Hypertherm, a U.S. based manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, today announced a successful raid of a counterfeiting operation in Vietnam, leading to the seizure and destruction of dozens of counterfeit Powermax electrodes, nozzles, and shields.

The raid, conducted in partnership with Vietnamese enforcement authorities at the Market Management Bureau, took place in a Hanoi facility operated by Vietmec Import Export Equipment Technology Co., also known as Vinamec Machines. Vietnamese authorities acted quickly following the discovery of the fake Powermax product.

They found Vietmec guilty of selling counterfeit goods, issued Vietmec a fine, destroyed the illicit product, and put Vietmec on a regular monitoring list. 

This most recent action follows an enforcement operation conducted late last year in China’s Changzhou province involving two of the world’s largest manufacturers of counterfeit product and their principle distributors. That raid, the largest in Hypertherm history, followed more than a year of investigative work and the involvement of law enforcement from two Chinese provinces.

“Hypertherm devotes an enormous amount of resources to bringing innovative products and technologies to market and is committed to ensuring those products are protected,” said Brett Hansen, Hypertherm’s Intellectual Property Manager.

“This is done to not only protect our business, but to protect our customers who at best will not enjoy the performance characteristics of genuine product and at worst, face an increased risk of personal injury and permanent equipment damage if they use fake product that are not manufactured to our exacting tolerances.”

To ensure that customers do not fall victim to counterfeiting, Hypertherm recommends purchasing products only from approved and authorised distributors, and exercising caution before accepting abnormally low prices for “genuine” consumables and software. In addition, customers should carefully check the appearance of consumables and packaging for discrepancies.

Though counterfeiters are often very good at mimicking the exact appearance of original products, mistakes are sometimes made. Another warning sign is poor or inconsistent consumable performance compared to what users are accustomed to.

A list of authorised distribution partners is available on Hypertherm’s website at www.hypertherm.com. Customers who need help verifying if consumables are genuine may visit www.hypertherm.com/reportcounterfeit.