16 April 2018
Enerpac’s had enough, legal action
commenced against look-a-likes
Global hydraulics leader Enerpac says its service centres are
getting an increasing incidence of maintenance and replacement
claims for non-genuine look-a-like cylinders that are
brought to it to fix when they break down or wear out.
The problem – which is particularly acute in New Zealand –
Enerpac says often costs the cylinders’ owner double when
they lose production time with the defective item, then can’t
get it fixed under Enerpac warranty.
The look-a-like situation has been developing insidiously over
the past several years and is now coming to the point of legal
action, which Enerpac has commenced, says Enerpac NZ’s
Neville Stuart.
“People who buy our genuine cylinders trust us because we
provide a quality product and back it comprehensively and in
the field through a long-established national sales and technical
service network.
“We were surprised when the claims started happening because
Enerpac cylinders are designed for lowest total cost of
ownership, with quality and value built into their engineering.
They are engineered not to fail.”
He says Enerpac soon realised they weren’t the company’s
tools, but instead look-alike cylinders painted nearly identically
to its cylinders.
“All that was different on some was the absence of the Enerpac
brand. Given that bright yellow Enerpac cylinders have
been known and trusted throughout Australasia for more than
50 years, it wasn’t surprising that some people thought they
had genuine Enerpac gear.
“Also, one look-a-like range catalogue is nearly a mirror image
of ours. It uses the same layout and almost indistinguishable
product coding from the style used by us, the trusted market
leader.”
Mr Stuart says Enerpac tools take no shortcuts in design, development
and manufacturing, but although on the surface
these look-a-like tools appear like Enerpac it’s “under the
skin” where the problems start.
These include “poorer quality design, engineering and construction”.
He adds that they are aimed at the lower end of the market,
but these tools are inviting safety and downtime risks.
“Companies buying in this look-a-like market – sometimes unwittingly
– are opening the door to costly risks when they are
short-changed on quality and backup.
“It’s possible that not only entire tools, but even component
parts such as valves, seals, hoses and oils can be superficially
replicated, and buyers can unknowingly accept these as genuine.
“These anonymous components are less obviously not genuine
Enerpac because you can’t see them, but they can come
under great stress in hydraulic circuits and pose hidden risks
to the safety of operators.
He says the cost of failure of such tools can be devastating.
N E W S
Enerpac hydraulic specialist Neville Stuart with what he says is the only
yellow and black that’s backed by Enerpac.
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REN107
LOOKA
LIKE
HYDRAULIC
CYLINDER
USERS
SUFFER
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WALLET
SHOCK
WHEN
SERVICE
CLAIMS
ARE
REJECTED
Kimpton takes
helm of
Engineering
New Zealand
Dean Kimpton has been
elected as the new president
of Engineering New Zealand
– formerly IPANZ – along with
three new Board members Colin
Crampton, Tim Fisher and Sina
Cotter-Tait and one re-elected
Board member, Geoffrey
Farquhar.
Mr Kimpton is Auckland
Council’s chief operating officer
and a passionate advocate for
engineers.
“I am thrilled to take up the role
as president of Engineering New
Zealand, an organisation that not
only supports engineers but sees
them as part of the bedrock of our
nation’s development. Engineers
are vital to the work being done
to manage the country’s growing
pains and issues such as seismic
resilience, climate change and
urbanisation.”
Mr Kimpton is also chair of
QuakeCore, a board member
of Infrastructure New Zealand
and a member of the Ministry
of Business, Innovation and
Employment’s Building Advisory
Panel.
He takes over the presidency
from Craig Price.
link