Product safety education paramount to stopping dangerous counterfeit parts

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 20, 2017:  Al-Futtaim Motors, exclusive distributor of Toyota and Lexus and leader in sustainable mobility in the UAE, recently participated in a raid with the Al Ain Economic Development Department, in cooperation with the legal authorities, which led to the confiscation of counterfeit Toyota and Lexus spare parts worth approximately AED 7.6 million.

The raid was the culmination of months of investigation and organization between inspectors from the Al Ain Economic Development Department, legal authorities and Al-Futtaim Motors, leading to the confiscation of nearly 100,000 pieces of counterfeit Toyota and Lexus spare parts including air and oil filters, both of which are fundamental to the proper functionality of engines.

“We have continued our anti-counterfeit efforts with government entities across the UAE, sustaining the great results that we got in 2015 and 2016. It’s imperative that customers know the importance of using only genuine parts on their vehicles, as doing otherwise can put their lives, the lives of their loved ones and the lives of the public at great risk. Fake parts are not produced according to manufacturer standards and do not meet the quality and safety regulations of either the manufacturer or the government, in turn heavily compromising reliability and safety,” said Ralf Zimmermann, Director of After Sales at Al-Futtaim Motors.

To complement its anti-counterfeit efforts, Al-Futtaim Motors provided training to more than 330 officials from across several government entities in 2016. The training focused on increasing the vigilance of officials, allowing them to discern between original and fake parts, as well as providing them with tools to educate consumers about the importance of using genuine parts.

A total of 31 raids were conducted in 2016, during which one major raid alone resulted in more than 10,400 pieces of counterfeit products being confiscated, which included brake pads and head gasket kits, worth approximately AED 1 million. During the third quarter alone, more than 47,300 counterfeit products were confiscated, including more than 22,300 pieces of counterfeit oil filters worth approximately AED 600,000. This was in addition to more than 10,000 pieces of counterfeit brake pad kits worth AED 1.2 million, and almost 8,000 pieces of counterfeit air filters worth approximately AED 600,000. In total, nearly AED 40 million in counterfeit goods were confiscated during these raids.

Genuine spare parts sold by Al-Futtaim Motors from Toyota, Lexus, Hino and Toyota Material Handling Equipment are built to meet the highest quality standards, in order to guarantee the utmost in safety, longevity and added value to our customers.