WBA Bearing Authenticator app used to combat product piracy is now available in China.

August 1, 2022 – The World Bearing Association (WBA), a non-profit organization serving the public interest, announces the release of the WBA Bearing Authenticator app in China. This app is an industry solution that allows users to identify legitimate bearings from seven premium brands — JTEKT, Nachi, NTN, NSK, Schaeffler, SKF, and Timken.

The mobile app, which was released on the Google Play store and Apple App Store in 2020 and has been downloaded more than 6,500 times, helps users identify fake bearings. The Chinese version of the app is now available in WeChat, free of charge. The WBA Mini Program can be accessed by opening the Scan function within the WeChat app, or by scanning the attached QR code. More details can be found in the video tutorial.

The WBA app enables bearings customers, distributors, and customs officials to identify fake bearings by scanning a QR or DMC code on the bearing packaging. The app cross references that code with the manufacturer’s database, identifies any inconsistencies, and notifies the app user within a few seconds.

A step-by-step video tutorial for using the WBA Check App is currently available in several languages, including English and Chinese. A video tutorial for the WeChat version of the app is available here.

The WBA Bearing Authenticator app is of particular interest to and used by customs officials all over the world. The application was recently presented to the World Customs Organization, Counterfeiting and Piracy (CAP) Group, a worldwide group of customs officials. The app has also been presented to Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and American customs officials.

“The WBA Authenticator App helps customers and distributors avoid selling and using counterfeit bearings. By bringing the app to WeChat, our Chinese customers and distributors now have a powerful new tool to make sure that the bearings they use are legitimate. Counterfeit bearings pose a significant safety risk to bearing users and their operation, and the WBA is dedicated to making sure that customers are not harmed with counterfeit bearing products,” said Dr. Stefan Spindler, CEO, Industrial, Schaeffler Group, and President of the World Bearing Association.

Counterfeit bearings harm the bearing industry significantly, with losses estimated in the billions of dollars. More importantly, however, counterfeit bearing products pose a significant safety risk to end users.

How the App Works

The WBA Bearing Authenticator app can be accessed on all mobile devices. Users of the WBA Bearing Authenticator app then scan a two-dimensional code (QR or data matrix code) on the bearings packaging. The app checks authenticity of a given bearing product by referencing the manufacturer database for the scanned QR or DMC code to see if it is registered as a valid product code and has not been checked too many times.

The app then provides visual verification of authenticity via one of three color-coded symbols:

• A green checkmark if the code is correct and is in the manufacturer’s database;
• A yellow exclamation point if the code is correct but has been scanned too many times, which indicates that the user should contact the manufacturer to determine authenticity; or
• A red alarm symbol if the code is incorrect. The red symbol indicates the product is suspected fake and the user should contact the manufacturer for more information.

WBA and manufacturers recommend app users, if there is no code or the user received a yellow or red symbol, to contact the product manufacturer. Customers are given easy, in-app ways to contact the manufacturer directly. The WBA Bearing Authenticator is currently supported by the leading international manufacturers—JTEKT, Nachi, NTN, NSK, Schaeffler, SKF, and Timken.

For more detailed information about counterfeit bearings or download instructions, visit: https://www.stopfakebearings.com/.