FAG Employs Biotech Signature Anti-Counterfeiting Measure(Pic)

FAG Bearing (a division of INA Holding Schaeffler Group, Germany) said it has taken a new, high-tech direction to combat counterfeit bearings. FAG has commissioned a biotech company, identif GmbH (Germany, a division of November AG), to develop a, "forgery-proof identification device," for its bearings. Kate Hartigan, INA FAG UK's Managing Director, said: "To protect both our customers and our reputation suffering from the unknowing purchase of inferior forgeries, we sought to develop a product signature that efficiently guards our bearings against counterfeiting." In the past, virtually every effort to inhibit bearing counterfeiting has focused on the packaging. It began with multi-color boxes, carrying copyrighted logos. But many counterfeiters could easily afford to copy the color boxes and have no regard for copyrighted logos. The next logical step was to make the internal packaging harder to copy. SKF, for example, often seals its bearings in boxes, in pouches printed with specialty, hard-to-duplicate markings. But, with huge profits hanging in the balance, counterfeiters have been able to eventually copy and defeat even the most seemingly secure packaging technologies. The identif-developed solution takes a new direction. First, it is an anti-counterfeiting measure applied to the bearing rather than the packaging. Second, rather than relying on the marking technology, the measure involves placing an undisclosed biotech-derived mark, employing identif-developed nanotechnology markers. The mark applied is a nano-optical seal, which, among other traits, changes from red to green, depending on the viewing angle by a naked eye. However, the colors seen are not just colors. Instead, they are patented "spectral codes." These spectral codes are colors which in their reflection, carry additional embedded encoded information. Exposed to an optical scanner, the identif-registered color reflects a product-specific and encoded spectrum, essentially impossible and financially nonviable to copy. The markers are also highly heat-resistant and cannot be removed or put on another bearing. The markings on the FAG bearings are termed "overt" in that they are visible. identif also offers "covert" or invisible marking options. FAG did not say if it will be employing covert identification measures on its bearings in addition to the visible overt marking. Ms. Hartigan went on to say, "Roller bearings are safety-critical products, which means they must pass industry-standard quality inspections before they can be introduced to the market. However, the same cannot be said of the cheap counterfeits coming from the rolling bearing bazaars in Damascus, Dubai or Bombay, which are becoming a growing threat within the UK." "While the issue of counterfeit bearing products is o growing concern to INA FAG, it is also of increasing concern to other UK bearing manufacturers, which is why I have raised the subject with the Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturers Association. We hope to be able to draw up a joint statement which we will use to lobby the UK Government to look more closely at the problem and to take the necessary steps to tackle the issue with offending countries." The tags are already in use, the first application being special rolling bearings for wire rod finishing blocks of SMS-Meer GmbH, a member of the SMS Group.