July 13, 2009 – Crane manufacturer Tadano has released a statement to customers regarding counterfeit cranes, warning that counterfeit Tadano products have been appearing on the market worldwide. The fakes are mostly of a mix-and-match type made up of parts of used Tadano machines and those of other manufacturers and being sold as used Tadano products.

Characteristic of the fake Tadano cranes include model numbers that don’t correspond to existing models and a logo similar to the Tadano logo. The counterfeits also include dials inside the crane, a feature not found on authentic Tadano machines. (View images of dials and fake logos.) The company warned that these characteristics may change over time.

“As their imitation machines have not met our quality safety standards, there is concern that they may consequently lead to structural defects or operational malfunctions resulting in serious accidents,” Tadano said in a statement. “So, we would advise you never to use such fake cranes for your safety sake, too.”

The company said it would take strong action against counterfeit manufacturers, and warned customers to be careful of imitations when purchasing used cranes. Customers should contact authorized Tadano distributors with concerns.

Other counterfeit issues came to light earlier this year with Terex, Liebherr and Tadano cranes.