Custom product development — OEM and ODM
With ODM, we start from a product already in the factory’s catalogue and adapt it to your brand. With OEM, we develop your product from your drawings, with prototyping and successive samples — tooling costs quantified upfront, ownership of moulds and technical files set out in writing.
- ODM
- a product from the factory's catalogue, adapted to your brand
- OEM
- your product, developed from your own drawings
- Tooling
- ownership and amortisation settled before the first part is made
- 01
Scoping and feasibility
Your drawings or specification set against what the industry can actually make. Tooling costs and minimum order quantity are quantified at this stage, before any commitment.
- 02
Prototyping
Successive samples until the piece matches the intent. Every iteration is documented, and the final approved sample becomes the contractual benchmark for production.
- 03
Approval before launch
Materials, dimensions, finish, markings and packaging fixed in writing. The run starts only once you have approved the reference sample.
OEM or ODM: what separates them
With ODM, the factory already owns the product and the tooling. You adapt: colour, material, dimensions, logo, packaging in your brand. The upfront investment stays low and the lead time short, but your product remains close to what others can order in the same place.
With OEM, the product starts from your drawings. It is yours, it sets you apart — at the cost of a mould, a higher minimum quantity and several weeks of development. The choice depends on your market, not on budget alone.
Tooling costs, quantified upfront
A mould often represents the bulk of the cost of a first development. It is quantified before you commit, together with the minimum quantity it imposes: that is what lets you decide knowing the facts rather than discovering the invoice along the way.
Depending on the factory, tooling may be invoiced, amortised across orders or shared. These terms are negotiable — provided they are raised before the tooling is cut.
Who owns the moulds and the files
Paying for a mould does not automatically mean having it. Without a written clause, the factory may keep it, refuse to move it, or use it for other customers.
We set out ownership of moulds and technical files in writing before tooling starts. It is the point people most regret not having settled, on the day they want to change manufacturer.
Confidentiality and intellectual property
Your drawings and commercial information reach suppliers only at the level of detail strictly needed for the consultation. A non-disclosure agreement can be signed before any exchange, and extended to the factories consulted on sensitive projects.
For a genuinely innovative product, protect your rights in your market before production starts. Intellectual property is a matter for specialist advisers, and we do not replace them.
- Drawings and specification
- Material selection
- Tooling costs quantified
- Ownership of moulds
- Non-disclosure agreement
- Successive samples
Choosing between ODM and OEM
| ODM | OEM | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A product from the factory’s catalogue | Your drawings, your specification |
| Upfront investment | Low, no dedicated tooling | Mould and development to fund |
| Minimum quantity | That of the existing product | Higher, tied to the tooling |
| Differentiation | Limited: others can order the same | Your product, hard to copy quickly |
Frequently asked questions
- Can we start with ODM and move to OEM later?
- That is often the soundest path. You test the market with an adapted catalogue product at low commitment; if sales follow, you develop your own version, with tooling paid for by volumes you have already proven.
- How long does custom development take?
- It depends entirely on the piece: how many sample iterations, how complex the tooling, which materials need sourcing. A change of colour and packaging is settled quickly; a technical part takes several rounds. We set the schedule after the feasibility study and keep it up to date at every stage.
- Should we register our trademark in China?
- The question deserves to be put to an intellectual property adviser before production, not after. We flag it when a project warrants it, but we give no legal advice: this field has its specialists, and mistakes there are hard to undo.
A product to develop?
Send us your drawings or your specification. We will come back to you with a feasibility study, the tooling costs and the minimum quantity they impose.
Each service can be commissioned on its own, or alongside the others.