Counterfeit products are a trap for end users and also a pain for bearing manufacturers. In order to save a bit of cost, some end users will eventually face the huge production losses caused by downtime and the additional costs of maintenance. "Save money without losing much money," the reason is obvious. One of the best examples is the thrust tapered roller bearings installed in the top drive of drilling rigs in the oil and gas field industry. This vital bearing ensures the operation of the whole rig and drilling operation. The cost loss caused by the failure downtime of the bearing is as high as 15,000 Euros per day on average.

The money saved is not as much as the money lost. The reason is obvious. One of the best examples is the thrust tapered roller bearings installed in the top drive of drilling rigs in the oil and gas field industry. This vital bearing ensures the operation of the whole rig and drilling operation. The cost loss caused by the failure downtime of the bearing is as high as 15,000 Euros per day on average.

Below is a fake thrust tapered roller bearing sold to end users as authentic Timken bearing. Shortly after installation, the bearing was severely damaged during operation. In general, in such applications, the service life of bearings should be up to 4-5 years.

Signs of fake products can be seen on bearings and packaging. The most obvious is the cage. The original Timken® thrust tapered roller bearing (TTHD) will only use solid brass cage, and will never use composite materials with screw-fixed cage. The name on the label is also incorrect - lack of bearing assembly code, as well as many other label errors and flaws.

As a bearing manufacturer, it is strongly recommended that bearings be purchased only through authorized channels. Enter the "Contact" page on Timken's official and click "Search Distributors" to easily find out whether the company you purchased Timken Bearing is authorized. You can also call Timken's sales representative directly for confirmation.

The cost of this fake product mentioned above is 2-3 times lower than that of the original bearing, but the cost savings of the counterfeit bearing are insignificant compared with the downtime and potential losses.

Don't fall into the trap of "spending money on malfunctioning downtime"!