If you want to sell butane gas torches with your own brand identity, you may be considering your options for OEM or ODM butane gas torch manufacturing. In this article we’ll explain the differences between OEM and ODM manufacturing services, and what to expect. This will help you decide between OEM and ODM manufacturing to get the best results for your butane gas torch brand.
Does the OEM designer own the IP of their OEM butane gas torches?
An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of branded butane gas torches usually designs their own products, so an OEM butane gas torch is normally designed by the company that is selling it under their own brand identity. An OEM brand may design and manufacture their own gas torches in their own facility or outsource part or all of the manufacturing process.
It is normal for OEM brands to hire gas torch specialists to make their products to reduce costs and to benefit from the manufacturing, quality control and logistics expertise of an experienced product manufacturer. The key point of OEM manufacturing is that the brand usually is the owner of the IP and is the source of the product design.
The definition of an OEM manufacturer can be confusing
The term OEM manufacturer can cause confusion because it is often used to describe the business manufacturing the gas torch, even if they are not the designer and owner of the IP. To clarify this, the OEM brand usually owns the design and IP for the product, even if they outsource the manufacturing, and this makes them responsible for product certification, compliance and safety.
- OEM designs take time to develop, prototype, test & certify
- Product development, design and legal risks are the responsibility of the brand
- OEM is a good choice for standard, popular & innovative designs
- The OEM brand has control over the IP of their design
OEM butane gas torches will have features that are common to many butane gas torch designs, including the fuel reservoir, ignition and flame control systems. OEM designers need to ensure that their design avoids infringing on existing patents and the gas torch can meet the safety standards required for the intended market.
OEM designs take time to develop
The need to produce original OEM designs or obtain licensing for patented elements as well as the necessity to ensure that your design is safe and has the desired functionality requires research, prototyping and testing. This means that OEM designs take time and resources to produce.
OEM designers own the IP for their product
The owner of the IP is also responsible for all costs and risks of development. A benefit of OEM design is control over IP, so if you have an original design that is popular you are able to maximize your return on investment, but you also have to manage any ownership related risks.
How is ODM butane gas torch manufacturing different from OEM?
The difference between ODM butane gas torch manufacturing and OEM comes from who develops and owns the design. An original design manufacturer (ODM) manufacturer has a catalog of designs based on their own IP that they manufacture for other businesses to sell. Many butane gas torch brands have ODM partners who manufacture their branded products, and there are some very good reasons to do this.
- ODM butane gas torches can be rapidly put on the market with your branding
- All research, design, development & manufacturing risks stay with the ODM manufacturer
- The butane gas torch is customized to match your brand styling
- IP is owned by the ODM company that created it
- Initial discussions usually include MOQ, pricing & supply chain lead times
As a brand manager, if you use ODM to make your products you don’t need to maintain research and development or design departments, and don’t need your own manufacturing facilities. Branding an existing design by an ODM service provider eliminates development costs and gives you access to tested, certified, market-ready products much more quickly.
Ownership of an ODM butane gas torch design stays with the original designer, who is usually the manufacturer, but ODM can also be a pathway to employ experienced design engineers to develop your original design and your IP to your specifications, in which case IP may be retained or shared.
The ODM manufacturer has already done their research, design, prototyping, testing and certification, so to put the product on the market the conversation with the ODM service provider can be as simple as branding related customization of colors, logo, printing and packaging as well as minimum order quantity (MOQ), pricing and lead times.
How to choose between ODM & OEM butane gas torch manufacturing
Remember that outsourced OEM butane gas torch manufacturers are contracted to manufacture your product to your exact design. If there are any problems with your design, or if issues emerge with IP, certification or safety that you had not foreseen then the entire cost of this may become your responsibility as the owner of the design.
- Problems with OEM design, engineering, safety & certification are your responsibility
- Problems in ODM design, engineering, safety & certification are the responsibility of the fabricator
- Your own IP is used for OEM manufacturing
- ODM products are made for you under licence by the owner of the design
- ODM products can be customized to match your brand identity
With ODM gas torch manufacturing, most responsibility for errors in design, engineering, manufacturing or certification stays with the manufacturer. The balance between the two is that with ODM manufacturing the product is made for you under licence and you do not usually own the IP or design. This means you will pay a royalty or other consideration to the ODM designer to use their design. ODM is a low-risk method of entering the butane gas torch market compared to OEM manufacturing.
Iroda manufactures all types of OEM & ODM butane gas torch
Iroda is a very experienced ODM and OEM manufacturer of butane gas torches, with an extensive library of our own designs as well as a long history of partnerships to develop new products with OEM brands. Our own products are certified for global markets and include the innovative IP that we have developed over decades of research and development.
- Culinary & soldering torches
- Blowtorches
- High power heat guns & gas torches
If you are an established gas torch business with pre-existing, certified, designs then OEM manufacturing is the logical choice, but you can avoid the cost and responsibility of running your own production facility by working with us to manufacture your OEM design or develop novel ODM products.
If you are seeking to outsource your OEM butane gas torch manufacturing then it is sensible to pick a manufacturer who has extensive ODM experience, as this is an indicator of engineering and design expertise that will improve the quality of manufacturing. Contact us to find out more about our cost effective, high quality OEM & ODM services.
