Federal-Mogul Pledges to Continue Parts Counterfeiting Fight

Federal-Mogul Corp. will continue to work with other OEM and aftermarket suppliers in the automotive industry’s fight against counterfeit parts in the coming year, according to company executives.
The organization has committed significant resources to combating the problem, which costs the global automotive industry an estimated $12 billion U.S. each year.
Late last year, Federal-Mogul worked with local officials in China and New York to help combat the counterfeit parts issue. Together with a coalition of other spark plug manufacturers, Federal-Mogul identified counterfeit spark plug factories in China’s Zhejiang Province. The coalition worked with Chinese authorities on an operation to stop illegal counterfeiting in the province, resulting in the seizure of more than 600,000 counterfeit spark plugs, as well as thousands of counterfeit Champion packaging materials.
With the fight going on largely in the U.S., Federal-Mogul has supported legislation introduced recently in Washington to strengthen the U.S. criminal statute against production and trafficking of counterfeit goods. The company is also a participating member of MEMA’s Brand Protection Council, an industry group created in 2004 to address global product counterfeiting.
“We’re committed to ensuring consumers are getting the highest quality repair parts that meet industry standards for repair and replacement,” said Scott Emmer, brand protection manager for Federal-Mogul. “Federal-Mogul is dedicated to working toward the elimination of counterfeit parts in the supply chain while saving consumers money and alleviating safety concerns.”
Counterfeit automotive parts affect the driving public, through increased safety concerns and warranty and insurance claims from faulty and non-compliant parts. In addition, many documented vehicle crashes have been caused by counterfeit parts–such as counterfeit brake pads and brake shoe linings–that fail due to poor construction, sometimes resulting in death. The driving public is unaware of the severity of this issue, Emmer said.