What Can OEM Manufacturers Provide You With? A Closer Look

The OEM industry ships over 1.9 trillion dollars of goods every year, huge right? There are plenty of reasons this type of manufacturing is so popular.

OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) are an essential component of modern industrial production. Whether you’re considering a phone, car, or even your beauty products, chances are they contain OEM products inside them.

The majority of the things we use daily come with OEM parts. However, these enterprises primarily operate in the B2B sector. This means most consumers are unaware of their importance.

OEM manufacturers may save money and time. Third-party components allow a company to focus on its primary business. They no longer need to focus on each secondary or internal item.

If you want to learn more about OEM, read on.

What is an OEM, and How Does It Work?

Initially, the term Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) referred to a firm that sold equipment to another company for resale or incorporation into their equipment for sale.

The term “OEM” currently refers to a product obtained by a firm to reuse or incorporate into another product under the reseller’s brand name.

This could mean the entire product is from an OEM manufacturer. The end business simply labeled the product with its branding. Alternatively, the OEM parts are a few components inside a product.

The OEM is the firm that creates subsystems or components that other companies utilize to make the final product. For example, not all of the features in a Lenovo laptop computer are made by Lenovo. Some components, such as the CPU or memory module, may be the work of an OEM.

OEM manufacturers are not the same as value-added resellers or VARs. A VAR is a corporation or organization that purchases an OEM component, part, or product and either enhances or adds extra details. They do so to raise its value before selling it directly to customers.

VARs and OEMs collaborate. OEMs create sub-assembly parts for VARs to sell. Some OEMs produce entire things for VAR distribution, meaning they directly influence the final result.

For example, if your product can handle medical problems, a VAR may bundle it with other goods for health providers.

Why is OEM Important?

A manufacturer or reseller can cut expenses by cooperating with an OEM. Companies are not required to construct manufacturing facilities or manage OEM manufacturing in-house.

They incorporate OEM components from China, India, or other countries with cheap manufacturing.

Typically, the cost savings pass on to the client who purchases the bundled product or system.

Managing many products, systems, and providers may be difficult for the end-user. The technical support and maintenance model expands dramatically when an organization embraces new technology. There might be dozens of OEMs and third-party companies servicing their hardware products.

Companies can decide to involve a third party to connect with and maintain relationships with OEM manufacturers. This makes the process smoother. A consolidated support and service approach helps many firms decrease OEM and vendor complexity.

How is an OEM Product Developed, Partnered With, and Resold?

Before offering a product to end-users, businesses determine the best strategy to meet the demands of their consumers.

By collaborating with an OEM manufacturer, a company may:

• Decrease manufacturing investment
• Decrease production costs
• Decrease material expenses
• Obtain knowledge in product design
• Have a shorter production life cycle.
• Still develop products employing best-of-breed components
• Focus on branding

OEMs can add everything to the product and brand it with their logo. Other OEMs merely supply components and do not sell products under their name. However, many businesses do both.

These items are often available for purchase straight from the firm as well.

The OEM Manufacturer Sector

In the hardware sector, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is a firm that creates a product for end customers, such as a PC, laptop, or printer. Original equipment makers include Apple, HP, Dell, Canon, and Brother.

On the other hand, OEM hardware refers to the components that comprise the items mentioned above. It includes CPUs, fans, motherboards, memory chips, hard drives, and other features. Companies that manufacture these components offer them to OEMs as OEM hardware.

The hardware sector of the computer business is even more well-known for OEMs. Hard drives, graphics cards, and CPUs for retail goods are built by a small number of firms, with market leaders such as Intel dominating.

For example, hard drive manufacturers provide bare hard drives for OEM customers. they also provide retail hard drives that come in a box with peripherals such as cables and installation instructions.

OEM hardware is often less expensive than retail versions. However, there are certain drawbacks. Most OEM hardware lacks customer support. It also has limited guarantee terms and is not easily integrated with other components of whatever system you’re building.

DVD drives, for example, may be missing cables or ribbons that connect to the motherboard.

It is because OEM hardware is primarily built for resellers. Those manufacturers must include:

• Warranties
• Technical assistance
• Other components when constructing complete systems

Other OEM Physical Products

There are tonnes of other industries that OEM products. These include but aren’t limited to sectors such as:

Machined goods – OEM manufacturers can often build parts to scale, these can include things like shims, nuts and bolts, rotors, and other metal or plastic components for machinery.

Auto – Car companies do not build every single part of their car in their factories. They often use OEM manufactures for computer chips, audio components, door trims, etc.

Tools – Whether we are talking household or industrial tools, OEM parts are frequently used. Motors, drill bits, and casing are all examples of how tools use off-site manufacturing.

Household products – You may be surprised to find that many of your branded household products are actually OEM or contain OEM parts. Everything from pottery, to TVs and kitchen appliances, may use this industry to drive costs down. 

Beauty products – Many beauty companies do not make containers for their product, they often have them shipped in from an OEM manufacturer.

Musical instruments – Piano wires and guitar strings, tuning pegs, piano keys, and any other small part on musical gear are often OEM manufactured.

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) Provide Replacement Components and Spares

Some parts of all products are more prone to wear and tear than others. Companies frequently maintain a continual supply of vital spares on hand for their essential assets. These stockpiles get renewed regularly.

OEMs are the most outstanding providers of equipment parts and replacement components.

OEMs Provide Aftersales Assistance as Well as Maintenance and Repairs

On top of quality testing, certain OEM providers may also provide continuing maintenance services. They do so as part of an after-sales support package. When working with highly specialized equipment, the on-site maintenance personnel may lack the essential skills or instruments to perform the necessary maintenance tasks.

The maintenance contract determines the cost of these services.

Keep in mind that many OEM manufacturers do not offer all of the above services. Choosing vendors that do not provide enough documentation or a consistent supply of spares might raise your maintenance expenses and increase the risk of unplanned downtime. When selecting maintenance contractors, make sure you conduct your research.

OEM Vs. OE Parts

OE is an abbreviation for Original Equipment Manufacturing, the same as “OEM.” Both OE and OEM components are equivalent since they are manufactured following exact requirements. The only difference is that a different company manufactures the OE components.

Consider an OEM automobile component for a Mercedes made in-house by the firm. The OE variation of the same element might come from a Mercedes-licensed auto parts subcontractor, such as Hella Behr.

The genuine Mercedes logo will have the same build quality and dependability as the original product. OE spares are often less expensive than OEM spares.

OEM Vs. Aftermarket Parts

Aftermarket components are produced by firms that are not affiliated with the OEM. Various companies are active in manufacturing aftermarket replacements for OEM spares, particularly in the automobile sector. 

Moreover, aftermarket components have a lot of appeal since they may be up to 60% less expensive than OEM or OE parts. However, that cost comes with significant drawbacks regarding quality and dependability.

OEM/OE spares from various vendors will provide a comparable degree of dependability. However, you do not have this warranty with aftermarket components. There are many possibilities from obscure producers with wildly varying quality.

Some high-priced aftermarket solutions provide performance and durability equivalent to OEM parts. Unfortunately, this is an exception rather than the rule. The great majority of low-cost replacements have a short guarantee and are of poor quality.

It is preferable to use OEM/OE components for essential purchases.

How are OCM and OEM Parts Similar?

OCM components are another sort of named part that appears, particularly in foodservice maintenance. Components distributed through equipment manufacturer networks and authorized service providers are generally known as OCM (Original Component Manufacturer) or direct source parts. 

These are the identical parts used in the original equipment. It implies that referring to a component as an OCM part is practically synonymous with referring to it as an OEM or OE part.

OCM components are also known as original parts. In many circumstances, the term “original parts” refers to OER components (original equipment replacement parts) and may not be identical to OEM parts.

Why are OEM Products Less Costly?

OEM products are often less expensive due to economies of scale. Because the firm collaborates with others to produce huge quantities, both the price and the manufacturing time significantly decrease. 

When you buy a product from an OEM, you should always double-check what you’re buying. While the goods are less expensive and provide the same features and performance, you may not receive some “extras” such as tech support, generally handled by a retail business.

What are Genuine Parts?

Genuine components are typically leftovers from previous production runs. The OEM packages and resells them as replacement components.

Genuine replacement or genuinely made components vary slightly from genuine parts. Genuine replacement parts are typically available after a product’s production run. But they are not leftover components.

They are usually the same or equivalent to the original OEM components. Usually, they’re manufactured by the same OEM parts source.

Genuine replacement parts, in many aspects, are similar to any other spare parts. They are supplied by the maker of the original finished product. Even if they are not identical, they are more likely to be of the same quality as OE components.

Benefits of Purchasing OEM Products

There are some across-the-board benefits you will have when you buy OEMs. These include:

Good Quality

An OEM product is the same as the original manufacturer’s product. Although there are less expensive alternatives, the price of the OEM product reflects its quality.

Durability

Such things are often not just of high quality but also long-lasting. For example, when purchasing a spare tire, an OEM tire is usually preferable to an aftermarket tire since one can be sure of the materials utilized in its manufacture.

Lifespan

OEM parts often last longer than aftermarket parts. They are also designed to fit with the end product from the start.

Move Forward with OEM Manufacturers

Do you need manufacturing services but don’t know where to look? Relax! Our OEM platform Shield Works is here to help you get started.

Now that you know what OEM manufacturers do, check out the rest of our blog to learn more about how we can help your business. Or, get in contact with us today to get cracking on your manufacturing needs.