“Mirage of falling Mars” – a new video investigation from the Honest Position Association

In the modern market, the range of cable and wire products is constantly expanding. The main criterion for its production should remain consistently high quality, regulated by state standards. Unfortunately, there are often unscrupulous manufacturers who are ready to follow this simple rule. Today, the Honest Position Association is again raising the problem of counterfeit cable and wire products on the market. The new video exposes the Marposadkabel company, which is responsible for the deliberate production of low-quality products.  

Despite the pandemic in 2020, the Honest Position Association inspected 60 manufacturers of cable and wire products during public monitoring activities as part of the implementation of the Cable Without Danger project. Test results that can be tracked in our Telegram channel: @fairposition. During the next inspection in the Volga Federal District, the Association came to the attention of the Marposadkabel plant, the Republic of Chuvashia, loudly declaring through the industry media about the exceptional quality of its products that comply with GOST. Regular partners of the Honest Position Association are the employees of a detective agency already known from previous videos – initiated the direct purchase of cables from the plant for the purpose of subsequent testing for compliance with safety requirements.

Cable products purchased from the manufacturer went through a selection procedure together with the Balashikha Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In accordance with the regulations, representatives of Marposadkabel JSC were officially notified in advance and invited to the selection, but subsequently did not show up for the procedure. Samples of cable ВВГнг (A)-FRLS 2x1.5 and ВВГнг(A)-FRLS 3x1.5 were sent for testing to an accredited laboratory. The test results and the expert’s conclusion showed non-compliance with GOST 31996-2012 in terms of paragraph 5.2.2.1 (electrical resistance of current-carrying conductors) and GOST 31565-2012 in terms of paragraph 5.4 (smoke generation of cable products with the LS index). The examination report clearly indicates a violation of compliance with the declared parameters; cable products offered under the guise of GOST in reality are not such. 

The identified violations are just the “tip of the iceberg”; during the shipment of the cable from the plant, a personal meeting took place between the secret buyer of the Honest Position Association and the Sales Director of Marposadkabel, Dmitry Nikolaevich Platonov. At the very first meeting, the plant’s Sales Director openly announced the possibility of producing low-quality gearboxes. The accepted request for products with reduced characteristics confirmed the enterprise’s readiness to undertake the production of cables with a truncated design, but with the condition that it lacks full markings. Refusal to include the manufacturer’s name in the label serves as an attempt to hide its involvement in the production of counterfeit cable.

As for the scheme for the sale of low-quality cable and wire products manufactured at the production site and offered by Marposadkabel, here the front company Silkab comes into play, on whose behalf transactions for the sale of counterfeit products are carried out. The connection between Marposadkabel JSC and Silkab LLC can be traced by studying the certificates of conformity; the actual production address is completely the same.

Further explorations of the presented history revealed another unadvertised side of the enterprise – the production of counterfeit products. The readiness to produce a cable with the name of a foreign manufacturer clearly indicated in the markings was clearly indicated by the Sales Director of Marposadkabel in negotiations with the secret buyer of the Honest Position Association.

The readiness of representatives of Marposadkabel to violate current legislation and technical safety regulations without hesitation is surprising. Each manufacturer must remember that he/she/it is responsible for the products he/she/it sells. Loss of reputation and the safety of people are worth much more than profits from dubious transactions. The best advertising for production is the consistent quality of products and an untarnished reputation, the trust of colleagues and consumers. Trying to bypass the “system” by violating the law and ethical and moral standards is an initially disastrous path. 

The materials collected during the investigation will be sent to control and supervisory authorities and executive authorities. The work of the Honest Position Association against companies violating the law will continue. It is already bringing results, forcing more and more companies to think and abandon criminal schemes.

Today, each of you can help improve the market situation by distributing this video among your circle. Bringing stories like this to the surface helps in the fight for cleanliness, market improvement, and overall safety. Each repost contributes to improving the quality of products offered on the market, informing market participants about such cases.