brand is an example of how important it is for suppliers to protect the quality of brands offered under their name.

They offer some easy steps to do your part to fight counterfeit products that can apply across your supplier base:

How Do I Spot A Fake Car Part Or Ensure I Have A Genuine One?

It isn’t easy to spot a fake. That’s because the really good counterfeit-parts makers work long and hard to fool consumers. Here are a couple of tips to help you tell a phony from the genuine article:

• If you’re not installing the part yourself, ask the person who is if you can see the part and package.
• Inspect the packaging. If it appears flimsy, lacks the name brand or logo, or has graphics or a name that is similar to, but not quite the same as, those you’re used to seeing (i.e., AZDelco instead of ACDelco), it could be counterfeit. Counterfeiters often use colours, artwork and type fonts on their packaging that are similar to the original.
• A competitive market drives variation in price among reputable manufacturers; however, extremely large differences in price should cause you to be suspicious.
• Remember, because counterfeiters have become very sophisticated, as technology has improved, a visual inspection of the product may not be enough to distinguish genuine parts from the fake.
• In an effort to make counterfeiting even more difficult for imitation parts producers, ACDelco (as do other suppliers-ed) is now affixing a distinct mark on certain parts. This mark will assist officials in distinguishing genuine products from their fake counterparts.

While global brands such as ACDelco, SKF, Monroe and others and industry organization have certainly taken a leading role in combatting counterfeiting, it is not just the largest players brands that can be the target.

In recent example, a Canadian brake supplier who found that an individual was found selling product in the market in packaging that was so close to theirs so as to be virtually indistinguishable.

The effort was discovered and shut down, but it serves as a warning that nobody can escape the danger of counterfeiting it would seem; but everyone can do their part to ensure that they stop it when and where they see it.