Mahindra conducts raids of counterfeit spare parts in Pune
Pune, November 26, 2015: In a bid to counter the ever-growing threat of counterfeit spares in the market, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M Ltd.), India’s leading SUV manufacturer, recently conducted raids on an automobile spare parts retailer in Pune. As a customer centric organisation, Mahindra has systematically campaigned against the sale of spurious spare parts in the open market.
During the raid, the company successfully unearthed counterfeit clutch plates that were being illegally sold by deceitful dealers. Two retailers selling spurious clutch plates were arrested by the police. Till date, the company has conducted 34 successful raids across the country, over a period of 10 months. These operations were carried out jointly with the police and specialist agencies appointed by the company for this purpose. Various fast moving parts were being distributed to the market from these locations.
Bharatendu Kapoor, Head of Spares Business Unit, Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Mentioned, “For automakers, the biggest concern is safety, since counterfeit parts can wreak havoc in a vehicle, from braking failure to triggering a fire. Today the open market is contaminated with spurious parts and customer awareness is the key to curb the sale of these counterfeit products. At Mahindra we take cognizance of this menace and are always committed towards protecting our end users from being cheated with fake parts. As a strategy Mahindra will educate our consumers on use of genuine parts and continue to crack down on spurious suppliers. We will actively continue our action against proliferation of these parts in the market.”
Mahindra has parts warehouses in Pune (for auto spares) and Bhiwandi near Mumbai (for tractors), which send out supplies directly to dealerships and the open market. To that extent, the company is reasonably insulated from the threat of counterfeiting. However, today spurious parts reportedly take up a third of the total supplies in the market which only puts in context the magnitude of the problem. Therefore the company is covering the entire gamut of manufacturers, packing units, traders, retailers for both auto and tractors to crack down on spurious parts.
Mahindra is committed to creating awareness of original spares amongst its customers and has taken up the cause to educate them and provide assurance of original Mahindra spares. The company has also launched regular Mechanic and Retailer Meets and various outreach programs through its Spare Parts Distributors, with the aim to educate influencers and end customers on the various initiatives taken by the company to control sale of counterfeit parts.
About Mahindra
The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency
