Director general of Federacciai (association of Italian steel industry enterprises) Salvatore Salerno has issued a warning concerning the dangers of using imported stainless steels labelled as high quality products (300 series) which are in fact stainless steels of far lesser quality (200 series).
"A growing number of cases have been reported of products sold with false certifications which do not reflect the true nature of the product," Salerno stated. He went on to declare that many stainless steel-using firms had been duped, including medium to small enterprises, after resorting to stainless steels imported from the Far East at prices considerably lower than European prices but which hold many hidden dangers since the metallurgical composition is not what is indicated on the certificate. According to the Federacciai official, a wide range of sectors have been hit by the "counterfeit" products in questions.
In response to a question as to what action may be proposed to tackle the problem, Salerno stated, "There has already been some movement at a European Union level...In Brussels an investigation has already been initiated into a case of counterfeit screws that caused huge losses to a number of European businesses." He went on to add, "More detailed inspections are required at customs. The customs authorities have shown themselves willing to collaborate, even though technical inspections entail elevated costs."
Meanwhile, Italian enterprises "could avoid the risks by turning instead to ‘Made in Italy' steel which is without doubt of unquestioned quality" said Mr. Salerno, continuing, "If there are doubts about a product which has been purchased, the buyer can apply to Centro Inox in order to verify the genuineness of the product."
Even though the opinion expressed may appear to be a partial one, tangible losses have been caused to the Italian entrepreneurial system. On balance, in some cases the ‘hard discount' obtained for Asian stainless may not prove to be so advantageous.