N E W S www.engineeringnews.co.nz 11 Plasma counterfeiting takes a hit Hypertherm, a manufacturer of plasma, laser, and waterjet cutting systems, has won five unique court cases against five Russian companies during the last few months. All five companies were found guilty of violating Hypertherm’s trademark rights by importing a variety of counterfeit consumables and Powermax air plasma systems. As a result of the judgement against them, the defendants are prohibited from importing any products in Russia with the Hypertherm name, and are also required to reimburse Hypertherm for damages and court fees. Critical business challenges for any original equipment manufacturer (OEM) include quality control, efficiency levels, budgeting, and inventory management. However, with the advent of technology and globalisation, modern OEMs are now faced with yet another area of concern – the proliferation of counterfeit. Counterfeits are products made in exact imitation of something valuable or important, with the intention to deceive or defraud a customer into thinking that the product is an original. Often the price is less than VIDEO TRADIES CONVERGE ON CAPITAL With building and housing issues high on the public agenda, New Zealand Certified Builders Association (NZCB) held its 18th annual conference and expo in Wellington over May 26-28. Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith opened the conference to over 500 delegates. Before the conference got underway, members of the public were invited to a free trade expo on which included over 70 building and construction industry related trade stands. NZCB chief executive, Grant Florence, says this was the first time the expo had been opened up to the public, catering to DIY who are keen to keep up to date with the latest building industry products and services. the original. As counterfeits are usually close copies of the genuine product in appearance, at times, end users may actually be unaware of their counterfeit purchase, and are misled to think that they are getting a good bargain instead. Counterfeiting has evolved over the years, from being largely localised operations into highly profitable global businesses with mass production facilities, international sales, and complex global distribution networks. According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the value of global counterfeit goods is expected to exceed $2 trillion by 2015. “Hypertherm devotes an enormous amount of resources to the development and engineering of technologically advanced cutting systems and consumables,” says Hypertherm’s Theo Cornielje. “We decided to pursue these legal actions because we are concerned about our customers and their business. These counterfeit consumables do not include the advanced manufacturing characteristics of genuine Hypertherm consumables and do not perform as well or last as long. As a result, our customers are paying more for an inferior product. We are pleased to see that our efforts are recognised by the legal system.” http://tinyurl.com/h2e44ce Alex Rivere Diaz Geothermal engineer MEnergy graduate I chose New Zealand’s top engineering faculty to learn from the best.* Apply for an engineering masters programme before 4 July at engineering.auckland.ac.nz/postgrads *QS World University Rankings by Faculty 2016 ENGINEERING EN060
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