What's Your Answer?
Posting email or telephone info is not allowed in Q&A. If you want to include your contact info in your posts, please post in the Forums.
TIP: You can ask or answer questions anonymously whether or not you are a member of GlobalNet. But, if you log in and ask questions in your name you will receive email notices when someone answers your questions.
Know someone who can answer? Share a link to this question:
Looking for more? Browse the complete list of questions, help us answer unanswered questions.
I agree with James Di Burro that now a day many EMS act as ODM to develop the design with customer some customer will have ideas and let EMS help in the design so eMS became ODM from this case.
Answer by Anonymous at 4:36 pm PST on June 19, 2011
Concept of ODM originated in Taiwan and it was years ago that ODM was geographically-based (Taiwan). Then the higher margins for ODM work caught the attention of EMS providers who began doing ODM work. Some EMS did well (FLEX) some did not (SANM) and others stayed away from the more vertically-integrated model for as long as they could (JBL).
Nowadays, the line between pure EMS and pure ODM is somewhat blurred.
Its been much easier for EMS to take on ODM-type work, and succeed, than it has been for ODM to take on EMS type work and manage it well.
The primary difference between an EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Services) provider and an ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) is that the former group of companies typically avoid ownership of IP (Intellectual Property), while they latter group (ODMs) often retain some degree of IP ownership of the products they design, usually on behalf of an OEM.
ODMs tend to be stronger at product design capabilities than most EMS providers, and they tend to be located in low cost regions such as Taiwan and China. They also tend to focus on higher volume short life cycle products in the Consumer Electronics market, as opposed to EMS providers that typically support a much broader group of electronics OEMs. These differences aside, the line has been blurring for years between the two types of service organizations and there are a number of examples where the same company can act as both an ODM and an EMS Provider in different situations.