Counterfeit Electrical Products Expose Users to Risks—Eaton

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Those who use counterfeit electrical products could be putting their lives and their families at risk, Eaton, a global power management company has warned.

This is why the firm has embarked on an anti-counterfeit sensitisation exercise amongst trade partners and end-users to avert disasters.

At the Jankara Electrical market located in the heart of Lagos Island, the company educated and enlightened both resellers and users on how to identify at-risk and suspect packaging, extraneous marks or labelling, lookalikes, non-compliant and counterfeit products.

Counterfeit electrical products can result in a higher risk of failure or malfunction. Such failures may result in electrical shock, overheating, or short circuits, leading to equipment failure, fires, or explosions that can cost lives and cause considerable property damage, the organisation told participants.

The Marketing Manager for Eaton in West Africa, Mr Kunmi Odunoku, disclosed that the initiative is to reinforce Eaton’s commitment to thwarting counterfeiting through the education and training of all relevant stakeholders in the product supply chain.

“Counterfeiting is a prevalent industry issue that poses a threat to lives and properties. The sourcing practices of independent resellers and brokers put customers at a higher risk of receiving used, altered, reconditioned, or potentially counterfeit products.

“Counterfeit product manufacturers rely on deception and prices that are below market levels to find their way into our homes, businesses, and electrical infrastructure,” he said.

“Counterfeits, re-labelled, and non-compliant products pose a significant safety hazard to the electrical industry exposing users to risk.

“Recently, the proliferation of the market with sophisticated counterfeit products has resulted in a need to caution and educate resellers on how to identify these counterfeit products,” Mr Odunoku added.