OEM / ODM Service and Customization 101 (Part 1 of 3)

What is OEM / ODM service and customization for high volume applications?

In this blog series, I do not wish to overwhelm you, our reader, with acronyms aimed at simplifying a message that only confuses the topic further.  So, before continuing, I will offer two key definitions for clarity as we go on.

OEM – An original equipment manufacturer

Traditionally is defined as a company whose goods are used as components in the products of another company, which then sells the finished item to users (Investopedia, 2020).

ODM- An original design manufacturer

A company that designs and produces products that are marketed and sold under the name of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). In other words, an ODM provides « ready-to-go » products for the OEM (Techopedia, 2021).

Now that we have these terms properly defined, time to get to the task at hand…

Phocos strives to provide universal global access to reliable energy as part of our core mission.  That means wherever you are in the world, we fundamentally believe access to reliable energy can be possible and the entirety of our product portfolio is aimed to enable it.  From solar charge controllers, to hybrid inverter chargers and energy storage, to high-efficiency DC  refrigeration solutions, our products are designed to elevate the performance and reliability of off-grid power supply systems.

As our reliance on energy increases, new applications for off-grid and edge-of-grid (Eg. weak power grids or conditions with unreliable utility grid power access) solutions based on renewable energy sources and energy storage are constantly appearing.  While these applications all have one common requirement, high reliability, functionality, and system deployment needs can often vary greatly by application which can be an impediment to achieving the volume scale necessary to make significant strides to achieving our mission.  For those reasons, Phocos has made ODM and OEM customization for recurring, high-volume applications a large part of our offering for the past 20+ years.

Phocos partners with the some of the world’s most trusted brands to deliver customized solutions for high-volume applications.  Our OEM customers are experts in their field/applications and they rely on Phocos for their renewable energy management needs to create seamless solutions that maximize value for their clients. Our decades of experience designing and manufacturing world-class power conversion electronics for renewable energy applications has generated a library of proven reference designs for battery-based power supplies that serve as fantastic building blocks to reliable energy access for nearly any application or environment.  In our experience, when two companies combine their unique expertise toward a common objective, the result is a superior solution that provides reliable energy access to so many people in the world, thereby closing the energy access gap.

Now that I’ve made my best attempt at over-simplifying what is a complex part of our business, the next chapters in this recurring blog series will cover the many types of customization and service options (Part 2) Phocos has tackled in the past and outline best practices for developing a successful OEM/ODM relationship (Part 3).  Stay tuned!

Series:

OEM / ODM Service and Customization 101 (Part 1 of 3)

OEM / ODM Service and Customization 101 (Part 2 of 3)

OEM / ODM Service and Customization 101 (Part 3 of 3)

References

Investopedia. (2020, July 28). Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Retrieved from Investopedia: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/oem.asp

Techopedia. (2021, March 16). Original Design Manufacturer (ODM). Retrieved from Techopedia: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/30769/original-design-manufacturer-odm