Andrey Burtsev of Interpipe initiated the vocal fight against the use of fake steel, particularly in the Middle East, at ADIPEC 2016
A number of executives from the construction industry have spoken against the use of fake steel. The Steel Alliance Against Counterfeiting (https://fight-fake.org/about) is an organisation fighting against the use of counterfeit steel products. There is a particular concern that companies in the oil and gas sectors are being sold cheap and unsafe steel piping that is not up to the same standard of regulated steel.
A number of companies are uniting in countries across the Middle East including Interpipe, Sandvik, Santafede, ArcelorMittal and Vallourec.
Andrey Burtsev, the vice-president of sales for Ukrainian pipe producer Interpipe was very vocal at ADIPEC 2016. On the Steel Alliance Against Counterfeiting site, Burtsev is quoted saying that “Counterfeiting of steel is growing, particularly in the Middle East. The use of fake steel here makes vital safety issues. Pipe products and accessories are widely used in civil engineering in the region. Counterfeiters copy certificates, production documents, but they can’t copy quality. It can be a real threat for society. As a part of this initiative, we should further work with suppliers, official authorities, government to make this market fairer, safer and more competitive.”
Carlo Farina, managing director of Friedrich Geldbach, summed up the Steel Alliance Against Counterfeiting as "Today is the very first time ever that so many key suppliers are raising their voices into one, the first time ever that the counterfeiting and forgery evidence is brought so openly and so strongly directly to the public. The main goal of creating Fight Fake Products Initiative is to act as a strong, coherent voice for European industry in the fight against the manufacture, distribution and sales of counterfeited products."
