Boitumelo Zimba, Rubber Product Manager at Weir Minerals Africa
To reinforce the authenticity of its Linatex® premium rubber and protect its customers from inferior counterfeits, Weir Minerals has introduced new branding to its red iconic rubber recognised globally for its unrivalled wear life and lower total cost of ownership.
Exclusively manufactured by Weir Minerals for the past 100 years, Linatex® premium rubber has become the benchmark in protecting equipment against erosive damage. Over the years, copycats have tried to imitate Linatex® with substandard red rubber. To a regular consumer, it may seem like a bargain to buy the pirated product at an incredible price. However, it incurs massive adverse effects on almost every aspect of their operations.
Boitumelo Zimba, Rubber Product Manager at Weir Minerals Africa, says the distinctive red colour has traditionally been the major identifier of the Linatex® brand. Unfortunately, in recent years, there has been a marked influx of counterfeits that are made in the same red colour, which is confusing for unsuspecting end-users who may not be able to differentiate between the original Linatex® rubber and the pirated product.
“Customers across the world are aware of the value that Linatex rubber brings to their operations,” says Zimba. “It is only when that expected value is not achieved that they realise they have been sold inferior red rubber products under the Linatex name.”
To secure the authenticity of the brand, all Linatex® premium rubber is now branded with four rows of black Linatex® logos strategically placed along the length of the rubber roll. Extensive testing has confirmed that the black ink does not affect the unparalleled abrasion resistant properties of the rubber that has been the industry’s first line of defence against abrasion for a century.
The introduction of this new branding will enable customers to instantly, visually, verify the authenticity of their rubber products. The presence of the black Linatex® logos will be a guarantee of superior quality and performance.
Linatex® premium rubber is made from 95% natural latex using a unique liquid-phase process patented in 1923. Remarkably, its formulation and manufacturing process have remained unchanged for a century, with Weir Minerals Malaysia proudly serving as the sole manufacturer of Linatex® premium rubber in the world.
In contrast, says Zimba, most of these counterfeit products are produced in unregulated conditions that make use of low quality materials. During manufacturing of these products, there is no guarantee that the rubber goes through mandatory quality checks to ensure superior quality and performance.
“With Linatex premium rubber, quality is guaranteed through our single-source manufacturing process. Where necessary, we can also provide certification to indicate the authenticity of the product, especially when it is sold through our authorised resellers. However, the new branding will be extremely visible, allowing customers to easily identify that the product they are buying is indeed Linatex premium rubber,” concludes Zimba.