This article’s main purpose is to highlight the different approach to ODM and hopefully let the readers understand the difference in terms of these approaches and the expected outcome for their business.

To kick start our journey into the ODM world, let’s define what general ODM is.

According to Wikipedia: ODM stands for Original Design Manufacturer with the description below

“An original design manufacturer is a company that designs and manufactures a product that is eventually rebranded by another firm for sale. “

“This model is especially used in international trade, where a local original design manufacturer is used to produce goods for a foreign company that sees some advantage in the transaction, such as low labor-inputs, transport links or proximity to markets”

Let’s dive in into the different ODM services and how [Project Zeta] – [Project Zeta Sourcing] operates sightly better.

Traditionally, in which most (90%) ODM design companies offer just to design a product based upon the request from the client. The ODM service provider in hopes that the client uses the design and produces the goods (on the client’s end) for sale to the end user. If your business just needs an idea or concept on how to design a specific product then this type of ODM companies are the right fit for you.

While the rest (>10%) offers just production based upon the request and gives advices once any problems would arise. This type of ODM usually requires the user of the ODM service to have some sort of basic structure or plan in which the ODM service company can just develop a prototype and test for any product or design issues. If your company has already a rough sketch or first draft blueprint and needs feedback on it then finding this type of ODM company would help in this situation.

Of course the crucial point is that your company needs to identify which type of ODM service of the above to use first then find the best suited one!

The two types of ODM however provides the bare minimum, in which doesn’t offer much long term value and creates a lot of value lost between both parties (the user of the service and the ODM service provider). They just operate based upon what the client’s request and no further.This is where [Project Zeta] – [Project Zeta Sourcing] comes in.

Here at [Project Zeta] – [Project Zeta Sourcing], ODM to me is a combination of both the traditional and the “prototype production” ODM service with an added value of actually helping the user of my service with a dash of business development.

Let me share one of the recent request of [Project Zeta] – [Project Zeta Sourcing]. The request was to help develop Anime products that would sell within one of Hong Kong’s biggest Anime retail shop. The request was to provide the retail shop with a varied merchandise that are unique to the market and would “sell” according to the client.

So naturally, I have provided a detailed product plan to my client. Due to a signed NDA between the client and [Project Zeta] – [Project Zeta Sourcing], I will omit some specific details but still provide a full picture of this project.

The detailed product plan was separated by two class – Premium and non-premium. Premium class products are products that the client can “give out as a valuable gift” to special VIPs and or sell it to the public as “limited” items. The value of this class of products are high so therefore the design has to be very unique and send the message of “PREMIUM”. The latter, “non premium” class products are purposed to sell as normal merchandise within the retail store.

Needless to say, [Project Zeta] – [Project Zeta Sourcing] provided detailed product plan in which includes the design and simple renders of the final product to the client. The client was very impressed since the designs of the anime products are very unique (especially the premium class) and naturally the project rolled out pretty quickly.

I have also provided the client on how to create effective marketing campaigns on how to fully draw out the attractiveness of the product to the customers. It was a simple but an effective plan that would incorporate some animated video shots of the products with the style of the specific anime. All in all, the whole idea gave a green light from the client.

The whole aim of this project was simple. [Project Zeta] – [Project Zeta Sourcing] to provide the design by incorporating the “魂” (Tamashi – Spirit) of the anime to the proposed products. This is something that most ODM won’t do or failed to do since the ODM service provider doesn’t understand the client’s end customer’s expectation and the general feel of what the design needs to incorporate. Believe me, some ODM companies failed to understand this and proposed very poorly designed products in which doesn’t have the “魂” in it. So naturally the aim of those ODM service provider is to accomplish the bare minimum client’s demands only and call it a day. Therefore some fans of the proposed product would scream “WHY AND HOW CAN THEY DESIGN SUCH GARBAGE?” and the main reason is the above.

Regarding the end result of the project, after submitting all the design and the proposed business development plan that goes with it, the client failed to gain permission from the Anime’s IP company to launch the project. I wasn’t given a direct answer as to why my client failed to gained permission so therefore it is up for speculation. However, after doing some market research out of curiosity, I found that my designed product was placed on sale on an online anime marketplace.

I hope that reading to this point, the reader can understand the two types of ODM service providers out there and which to use for the companies’ need(s). If by chance, you’d need someone to do the beyond then why not give [Project Zeta] – [Project Zeta Sourcing] a try?

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