OEMs, meet the ODMs; the new boss isnít the same as the old boss
Tuesday, July 20, 2004 at 3:16AM ìPCs Arenít Just Made In Asia Now: Many Are Designed There,î by Lee Gomes, Wall Street Journal, 19 July, p. B1.
Yet another story about rising Asia in general and the notion that todayís ìdumbî manufacturers of our brilliant goods will soon be tomorrowís ìsmart but cheaperî design engineers.
I cite it only for the new acronym, which I love to collect. OEM means original equipment manufacturer. You can be an OEM and not be the true brains behind the product.
ODM means original design manufacturer, meaning you both design and build the product, even if it gets sold elsewhere under someone elseís nameólike Dell or Gateway or Apple or . . ..
Every once in a while an ODM steps out in the spotlight and demands the world recognize it as a brand name. Samsung was an ODM for many years, this article points out, but ìnow it rivals Sony as a global brand.î
Samsung may be one of the first to make this migration, but it wonít be the last.
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