Today’s product pirates not only sell imitation clothing and watches but also copy bus spare parts. Quality and safety suffer among other things. OMNIplus takes strict action against product forgeries.

Everyone knows the spectacular images: customs authorities publicly destroying whole container loads of imitation goods with a bulldozer. In 2016 alone, customs seized more than 41 million forged products at the external borders of the EU. The EU Commission already put total trade in forgeries at more than 200 billion euros several years ago.

Product forgers have specialised in copying vehicle spare parts. This includes safety-relevant parts like brake pads, windscreens, chassis parts and filters. A forgery can often not be told apart from the original at first glance even by experts. To make life as difficult as possible for forgers, Daimler employs a special brand protection team. This is because, unlike forged watches or luxury handbags, counterfeit car spare parts put at risk not only the reputation of the brand owner but also safety on the roads in general. Results of tests on forged disc brakes are disturbing: a much longer braking distance, increased wear of the brake pad or even failure of the counterfeit part can lead to a serious accident in the worst case.

OMNIplus is therefore taking strict action against product forgeries. The brand protection team is working closely with international law enforcement and customs authorities to take forgeries out of circulation early. Professional investigators are also being employed. OMNIplus goes round trade shows undercover together with the colleagues from the Daimler brand protection team.

Despite the known risks when buying from unknown sources, many weaken in the face of so-called bargains. This initial delight about the saving soon often turns into the opposite, however. Sarah Anderhofstadt, Brand Protection Product Manager, is aware of the problem. She urgently advises people against dubious enticing offers, even if they do not involve safety-relevant parts: “The component often doesn’t fit correctly, does not last long or, in the worst case, leads to consequential damage on other parts. Buying cheap may pay off at first, but when you take the whole stress and trouble into account, you often end up paying more.”

Bus operators should therefore be very careful about from whom they buy their spare parts. Anybody wanting to be on the safe side when buying spare parts for their Mercedes-Benz bus will not go wrong with OMNIplus. “With OMNIplus and its authorised partners, bus companies can fully rely on original parts,” says Anderhofstadt.

Anyone looking for a cost-effective alternative to original new parts that save on resources can lower costs with original spare parts without saving on quality.