Hypertherm announces successful raid of counterfeiting operation in Vietnam
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Hypertherm, manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, today announced a successful raid of a counterfeiting operation in Vietnam leading to the seizure and destruction of dozens of counterfeit Powermax® electrodes, nozzles, and shields.
The raid, conducted in partnership with Vietnamese enforcement authorities at the Market Management Bureau, took place in a Hanoi facility operated by Vietmec Import Export Equipment Technology Co., also known as Vinamec Machines. Vietnamese authorities acted quickly following the discovery of the fake Powermax product, finding Vietmec guilty of selling counterfeit goods, issuing a fine, destroying the illicit product, and putting Vietmec on a regular monitoring list.
This most recent action follows an enforcement operation conducted late last year in China’s Changzhou province involving two of the world’s largest manufacturers of counterfeit product and their principle distributors. That raid, the largest in Hypertherm history, followed more than a year of investigative work and the involvement of law enforcement from two Chinese provinces.
“Hypertherm devotes an enormous amount of resources to bringing innovative products and technologies to market and is committed to ensuring those products are protected,” said Brett Hansen, Hypertherm’s Intellectual Property Manager. “This is done to not only protect our business, but to protect our customers who at best will not enjoy the performance characteristics of genuine product and at worst, greatly increases the risk of personal injury and permanent equipment damage by using fake product not manufactured to our exacting tolerances.”
To ensure you do not fall victim to counterfeiting, Hypertherm recommends customers only buy product from approved and authorized distributors, and exercise caution when coming across abnormally low prices for “genuine” consumables and software. In addition, carefully check the appearance of consumables and packaging for discrepancies. Though counterfeiters are often very good at mimicking the exact appearance of original products, mistakes are sometimes made. Another warning sign is poor or inconsistent consumable performance compared to what you are used to.
A list of the authorized distribution partners is available on Hypertherm’s website at www.hypertherm.com. If you suspect you are a victim and need help verifying whether your consumables are genuine, please visit www.hypertherm.com/reportcounterfeit.
Hypertherm designs and manufactures industrial cutting products for use in a variety of industries such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, and automotive repair. Its product line includes cutting systems, in addition to CNC motion and height controls, CAM nesting software, robotic software and consumables. Hypertherm systems are trusted for performance and reliability that result in increased productivity and profitability for hundreds of thousands of businesses. The company’s reputation for cutting innovation dates back 50 years to 1968, with Hypertherm’s invention of water injection plasma cutting. The 100 percent associate owned company has more than 1,400 associates along with operations and partner representation worldwide.
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