An OEM programme means you specify and we build to your drawing. An ODM programme means we design around your requirement and you sell the result. Both are legitimate, and choosing correctly saves months. This is how a programme actually runs at PLZTECH, stage by stage, so that you know what is expected of you and what you will receive.
Stage 1 — the brief
A useful brief is short: application, target market, the Starlink kit it must work with, dimensions or capacity you need, the certification territory, an indicative quantity, and the target price. If you do not have dimensions, describe the application instead and let engineering propose them. The most valuable thing in a brief is not the spec but the constraints — a case that must fit a specific locker, a mount that must fit a 60 mm pole, a supply that must run from 24V vehicle systems. Send us one photograph and one constraint and the design work becomes far more productive.
Stage 2 — feasibility and quotation
We come back with an engineering assessment, an indicative price band, the tooling requirement if any, the certification route for your target market, and the lead time. If a requirement cannot be met, you will hear that at this stage rather than after the tooling is cut. This is the point where the price becomes real, and the point at which the volume assumption gets tested against the tooling amortisation.
Stage 3 — engineering and pre-production sample
For ODM we propose a design and issue drawings; for OEM we work to yours. Either way the output is a pre-production sample, and it is the moment for the detailed review. Check fitment against the real Starlink kit, not a model. Check the cable routing and the strain relief, the label position, the fasteners, the finish under a light, and the connector mating. Fix everything on the sample, because changes after approval cost real money.
Stage 4 — tooling and artwork
For custom plastic or metal parts, tooling follows sample approval. Ownership and amortisation terms are documented at this point. Artwork — logo, label, packaging — is typically prepared in parallel, and we will print a proof on the actual substrate, because ink on paper and ink on a matte carton do not match and the difference shows under a marketplace photo.
Stage 5 — pilot run
A pilot run of 20 to 100 units is produced on the real line, with the real operators, using production tooling. It exists to find the problems that only appear in volume: fixture wear, cycle time, operator technique, panel gaps. It is also the only way to see realistic variance, and it gives you a sample set drawn from the same process as the production run rather than a hand-built prototype.
Stage 6 — mass production
Production runs against the approved sample, with in-process checks at defined stages. We send line photographs and a short progress video during the run so that you are not waiting in the dark for six weeks. Any deviation from the approved sample requires a written change note and your approval before it is implemented — this is the control that prevents "it looks slightly different" disputes at the shipping stage.
Stage 7 — QC and documentation
Final inspection runs to a defined AQL level with a written report and photographs, and the shipment file goes out before the container is sealed. That file should contain the inspection report, the packing list, the carton marks, the compliance documentation for the exact models shipped, the batch or serial record and the test reports. This is the file that supports your own compliance obligations and answers marketplace queries. PLZTECH sends it as one package; you should expect that from any factory that intends to be audited.
Stage 8 — shipping and aftercare
We quote FOB, CIF or DDP depending on your preference, and we are happy to arrange the freight or to hand the container over to your forwarder. After delivery, the account stays open: reorder against the same specification, and the production line is set up for it. That continuity is the actual value of an OEM relationship — the second order should cost you less engineering effort and less risk than the first.
Start the conversation
Send the brief, even if it is two paragraphs and a photograph. We will tell you honestly whether it is a good project, what it will cost, and how long it will take. If the honest answer is that your volume does not justify custom tooling, we will say that and show you what a semi-custom route would look like instead.