ODM FAQ
ODM PROJECTS
+ When should I start my ODM project?
Commence your ODM project and pay the NRE cost when you are satisfied with the level of detail in both your PRD and the ERD. Experienced clients with in-house engineering teams are highly detailed; they may skip the PRD and send us an ERD. Clients conducting exploratory work or product studies, may only arrive with a PRD. In general, being more detailed results in less surprises and a smooth timeline. Being less detailed creates more space for innovation, but also a more unpredictable timeline and cost structure.
+ What does ODM mean?
ODM means "original design manufacturer", which is a company that specialises in producing original designs for clients who are called "ODM customers". These designs may then be used to manufacture products for use by retail customers, businesses, the government and military.
+ What does PRD mean?
PRD means “Product Requirements Document” and should contain high-level information about the product which you intend to build. For example, it could contain the main features, and the user experience stories, labelled and prioritised from most to least important. It should be created with input from stakeholders across your company, as each stakeholder would have their unique requirements regarding your product. A holistic PRD ensures that your product will meet the requirements of both your company and your customers. For a guide on how to write a PRD (and more tips), see Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG).
+ What does ERD mean?
ERD means “Engineering Requirements Document”, and is usually written after the first-draft of your PRD. It contains technical details of your product's modules, their operating states, how they interact, the operating environment, required lifetime, obsolescence, and regulatory compliance. It also contains qualifying tests so that engineers can benchmark their designs against the ERD. The ERD will be written by Khadas and will also contain the estimated product BOM cost, timeline and other deliverables.
+ What does BOM mean?
BOM means "Bill Of Materials", which is a list of parts and materials used to build your product. The BOM is a useful tool to determine the raw material unit-cost of your product. However, it does not include other external costs incurred during your "product's life-time", such as the NRE, Certification, Manufacturing, Shipping, Import Taxes, Green Taxes, Warehousing, Retail, Customer Service, Warranty, and Disposal.
+ Are the PRD and ERD "finalised documents"?
During the development of your product, both the PRD and ERD will change when relevant feedback is collected from your project stakeholders, and the various development teams. When changes are made to the PRD and ERD, their impact on your timeline, costs and product quality must always be considered.
It will be useful to enforce "version control" for your PRD and ERD, with notes written down on why a particular change was made. Ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the decision, and that they are in agreement.
+ What does NRE mean?
NRE means "non-recurring engineering", which is a one-time payment made before the start of an ODM project. It can also be split into tranches, paid when a project reaches a certain milestone.
+ When do I need to pay the NRE cost?
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50% of the NRE must be paid before Stage 2 begins (Initial Prototype).
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30% must be paid before Stage 3 begins (Corrected Prototype).
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20% must be paid before Stage 4 begins (Final Prototype).
Manufacturing is a separate quote from the NRE.
+ Can you help us do certification (CE, ROHS, FCC) for our product?
Yes we can do this. If you have specified your target markets in your PRD (usually this is determined by your marketing + management + logistics teams), we can figure out what type of certification is required for the markets that you have specified.
Certification costs are not included in the NRE, and will be quoted separately.
+ I want to manufacture in my home country, may I have all the design files?
Design files used within your product could be the intellectual property of Khadas (Shenzhen Wesion Technology Co. Ltd.). We understand that some clients need to acquire our design files in order to manufacture their product at home, rather than abroad in China. We are able to transfer the design files (PCB layout, BOM list, Software, Documentation, Source Code, Factory SOP, etc) after the client has paid us a "Design Transfer Fee". This fee varies from project to project.
+ In addition to PCB design, do you also do product enclosure design and mechanical design?
We have professional designers who can do both Industrial and Mechanical Design for your product.
+ When was your company founded, and what do you specialise in?
Shenzhen Wesion Technology Co. Ltd. was founded in 2014. We focus mainly on developing, manufacturing and marketing Amlogic and Rockchip single board computers (SBCs) for ODM customers. We also have our own brand of single board computers, called the Khadas VIM and Khadas Edge.
MANUFACTURING
+ What are your minimum order quantities (MOQ)?
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In general, the required MOQ varies from product to product, and is related to the BOM cost.
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Trial Run: ~100 units
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Live Run: ~1000 units
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+ What are your quality control (QC) processes?
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Control all materials and do IQC (we have stable suppliers for each component).
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SMT factory will do full AOI: 1st round full-inspection of every board, focusing on PCBA functionality (We will write down the SOP for the factory).
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Conduct a 4 hour PCBA aging test (for some projects).
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If your product is assembled by us, we will conduct a 2nd round of testing. Qualifying tests would be specified within the ERD.
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Our QC engineers will do a third and final round of testing. Our partners may test more specialised aspects, e.g. Wi-Fi antenna electromagnetic profile.
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We recommend our clients to arrange for 3rd-party / in-house QC personnel to do their own QC of subjective variables, e.g. silkscreen colour printing, before commencement of packaging and shipment.
+ What does SOP mean?
SOP means "Standard Operating Procedure" which in our case often refers to the factory's SOP. The SOP enables the assembly line workers to produce your product in a timely and accurate fashion; by following a set of sequential steps (procedures), that aims to eliminate assembly error and redundant actions.
+ Do you design product packaging?
We have professional designers who can design product packaging for your products.
VISITING KHADAS
+ I have an ODM project in mind, and I am in China now. May I visit your company to discuss it?
Please email us at hello@khadas.com to arrange an appointment before-hand. Our company’s address is A511, Mingyou Purchasing Center, Baoyuan Road, Xixiang Street, Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China 518102. (Baidu Maps: 深圳市宝安区西乡街道劳动社区名优采购中心A座5层511房)
+ What are your local contact details?
Please email hello@khadas.com to schedule a meeting with us, and we will provide you with our local contact details, as well as assign a person to bring you around Shenzhen.
+ What are your office hours?
Opening Hours (Monday to Saturday): 9AM to 6PM (GMT +8, Beijing Time)
STAYING IN SHENZHEN
+ How can I get to your office from the airport?
Most visitors from overseas will arrive at Shenzhen Bao’An International Airport (深圳宝安机场). You can request for our staff to pick you up by car from the second-floor Departure Hall, Gate 4 to 8; ask the airport staff for instructions on how to go from the Arrival Hall to the second-floor Departure Hall.
+ Which hotel should I stay at?
There are only 2 hotels near our office that are able to accept foreign guests (automatic local police registration, acceptance of foreign credit/debit cards).
5-Minute Walking Distance:
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Avante Garde Hotel (前岸国际酒店), which is a 5-star accommodation. ~580 RMB/night.
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Wandu Traders Hotel (万都酒店), which is a 4-star accommodation. ~360 RMB/night.