PITTSBURGH … Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation today announced it will host online videos about the dangers of counterfeit electrical products. The videos were filmed during a panel discussion on counterfeiting at Electric West 2010. The videos feature representatives from Eaton, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Panel participants discussed how manufacturers’ associations, supply-chain partners and government agencies worldwide are coordinating efforts to raise awareness of counterfeit electrical products.

“The high demand for electrical products combined with economic pressure to reduce cost has led some to attempt to purchase products outside of traditional manufacturing and distribution channels. To meet this demand for lower priced products, illicit manufacturers often misrepresent counterfeit goods as genuine,” said Tom Grace, manager, Anti-Counterfeiting Initiatives, Eaton’s Electrical Sector. “Eaton is committed to creating awareness of the risks and dangers of counterfeit electrical products and will continue to invest in anti-counterfeiting technologies and programs.”

Located on Eaton’s website at www.eaton.com/counterfeit, the videos highlight the most prominent subject matter including: enormity of the problem, motivation of counterfeiters, safety, how to avoid counterfeits, what to look for, and what Eaton is doing to stop counterfeiting. The full video of the panel presentation is also available.

“Consumers may unknowingly be buying and using, or reselling, counterfeit products that could compromise their safety,” said Brett Brenner, president, ESFI. “We encourage everyone to view these videos and share the links with their colleagues in hopes that we can educate the public and perhaps even prevent the accidents that we so desperately want to avoid.”

“There are many hidden costs when buying fraudulent electrical products,” added Clark Silcox, secretary and general counsel, NEMA. “Until consumers know that these products are in the market and how to identify them, they’re not going to know how to avoid them.”

Consumers and communities can protect themselves against dangerous and defective counterfeit electrical products by using authorized resellers, exercising caution in online transactions, checking for certification marks, scrutinizing labels and packaging, avoiding products that lack any identifying branding label or affiliation, avoiding ‘bargains’ that seem too good to be true, and seeking product recall information online.

“Everyone feels the effects of product counterfeiting — not only legitimate manufacturers and reputable retailers, but most importantly, consumers who are unaware of potential safety hazards of products where profit is the priority,” said Brian Monks, vice president, Anti-Counterfeiting Operations for Underwriters Laboratories, which constantly works with government, industry and law enforcement agencies worldwide to prevent counterfeit products from entering the marketplace. “It is important we all work together to address the potential life-threatening scenarios that counterfeit electrical products can cause. Our combined efforts can make a difference.”

Eaton’s electrical business is a global leader in power distribution, power quality, control and industrial automation products and services. Eaton’s global electrical product lines, including Cutler-Hammer®, Moeller®, Powerware®, Holec®, MEM®, Santak®, and MGE Office Protection Systems™ provide customer-driven PowerChain Management®  solutions to serve the power system needs of the data center, industrial, institutional, government, utility, commercial, residential, and OEM markets worldwide.

Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company with 2009 sales of $11.9 billion. Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has approximately 70,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.