Asian product pirates are as creative as they are unscrupulous with copies of known brand names. WIKA is also affected, which is why the company has taken legal action against the perpetrators. This requires uncompromising action, as demonstrated in the incident of the pressure gauge copies that were produced in China and emerged in Vietnam. This case was awarded the Plagiarius trophy 2017.
Thanks to its widespread customer and distributor network, WIKA is notified relatively quickly of possible product piracies. This was also the case in Vietnam, where a dealer in Ho Chi Minh City was offering alleged WIKA pressure gauges, which turned out to be fake.
External storage
This prompted WIKA to perform a test purchase in order to prove the dealer’s guilt. First, he disappeared for 10 minutes, probably in order to fetch the goods from an external warehouse. In order to determine the storage site, a second test purchase was performed in which a person entrusted by WIKA followed the dealer. Given the severity of the case, WIKA decided to have the storage site raided by police. This had to take place rapidly, in order to prevent a possible clearance of the facility. The Vietnamese Economic Police were persuaded of the necessity to act quickly and raided the place. The result was more than 1000 confiscated instruments and the institution of legal proceedings against the dealer.
The suspect’s connection to a large dealer network kept suspicion alive and so, six months later, another test purchase was made. Usually, Asian dealers lose interest in distributing imitations after the first contact with the police because their fear of loss of face is too great. All the greater the surprise then that in this case the raid had been insufficient: the dealer was now offering ‘VIKA’ instruments. Moreover, his intention was to register VIKA as a trademark in Vietnam.
Written apology
WIKA immediately ordered another raid and requested the deletion of the trademark VIKA. However, the second step required an expert opinion that the label VIKA and the WIKA imitations represented an infringement against the trademark rights, which was successful. In the meantime, the dealer in question has apologised in writing and promised to stay away from imitations in the future.
Read more...Schneider Electric announces 2023 Global Alliance Partner Programme award winners Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric has announced the winners of the 2023 Global Alliance Excellence Awards. Throughout 2023, Schneider Electric’s Alliance Partners supported customers in the digitalisation of industrial automation, delivering value with innovative initiatives, solutions and services.
Read more...Custom containerised lubrication dispensing system
News
Bosch Rexroth Africa recently supplied and installed a customised environmentally friendly and dust-proof lubrication dispensing system for a leading earth-moving equipment supplier.
Read more...Siemens to acquire industrial drive technology business of ebm-papst Siemens South Africa
News
Siemens has signed an agreement to acquire the industrial drive technology business of ebm-papst. The business includes intelligent, integrated mechatronic systems in the protective extra-low voltage range and innovative motion control systems.
Read more...Bearings International fosters a segment strategy Bearings International
News
Bearings International has a segment approach to the market, which places an intentional focus on key industries in South and sub-Saharan Africa in a bid to optimise operations, enhance uptime, and drive business sustainability and increased profitability outcomes for customers.
Read more...Local robotics team’s journey to the world stage
News
In the heart of Cape Town, a group of young visionaries aged 12 to 17 is making waves in the world of robotics. Known as Texpand, this team from Pinelands has not only dominated the First Tech Challenge (FTC) in South Africa, but has also earned international acclaim for its innovative approach to engineering and problem solving.
Read more...RS Group expands by 10 000 products RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa has announced its Better World Claims Based Framework, enabling customers to select verified sustainable product alternatives. This provides suppliers with a standardised framework to accelerate the development and manufacture of more sustainable and responsible products.
Read more...IRP 2023 could reset SA’s social and economic problems
News
ACTOM recently held a webinar on the ‘Draft IRP2023 Impact on the Manufacturing Sector’. South Africa’s Draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 is a key document that outlines a comprehensive strategy for addressing the country’s energy security challenges, while also setting out its transition to a diversified energy mix, including renewables.
Read more...Young scientists to showcase innovative research
News
Innovative South African research which includes a cost-effective triage test for real-time detection of TB and a nature-based technology that brings about environmental remediation, will be showcased at this year’s International Festival of Engineering, Science and Technology in Tunisia.
Read more...Moog takes a leadership position in lunar exploration
News
NASA is planning for a sustained human presence on the Moon, and resources such as water could eventually be harnessed from the lunar surface instead of being transported from Earth, and it has turned to industry to find ways to excavate and transport that icy regolith.
printer friendly version