Layout change or distinct product
A layout change takes an existing line and changes its rooms, connections or arrangement, while a distinct product is a house that does not correspond to any existing line. The buyer should say which of the two is wanted, because the supplier answers them differently: a layout change is answered against the line it changes, while a distinct product needs a fuller brief, with its own shape, rooms and purpose described from the start.
The customisation guide explains how to write a layout change brief, and the same discipline applies, with more weight, to a distinct product brief. A distinct product brief should describe the house as if it were a new line: its shape behaviour, fixed or changing, its rooms, its setting, and its intended use, all in plain language, so that the supplier can say whether it can be made and on what terms.
What an OEM or ODM inquiry should contain
An OEM or ODM inquiry should contain the product brief, the quantity, the timing, and the service questions together, because the service cannot be priced or timed without the product, and the product cannot be ordered without the service terms. The buyer should give the unit count, the date needed, and the questions about branding, documentation and ongoing supply, if any of those apply, so that the supplier answers the whole request at once.
Branding deserves a plain statement in the inquiry, if it matters: what name or mark, if any, the product should carry, and where it should appear. The sources say nothing about branding terms for OEM and ODM work, so the inquiry should ask, rather than assume that a brand, a mark or a label is included. The same applies to documentation: ask what documents accompany the product, rather than assuming a set.
Confirmations for an OEM or ODM order
Quantity and timing should be confirmed in writing before ordering, with particular care for an OEM or ODM order, because a distinct product may differ in both from any existing line. Please confirm the minimum order quantity with the supplier before placing an order. Please confirm the lead time with the supplier before placing an order. Obtain quantity and timing figures in the supplier's written reply for the exact product brief.
Certificates, if the product or its destination requires them, should be named by standard and use, with the document requested, since this site lists no certificate as held. Samples and inspection, if wanted for a distinct product, should be raised with the product brief attached, so that the sample or visit concerns the product being ordered rather than an existing line.
OEM and ODM documentation questions
A distinct product needs documents as well as houses: drawings, descriptions, and any certificates or test records that apply, and the buyer should ask what documents accompany the product, in what form, and when they are delivered. A product delivered without its documents is hard to install, hard to maintain and hard to prove compliant, and the inquiry should treat documents as part of the product, not as an afterthought.
Drawings deserve a specific question: what drawings are provided, at what level of detail, and whether they can be changed after delivery. A buyer who needs drawings for installation, for approval or for future maintenance should say which purpose applies, because each purpose needs a different level of detail. Asking for drawings without stating the purpose may produce drawings that serve none of them well.
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