Only buy bearings from a reliable source

27 March, 2018

Enhanced counterfeit protection

In order to help buyers to check the authenticity of their products, manufacturers of bearings have introduced a variety of measures. Schaeffler, for example, has introduced the OriginCheck app, which provides end customers, distributors and authorities with an easy method of clarification when suspicion about a bearing arises. If one of these checks leads the user to suspect that a product may be counterfeit, he or she can use the OriginCheck app to take additional measures to obtain proper clarification. The checks are carried out based on the traceable data matrix codes (DMC) that are placed on the Schaeffler packaging. These two-dimensional codes contain various types of information in a machine-readable form and allow the relevant product to be identified worldwide. Some 90% of products that are supplied by Schaeffler today already feature a DMC on the packaging.

The user scans this DMC with the OriginCheck app and immediately receives notification of whether the code has been found in the database that is maintained by Schaeffler. If one of these Schaeffler codes is authentic but has already been scanned multiple times, the user then receives a warning based on a defined set of criteria. If this is the case or if the code’s authenticity is clearly not confirmed, the app can be used to create suitable photographic documentation of the product being checked.

The OriginCheck app is available free of charge for iOS and Android operating systems in German and English.

www.schaeffler.de/apps