ODM development — a new product built from your specification
When none of the 259 models we build is quite right. This page is the operating manual for an ODM programme: what we can change, what a new enclosure or a new function costs in NRE and tooling, the six gates from brief to mass production, and who owns the result.
To brand owners, product teams and distributors with a gap in their range,
Tittron — the B2B division of FlykanTech — invites you to bring us a product that does not exist yet. It can be as light as an existing platform in a different enclosure, or as heavy as a new function that no current model performs. Either way the path is the same: feasibility first, NRE and tooling quoted before you commit, then samples you can hold before a production slot is booked.
Most ODM enquiries are not new inventions. They are a housing that fits a rack, a port layout a competitor does not offer, or a function a channel keeps asking for. Because the electronics, the firmware, the tooling, the certification files and the packaging all sit inside one organisation, those changes can be engineered, quoted and built without assembling a supply chain from scratch.
Send us the problem the product has to solve — a drawing, a competitor reference, or simply the job description. We will come back with feasibility, the NRE figure and the date of the first sample.
The Tittron teamB2B division of FlykanTech · www.tittron.com
What the service actually solves
An ODM programme is the answer when customising an existing model is not enough. Instead of choosing from what we already build, you define the outcome — a different enclosure, a different port set, a function the catalogue does not cover — and we engineer towards it on top of platforms that are already in production.
That distinction matters commercially. Starting from a proven board and a proven firmware base keeps the engineering risk in a known place: the new work is the enclosure, the port layout and the function layer, not a full electronics design from zero. It is why a programme can reach a first sample in weeks rather than quarters, and why the NRE figure is a number we can quote up front rather than an estimate that grows.
You own the result. Tooling paid for by the programme is yours, the industrial design is yours, and production runs under an NDA with your specification held inside the plant that builds it.
The six gates from brief to mass production
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01
Brief and feasibility
Send the job the product has to do, the volumes, the target cost and the markets it must be certified for. We map it against the platforms already in production and say plainly which parts already exist and which have to be developed.
- Accepts a drawing, a competitor reference, a specification sheet or a paragraph of requirements
- We name the closest existing platform, so the scope of genuinely new work is visible from day one
- Feasibility comes back with a first view on cost, lead time and certification path
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02
NRE and tooling quotation
Engineering hours, tooling, moulds, fixtures and test jigs are quoted as a single NRE figure before anything is built, with the unit price at three volume bands alongside it. You can see what the programme costs to start and what it costs to run.
- One NRE line covering design, tooling, samples and test
- Unit price quoted at 500, 2,000 and 10,000 pieces so scaling is visible before you commit
- Tooling ownership stated in the quotation
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03
Industrial design and enclosure
Housing geometry, material, finish, colour and port layout are drawn and rendered for approval. Where the change is mechanical only, this is the whole of the new engineering work.
- 3D renders and dimensioned drawings for sign-off
- Material and finish options, including recycled ABS and aluminium where the programme needs it
- Rack, desktop, wall-mount and in-line form factors
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04
Engineering sample (EVT)
The first physical samples are built on soft tooling or machined housings so the mechanical fit, the port layout and the basic function can be judged in your own environment.
- Typically three to five units
- Shipped with a build report listing what is final and what still changes
- You test in your own setup — with your monitors, your hosts, your software
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05
Design validation and certification (DVT)
Samples from production tooling go through electrical, thermal and reliability testing, and the certification files for your target markets are prepared in parallel rather than afterwards.
- EMC, safety, thermal and drop testing against the markets you named
- CE, FCC, UKCA, RoHS and REACH files prepared on the validated build
- Firmware frozen to a released version before the certification build
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06
Tooling release and mass production
Hard tooling is released, first-article units are approved against the DVT reference, and the programme enters the production schedule with an agreed AQL and a dated first delivery.
- First-article report and photos before the run starts
- AQL agreed in writing; one inspection report per shipment
- Packaging, documentation and labelling produced in the same run
The numbers, at a glance
| Typical NRE | USD 3,000–25,000 depending on how much is genuinely new |
|---|---|
| First sample (EVT) | 4–8 weeks from design sign-off |
| Tooling and DVT | 6–10 weeks after EVT approval |
| First production run | 4–6 weeks after first-article approval |
| Minimum order quantity | 500 pieces for a developed model; 1,000 where new tooling is amortised |
| Tooling ownership | Yours — paid for by the programme, held and maintained at the plant |
| Intellectual property | Your industrial design and specification; platform IP stays with FlykanTech |
| Warranty | Two years, with EU and US service centres behind every unit |
The figures below are typical values. The quotation states the exact minimums, lead time and commercial terms for your specific programme.
What we actually do
Enclosures and tooling
New housings in ABS, PC or aluminium, from rack ears to in-line shells. Injection moulds, fixtures and test jigs are built and maintained in the same group that runs production.
Electronics on proven platforms
New functions developed on top of boards already in volume production — port sets, switching logic, power delivery and signal paths, with the new work scoped to what the programme actually needs.
Firmware for the new function
Default modes, USB identifiers, LED behaviour, boot behaviour and field update paths written for the developed model and released as a versioned build.
Certification on the validated build
EMC, safety and environmental testing run on the DVT units, with CE, FCC, UKCA, RoHS and REACH files prepared from that build rather than from a prototype.
Three ways programmes usually start
Existing platform, new enclosure
The electronics already exist; the housing, colour, port position and form factor are new. Lowest NRE, fastest to a first sample, and the shortest route to a model that looks like yours.
New function on an existing board
A capability the catalogue does not cover — a switching behaviour, a power mode, a control path — added to a platform already in production. Mechanical work is usually minor.
Ground-up development
New enclosure and new function together, with its own tooling and its own certification path. The longest route and the one that produces a model nobody else lists.
Who this invitation is for
Brand owners filling a range gap
A portfolio that needs a model the market keeps asking for and nobody supplies, built under your own name and your own industrial design.
Distributors wanting an own-brand line
Channel partners who already move volume and want a model that is theirs, without building an engineering organisation to get it.
System integrators with a fixed install
Installation environments where a standard housing or port layout simply does not fit, and the volume justifies developing the right one.
Market-specific requirements
Programmes that need a certification set, a voltage range or a port mix specific to one region, engineered once and then repeated.
The resources behind it
These sit inside the same organisation — that is why the work can be quoted, built and shipped as one programme.
In-house engineering
Mechanical, electronics and firmware engineers working on the same site as the production lines, so a design change does not cross a company boundary to be resolved.
Tooling and injection capacity
Mould design, mould making and injection moulding inside the group, which is why tooling lead times are quoted in weeks and tooling stays maintained between runs.
Certification library
Existing test reports, component certifications and market files that carry over to a developed model, so certification is an update rather than a start from zero.
Volume production and logistics
Once the model is released, it enters the same production, inspection, packaging and shipping system that handles 259 catalogue models — including DDP into the EU and the US.
Commercial terms
| NRE payment | Quoted as one figure; typically 50% at kick-off and 50% at EVT sample delivery |
|---|---|
| Quotation | Feasibility within three working days; full NRE and unit price quote within ten |
| Payment terms | T/T for first orders; terms reviewed once the programme is in repeat production |
| Samples | EVT and DVT units charged at cost and credited against the first production order |
| Confidentiality | NDA before the brief if you prefer — drawings, renders and specifications stay inside the group |
| Tooling | Owned by you, held at the plant, maintained free of charge while the programme runs |
| Exclusivity | A developed model can be held for your channel; terms discussed per programme |
| Warranty | Two years on production units, with EU and US service centres |
Standard terms for a first programme. Framework agreements, payment terms and exclusivity are open to discussion from the second order onwards.
What buyers ask first
How much of an ODM programme is genuinely new?
Usually less than people expect. Most programmes start from a platform already in volume production, so the new work is the enclosure, the port layout and the function layer. We tell you in the feasibility note exactly which parts already exist — that note is what makes the NRE figure trustworthy.
Do I own the tooling and the design?
Yes. Tooling paid for by the programme is yours and is stated as yours in the quotation. The industrial design and specification are yours; the underlying platform IP stays with FlykanTech, which is what keeps the engineering cost down.
Can the model be exclusive to us?
It can. A developed enclosure with your industrial design is naturally yours to hold, and for models where the electronics are shared we discuss channel or regional exclusivity as part of the programme terms, usually against a volume commitment.
What happens if the sample fails our testing?
The EVT build exists to be tested in your environment, and a failed EVT is a normal outcome rather than a problem. We issue a change list, rebuild, and re-sample. Production tooling is not released until DVT units pass against criteria agreed before the build.
What is the smallest ODM programme you will take?
Around 500 pieces for a developed model, and 1,000 where new tooling has to be amortised. Below that, OEM customisation of an existing model — colour, port layout, silk-screen — usually delivers the same shelf result for a fraction of the NRE.
Bring us the product that does not exist yet
Send the job it has to do, the volumes and the markets. You will receive a feasibility note, the NRE figure and the date of the first sample.