Those were startling statistics quoted by Doug Geralde of the CSA Group Audits and Investigation Team based in Toronto. Geralde was speaking to seminar attendees at the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI)'s 38th Annual Meeting.
His group investigates many counterfeit products coming from China and other countries that have a history of copying legitimate product designs and manufacturing cheap knockoffs, then importing them to North America. The new global economy is to blame, according to Geralde.