The component supplier for well-known sportscar brands such as Ferrari and Maserati has long been combatting counterfeits of its products on the Asian market. According to the company, the counterfeit brakes are now increasingly reaching the European market as well.
“We are concerned that counterfeit products are increasingly appearing in Europe – along with the accompanying consequences for the security of drivers,” comments Paolo Rezzaghi, director of the task force at Brembo. A few months ago, counterfeit brake callipers are said to have been discovered at a dealer in the Netherlands.
In order to combat the proliferation of potentially dangerous counterfeits, Brembo has assembled a task force of some 20 employees that investigates suspect offers and cooperates with customs and law enforcement authorities. “In Europe, there is still no public awareness of the problem of counterfeit auto parts,” explains Roberto Pellegrini, Market Manager at Brembo. For this reason, awareness-raising and informational campaigns count among the most important duties of the task force.
“Brakes are security-relevant components that need to function 100%. Copies are often not manufactured with vetted materials or correctly tested and inspected,” reports Mario Almondo, Director of Brembo in China. Customers can therefore inform themselves on a company web page. There they can find a list of authorised dealers for example or check the authenticity of their product using the sealed number cards that come with many Brembo products.
