4,000 counterfeit water pumps seized in the UAE

More than 4,000 counterfeit pumps have been seized in Dubai (Shutterstock)

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More than 4,000 counterfeit water pumps have been seized by UAE authorities, it was reported on Wednesday.

The majority of the pumps seized were cheap knock-offs of the internationally known, UK owned, Pedrollo pumps. The model is used to improve the flow of water in pipes at both residential and commercial buildings, a spokesman for the company said.

“It is a major problem in the Middle East and Africa,” said Joseph Gomes, general manager of Pedrollo Gulf.

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“The markets are fully infested with fake products of corporate houses who come here to invest millions, thereby contributing to socio-economic aspects of the country."

"Dubai is the hub of the Middle East and it is said that about 11 million containers transit through it annually. Interestingly, it remains to be seen how many of these 11 million containers cater to counterfeit and fake products, it’s the tip of the iceberg,” he added.

Gomes said that Pedrollo has six authorised distributors, and that buyers from any other source should be careful about the product’s originality.

“The shape, design, colour and above all, the quality and performance distinguish us from the sub-standard fake products who do not adhere to any international safety norms. These fake products are highly hazardous, risky and dangerous.”

“Our brand name is ‘PEDROLLO’, and the fake products that we have confiscated are named ‘PEDRALLA’ or ‘PEDROLLA’. So it’s clear that they play with our brand name in order to confuse the market,” he explained.

Another reliable indicator of the quality of the product would be its price, he said. A fake product would sell at one third the value of an original Pedrollo product. On average, an original pump would cost around AED5000, he added.

Pedrollo has over 350 different pump models, including peripheral water pumps, centrifugal water pumps, self-priming water pumps, borehole water pumps and submersible water pumps.

In addition, its catalogue contains models suitable for pumping diesel, seawater, sewage, effluent and pumps that can be used for aggressive liquids.

Gomes added that the company has cooperated with the authorities on a number of raids in the past. In 2009, he said that they found a huge cache of 14,000 pumps from a Chinese company in Sharjah.

In the same period, similar raids were conducted in Dubai, bringing to book five traders who had an appreciable quantity of fake pumps. Most recently, the company helped catch another three traders in November 2011.

“We provide all possible assistance to the local authorities, the Economic Departments of Sharjah and Dubai, the Municipalities. We provide all necessary papers requested, and we give inspectors the necessary training, so that they can distinguish between a fake and an original product,” he concluded.