THE CONCERN ABOUT COUNTERFEIT electrical and suspect electrical parts is an issue that affects and impacts manufacturers, electrical distributors, electrical contractors and their clients, electrical inspectors, and the general public. It not only affects the reputa- tions of each stakeholder, but also could lead to people being injured and killed in buildings, on roads, on public tran- sit systems—anywhere electrical components are installed. Many companies, organizations, and government depart- ments are actively taking steps to deal with the problem, and as concerns about the issue increase, greater cooperation is anticipated when it comes to helping to develop more comprehensive strategies to minimize the impacts.
Contractors’ Point of View “The No. 1 way to prevent coun- terfeit goods from getting into the market is to buy from the source,” confirmed Jeffrey Engelstad, a pre- construction engineer with Encore Electric in Lakewood, Colo., who is well aware of the problem. “I’ve read that an estimated 5% to 10% of electrical gear worldwide is counterfeit and I imagine that con- tractors and third-party distributors need to be very vigilant of this,” En- gelstad said. “Encore is a company centered around relationships, and one of those vital relationships is our work with only manufacturer- authorized dealers.” Tommy Beaty, purchasing man- ager at K2 Electric in Phoenix, has observed that many manufacturers are aware of the issue and are in- vested in preventative measures. “I rely heavily on my resources— CONTRACTORS: COUNTERFEIT CONCERNS by Irwin Rapoport
PART 2 of a three-part examination of the problem of counterfeit electrical products and what channel partners are doing to avoid them.
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