To make the detection of counterfeits even more tricky, we know that even the original manufacturers do re-mark their parts for different reasons. In this rampant counterfeit market it is very hard to give the benefit of the doubt that the manufacturer has done the re-marking. AERI’s policy has, for the most part, leaned towards a guilty verdict on any part that is re-marked, unless the manufacturer can confirm with us that they did re-mark the part, and that almost never happens. Our suppliers love to use the fact that manufacturers have re-marked parts themselves to legitimize their re-marked parts. We get the “well you know that manufacturers remark their parts too, so how can you prove that our parts are in fact counterfeits?”. At that point we just reply with, “If you can get us the documentation that they have been re-marked from the manufacturer, then we will take them.” It almost always ends there.
We received some very obvious manufacturer re-marks this week. As you can see in the picture, the paint job is more than obvious. They did not even sand down the old part markings. Just painted right over them. When we see carelessness like this, it makes it easier to assume that the manufacturer did the re-marking. We are still going to do all of our additional testing, but it’s a good sign that they are legitimate parts.
Robb Hammond is the President of AERI and the former chair of the Aerospace Industry’s Counterfeit Electronic Components Mitigation Standard for independent distributors, AS6081, which has become one of the industry’s most respected documents, as well as being adopted by the Department of Defense. Robb is one of the foremost thought leaders in the industry on counterfeit detection and speaks regularly at conferences around the globe.
