ODM Service
Our Promise
1. Communication
Approx: 1-2 weeks
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Project Overview
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Engineering Req. (ERD)
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Timeline & Deliverables
The communication stage is the first milestone in your ODM journey. Before meeting with Khadas, be sure to gather up all your project stakeholders (marketing, engineering, software, user-experience, design, sales, finance, logistics, customer service, etc) to write a Product Requirements Document (PRD).
Once your PRD is ready, you will be able to work with our professional engineers at Khadas to create an Engineering Requirements Document (ERD). The ERD will cover the technical aspects of your product, e.g. components, operating environment, obsolescence, performance, and lifespan. Bill-of-Materials (BOM) cost and the feasibility will also be estimated during the ERD planning stage.
Once your team agrees to the ERD, we will then map out the overall timeline and project deliverables. You will need to make 50% payment of the NRE (non-recurring engineering) cost before you can move on to stages 2 to 4.
2. Initial Prototype
Approx: 6-8 weeks
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70% Hardware
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20% Software
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10% Qualifying Tests
During the initial prototyping stage, our engineers will work in accordance with your ERD to design the heart and soul of your product; the Printed Circuit Board (PCB). 2 initial prototypes (Prototype I) will be manufactured and sent to you.
If your product involves industrial design (ID) of external components (e.g. cases, covers), this may be done before, simultaneously, or after the PCB design, dependent on your requirements. Once both the PCB and ID (Prototype I) are ready, basic software will be written by our software team, so that your team can study the prototype holistically.
During this stage, it is important for all of your stakeholders to give their feedback about Prototype I. Your feedback will be used to update the ERD before we move onto stage 3. Qualifying tests will focus on the main functionality of your product in accordance with the PRD and ERD.
3. Corrected Prototype
Approx: 6-8 weeks
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20% Hardware
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50% Software
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30% Qualifying Tests
Based on feedback given in stage 2, a new PCB and ID (Prototype II) will be designed for software development. It is important that we finalise most of the hardware architecture during stage 2, before moving on to stage 3.
The Prototype II hardware will be subjected to qualifying tests, such as accelerated aging, performance, vibration, temperature, drop, humidity, etc, that would have been specified earlier in the ERD.
With the hardware architecture 80% completed, our software team can then commence writing the bulk of the firmware and software for your product. If your team is writing the software, we would then handover Prototype II to your team.
Depending on the outcome of the qualifying tests or software development, we could either move onto stage 4, or revise Prototype II to more closely meet the requirements of the PRD and ERD.
4. Final Prototype
Approx: 6 weeks
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10% Hardware
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50% Software
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40% Certification Tests
The conclusion of your NRE project is with a final prototype (Prototype III) that combines both production-ready hardware and software. During this stage, hardware modifications should be minimal and software will be allowed continued improvement and revision.
As specified earlier within your ERD, the final prototype will also be sent to recognised external testing laboratories to undergo mandatory certifications such as CE, ROHS, and FCC.
Once your team is pleased with the result, you will receive the deliverables agreed upon earlier in the ERD. At the conclusion of this stage, you can decide to either receive your intellectual property, or place an order with us and move on to stage 5, manufacturing.
5. Manufacturing
Approx: 6 weeks
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1000 units MOQ
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DFM-Ready HW / SW
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Factory SOP + QC
Once hardware and software are in-sync and ready for release, we can begin stage 5. A minimum 100 unit trial run will be conducted to develop the factory's standard-operating-procedure (SOP) and design appropriate quality control (QC) methods.
After a successful trial, you may then decide to commit to a full run; minimum order quantity (MOQ) of 1000 units. You may assign your own in-house or 3rd-party QC personnel to our assembly line at this time.
It will be important for your QC personnel to pay attention to subjective variables such as serialisation and bar coding, silkscreen colour printing (lighting conditions in the factory will differ from your customer), English grammar and legibility, etc.
The manufacturing trial run will cover the testing of the following areas:
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Assembly line operating procedure (SOP)
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Quality control stations & testing hardware
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Product assembly accuracy, cycle time, ease, safety
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Software / firmware burning (e.g. MAC address)
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Packaging and serialisation
The manufacturing full run will be subject to the following terms:
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Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ):
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1000 pieces: > $50 unit price
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>1000 pieces: < $50 unit price
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May vary depending on your project requirements
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Payment Terms:
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T/T, 60% prepaid before manufacturing commences
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40% to be paid before packaging and shipment
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FOB Shenzhen Price
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FAQ
What is the approximate timeline?
Excluding manufacturing, most ODM projects take approximately 21 weeks to complete. This is also dependent on how often your PRD and ERD are revised.
Can I pay the NRE cost in tranches?
Yes you can. Most of our clients pay 50% upfront for stage 2, then 30% for stage 3, and finally 20% for stage 4. Do remember that manufacturing is a separate cost.
What is the fastest path to market?
The fastest path to market is to choose to modify our Khadas products to fit your requirements. Original designs could potentially take more time.
What are your common project deliverables?
1. Technical Documentation
2. Certification Documents
3. Qualifying Test Results
4. Product Tech. Specs.
...and many more.