OEM/ODM Rack Manufacturing: Drawing to Container

What OEM means in practice

OEM, or original equipment manufacture, means the product carries your branding, your packaging and often your design, while we handle the frame, the fixtures, the finishing and the export packing. It is how a large part of the foodservice equipment sold in North America reaches the market, and it is a normal way of working for us rather than a special project.

Step one: the drawing or the sample

Every OEM project starts with one of three inputs: a dimensioned drawing, a physical sample, or a specification note describing pan size, capacity and environment. A drawing is fastest. A sample is the most unambiguous, because we can measure the tube gauge, the shelf pitch and the caster plate exactly. A specification note works well when combined with a photograph of the product you want to improve on.

Step two: sample and approval

We build a pre production sample and send photographs, a dimension report and a video of the rack in use. If the project is complex or the order is large, we ship the sample so you can load it with your own pans and check it against your proofer and oven. Nothing goes into production until the sample is approved in writing.

Step three: tooling and first article

Most welded aluminum and stainless racks need jigs rather than expensive hard tooling, which keeps the tooling cost modest and the lead time short. Where a custom extrusion, a bent profile or a plastic part is required, we quote tooling separately with its own lead time. A first article inspection follows, and the approved first article becomes the reference for the whole order.

Step four: production and inspection

• Incoming checks on tube wall thickness and alloy grade.

• Jig based welding so every frame leaves the fixture square.

• Shelf seating checks on every unit, not only on samples.

• Caster rotation and brake function tested before packing.

• Load testing on sample units from each production run.

• Coating thickness checks where frames are powder-coated.

• pre-shipment inspection with photographs before the container is loaded.

Step five: packing and container loading

This is where an OEM project either protects your margin or eats it. Bulky metal products are charged on volume, so we produce a container loading plan before you book freight. We can ship assembled, partially nested or knock-down flat-packed, and we can supply a loading plan that shows exactly how many units fit and where the remaining space can be used.

What you can customize

• Tube gauge, frame height, width and shelf spacing.

• Caster brand, wheel material, diameter and brake configuration.

• Pan stops, handles, hooks and optional accessories.

• Frame color, anodised finishes and powder coating.

• Your logo on the frame, the carton and the assembly drawing.

• Retail packaging, master carton dimensions and barcode labels.

• Assembly instructions and a model specific assembly video.

Protecting your design

Customers often ask how their design is protected. We do not sell a customer design to another buyer, and we do not publish photographs of private label goods without permission. Where a customer holds a registered design or a patent, we mark the tooling accordingly and keep it dedicated to that customer. If you need a written agreement about confidentiality and design ownership, we are happy to sign one before sampling.

Lead times and quantities

Lead time depends far more on tooling and sample rounds than on production speed. Once a sample is approved and material is in-house, production of a container load is normally measured in weeks rather than months. Minimum order quantities are set by the packing method: knock-down flat packing makes smaller trial orders viable, because a modest quantity still fills a workable share of a container.

Start with a drawing

IEQUIPMENT CO., LTD. has manufactured aluminum and stainless steel racks, enclosed cabinets and material handling equipment in Jiaxing, China since 2006, with more than 90 percent of output exported to North America. Send a drawing, a sample photograph or your pan size and capacity target, and we will return a proposal with tooling, sample timing and an indicative container loading plan.

Talk to Our Team

Building or sourcing racks, shelving or carts for your operation? IEQUIPMENT supplies aluminum and stainless steel equipment as OEM, ODM and knock-down (KD) programs, shipped in containers from Shanghai or Ningbo (FOB/CIF). Browse our bun pan racks or contact our team with your spec.