European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL)
PRESS RELEASE
More counterfeit UIC pallets found in Ukraine
The UIC’s argument that counterfeit EUR pallets “bear no relation to the reality”, refuted
Düsseldorf, 14th March 2017 – Since the European Pallet Association (EPAL) terminated the exchangeability agreement with the UIC, the UIC, the Austrian chamber of commerce, WKÖ, and the association ARGE Palettenpool have tried to refute the reasons for the termination of the common pool. The UIC claimed in a press release that the counterfeiting of UIC/EUR pallets as the justification for the termination bore “no relation to the reality”. In contrast to this, EPAL’s current market analysis documents the reality of unhindered counterfeiting of UIC/EUR pallets.
In the course of EPAL’s investigations in Ukraine, at the beginning of March 2017, large numbers of counterfeit UIC/EUR pallets were again found. The counterfeits were discovered at two pallet producers in Kiev. The companies had both used and new counterfeit UIC/EUR pallets in stock. The investigation revealed that the production and sale of counterfeit UIC/EUR pallets, even in large numbers, posed no problem for the counterfeiters. They said themselves they weren’t worried about any problems with the UIC.
EPAL’s investigation clearly shows that the production and sale of counterfeit UIC/EUR pallets in Ukraine continues unabated. The UIC and Rail Cargo Austria AG (RCA) are evidently still not taking any effective measures as the owners of the “UIC” and “EUR in Oval” trademarks or as guarantors of the quality assurance of UIC/EUR pallets, to prevent the distribution of counterfeit, inferior quality UIC/EUR pallets.
Martin Leibrandt, CEO of EPA said, “UIC’s denial of the counterfeiting of UIC/EUR pallets, hasn’t survived a week. Once more you have to ask yourself if the UIC is in a position to and intends to fulfil its duties to effectively fight counterfeit and inferior quality UIC/EUR pallets. Our decision to terminate the exchangeability agreement, was and is the right decision. The open Euro pallet exchange pool organised by EPAL will continue to stand for quality and safety in the future”.
About EPAL:
The European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL) ensures a smooth flow of goods in the logistics world with over 450 million EPAL Euro pallets and 20 million box pallets in the world’s biggest open exchange pool. Founded in 1991 as the umbrella association of licensed producers and repairers of EPAL load carriers, EPAL is globally responsible for their consistent quality. EPAL pallets are produced from sustainably grown, CO2-neutral wood, can be repaired and recycled, and reduce transport distances thanks to their high level of availability. As a registered association, EPAL does not pursue any commercial interests and makes all its decisions in the interests of its industry, trade and logistics partners. EPAL is represented in more than thirty countries by fifteen National Committees which have committed themselves to implementing the EPAL objectives.
For further press information:
European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL)
Andrea Engels
T +49 211 98 480 48 90
M +49 172 69 325 95
