Tata Motors steps up raids to curb counterfeit parts menace

Tata Motors has launched a systematic multi-pronged campaign against the sale of spurious spare parts, under the brand name of Tata Genuine Parts (TGP). As part of this campaign, it raided 33 manufacturers of Tata parts and duplicate packaging suppliers in Maharashtra.

As part of its ongoing enforcement campaign, the company has launched nationwide raids to expose the burgeoning spurious spares parts business. So far, Tata Motors has conducted 33 successful raids in and around, Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, Solapur, Kolhapur, Latur, Sangli, Satara area, and around 125 raids across the country.

The enforcement team including the IPR enforcement, copyrights protection agencies, Tata Motors’ TGP team and the legal team, have been working closely to identify both manufacturing units and selling outlets / locations of counterfeit spares and packaging centres, across major cities and trade hubs of India.

Based on complaints from Tata Motors’ sources, the local area police along with the enforcement agencies launched raid operations against violators at the following locations in Maharashtra: SS Clutch Co, Mumbai Thane godown;

Viking Automobiles, Dahisar, Mumbai; Shiv Motors, Kalamboli, Mumbai; Gurukripa Spares, Kalamboli, Mumbai; Mukesh Automobiles, Ulhasnagar, Mumbai;

Kamlesh Automobiles, Ulhasnagar, Mumbai; Ravi Motor Parts, Ulhasnagar, Mumbai; Deepak Motors, Pune; Nirmal Automobiles, Pune; Parth Enterprises, Katraj, Pune; Pragati Automobiles, Katraj, Pune;

Atul Automobiles, Temburni, Solapur; Pawan Motors, Latur; Puja Auto, Yeola, Nashik; India Battery, Yeola, Nashik; Anand Motors, Sangli; Rajkamal Auto Stores, Kolhapur; New Abid Auto, Nagpur; Memon Motor House, Nagpur; and India Tempo House, Satara.

The most easily duplicated products include clutch parts, air/ oil /fuel filters, belts, hoses, ball joints, seals, suspension items like liners and brake pads, gear parts, syncrocone, gaskets. For these, counterfeit packaging, labels and various other fast moving parts were being manufactured and distributed to the market from these locations.

According to Rajesh Bagga, vice-president – legal, Tata Motors, “The use of spurious parts poses a safety risk to consumers. Data shows that over 50 percent of spares for all popular brands sold in the market are fake and unreliable. Studies also show that 70 percent of consumers opt for fake spares instead of visiting authorised service centres, once the warranty period on the vehicle has expired. Customer awareness is the key to curb sale of counterfeit products, prompting Tata Motors to generate countrywide awareness campaigns about safety risks posed by spurious / counterfeit spare parts.”

Meanwhile, the company’s TGP team has launched a series of pilfer-proof plastic packaging for gear and differential Parts as well as lazer marking with the Tata logo. A slew of security enriched packaging stickers and labels and the Tata Dhaal hologram on the packaging help identify genuine Tata Motors spares. The company has also kick-started regular mechanic and retailer meets and various outreach programs through its spare parts distributors, educating the influencers and end customers on the various initiatives taken by the company to control the counterfeit parts menace in the country.