Anti-counterfeit efforts

Counterfeit products carry multiple risks with them – risks to consumers and society. This is why Schneider Electric takes very seriously its fight against counterfeiting.

Consumer risks
The number one repercussion for consumers is safety. Counterfeit products do not comply with international standards or go through strict quality management controls. This is crucial in energy management. Each electrical component serves a vital function and must be safe and reliable. Counterfeits, on the other hand:

• Are generally made of cheap and unsafe materials, such as flammable plastic or poor plating.
• Reduce production costs by not respecting quality and safety standards.
• Generally imitate the external aspect but do not have the technological know-how.

Due to these factors, counterfeit products pose serious risks to consumers’ health and safety. In addition, consumers risk:

• Installation damage or loss
• No service or warranty
• No insurance

Social risks
Counterfeiting has broader ramifications for the rest of society too. As opposed to legitimate companies, copiers do not pay product development or safety compliance costs, proper wages, tax or VAT. This leads to:

• Legitimate companies bearing the burden of innovation
• Companies have less incentives to invest in research and development
• Lower wages and fewer jobs for local workers
• Reduced government revenue

Schneider Electric is committed to preventing and eliminating counterfeit products from the market. We have dedicated teams who enforce this and work in partnership with relevant authorities and stakeholders.

How to avoid counterfeits

Consumers are on the front line when it comes to counterfeit products. Your actions can help society overcome this serious problem by:

• Avoiding products with no brand name
• Purchasing from authorized distributors or manufacturers
• Watching for products with unusual trademarks
• Buying only products with their original packaging (beware of packaging with blurred marking)
• Getting only certified electrical products
• Beware of prices that are too good to be true
• Beware of trade names that are similar to ours. Some companies or individuals inappropriately use “MERLIN GERIN “, “Schneider Electric”, and “Clipsal” as all or part of their own names. Furthermore, many companies are registered using similar names. Check out our guidelines to find out how to avoid this.

In recent years, some companies or individuals inappropriately used “MERLIN GERIN “, “Schneider Electric”, and “Clipsal” as all or part of their own names. What is more, a lot of illegal business names were registered, such as XX "Merlin Gerin" Electric (Electrical) Co., ltd, XX "Schneider" Electric (Electrical) Co., ltd, or XX" Clipsal "Electric (Electrical)" Co., ltd. These names were mainly used during the course of producing, selling and promoting. To solve such issue, Schneider Electric (China) Co. Ltd publish official announcement on the problem.

Click to download: Similar trade name annoucement-EN.jpg

In 2007 Schneider Electric launched an anti-fake label on main Low Voltage and Power Control and Protection products.

This new label is providing more consistency to customers and allows cross-region sales monitoring of Low Voltage Products (LVP) and Power Control Products (same as Final Low Voltage current system).

This new anti-fake label has the following main functions:

• Unique bar code number tracking
  Each product bears a unique bar code number that allows customer to check easily if the product is genuine by phoning 400 810 1315
• Nuclear anti-fake checking (patented system)
  Draw on the label with an ink pen, and wipe the color off – the Schneider-electric logo will appear
• Ultraviolet lamp checking, which makes the Schneider Electric logo appear

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any queries.