中国制造企业全球化新路径：从OEM代工到供应链合作伙伴

OEM代工不会消失，但只依靠生产差价的制造企业会持续面临价格压力。

更可持续的升级路径通常包含三个阶段：

1. OEM产品制造商： 按要求稳定生产并交货；
2. 解决方案供应商： 参与设计、材料、测试和量产优化；
3. 供应链合作伙伴： 管理二级供应商、库存、区域交付与售后结果。

升级的本质不是增加更多免费服务，而是承担客户愿意付费、企业能够持续兑现的更高价值责任。

Deloitte对制造业服务化的分析指出，制造商正在从单纯销售产品转向提供服务、订阅或按使用付费的模式。但服务化也要求企业重新设计商业案例、生态伙伴和风险分配。

第一阶段：OEM产品制造商

OEM企业主要负责：

• 接收图纸或产品要求；
• 报价与打样；
• 原材料采购；
• 生产与检验；
• 按合同和贸易条款交货。

核心竞争指标是：

• 产品价格；
• 质量稳定性；
• MOQ；
• 生产周期；
• 产能与基础出口能力。

主要风险

• 产品同质化后持续被压价；
• 客户掌握设计、渠道与终端数据；
• 供应商替换成本较低；
• 销售增长依赖更多订单，而非更高客户价值。

OEM模式仍适合标准化产品和客户能力完整的项目。问题不在于“做OEM”，而在于企业是否只有OEM能力。

第二阶段：解决方案供应商

解决方案供应商会更早参与：

• 可制造性分析；
• 材料选择与替代；
• 结构、公差与零部件优化；
• 模具和工装设计；
• 样品与可靠性测试；
• 认证配合；
• 包装与运输优化；
• 量产爬坡和年度降本。

其核心价值是减少客户从设计到稳定量产的时间和风险。

客户为什么愿意付费？

• 减少后期改模和返工；
• 缩短产品上市周期；
• 降低材料与装配成本；
• 提高量产一致性；
• 减少多家技术供应商之间的协调。

必须明确的责任边界

• 谁批准设计与工程变更；
• 模具、图纸和改进方案归谁所有；
• 替代材料是否需要重新测试或认证；
• 开发失败后的费用如何分担；
• 供应商建议造成的风险由谁承担。

第三阶段：全球供应链合作伙伴

供应链合作伙伴可能进一步承担：

• 关键二级供应商筛选与管理；
• 多工厂协调与最终装配；
• 安全库存和需求预测；
• 海外仓与区域配送；
• 备件、维修和退换货；
• 合规文件与版本维护；
• 产品生命周期和停产管理。

此阶段更适合：

• 产品结构复杂；
• SKU较多；
• 需要持续补货；
• 客户供应链团队较小；
• 多国家销售；
• 售后和备件重要；
• 供应商切换成本较高。

三种模式的能力差异

企业升级前必须回答的五个问题

1. 客户是否真正需要？

不要因为行业流行就建设海外仓或售后团队。先确认客户的问题、愿意支付的价值和需求持续性。

2. 企业是否具备数据能力？

供应链服务需要连接订单、BOM、质量、库存、物流和售后。如果这些数据仍依赖个人，服务承诺很难稳定兑现。

3. 新服务如何收费？

常见方式包括：

• 产品开发费；
• 工程和模具费；
• 项目管理费；
• 供应链管理费；
• 仓储物流费；
• 售后服务费；
• 年度服务合同；
• 与KPI挂钩的绩效费用。

4. 资金和风险是否可承受？

海外库存、账期、备件和售后会增加资金占用。企业应测算最坏情景，而不是只看新增收入。

5. 责任边界是否写入合同？

库存所有权、认证责任、退货、召回、数据、知识产权和二级供应商透明度必须明确。

渐进式升级方法

第一步：选择一个重点客户

优先选择合作稳定、问题明确且愿意共同改进的客户。

第二步：增加一项可收费服务

例如：

• DFM工程评估；
• 供应商整合；
• 备件计划；
• 区域安全库存；
• 质量数据报告。

第三步：设定KPI

可使用：

• 产品开发周期；
• 首次检验合格率；
• 准时交付率；
• 缺货率；
• 库存周转天数；
• 售后响应时间；
• 中断恢复时间。

第四步：验证商业结果

同时验证客户收益、企业毛利、资金占用和运营风险。结果可复现后，再扩展到其他客户与市场。

常见问题

所有制造企业都应升级为供应链服务商吗？

不需要。标准化产品、低售后需求或交易型客户可能更适合高效率OEM模式。

中小工厂可以升级吗？

可以。中小企业更适合从单一工程、质量、备件或库存服务开始，而不是一次覆盖全链条。

建海外仓是否是升级的必要条件？

不是。海外仓只是区域交付工具之一。需求不稳定、SKU过多时，海外仓可能增加积压和税务风险。

服务收入一定比产品利润高吗？

不一定。服务如果没有标准流程、定价和责任边界，可能增加工作量却降低利润。

结论

从OEM升级的本质，不是改变企业名称，也不是承诺“全链条服务”，而是从完成生产任务，逐步转向承担客户开发、交付或运营结果的一部分。

最稳健的路径是：先解决一个真实问题，建立一种可收费服务，用KPI证明价值，再逐步扩大责任范围。

参考来源

• Deloitte：Servitization—an increasing trend driving manufacturing sales
• Deloitte Insights：Aftermarket services and outcome-based manufacturing models

OEM manufacturing won't disappear, but manufacturers relying solely on production margins will continue to face price pressure.

A more sustainable upgrade path typically involves three stages:

1. OEM Product Manufacturer: Maintaining stable production and delivery as required;
2. Solution Provider: Involved in design, materials, testing, and mass production optimization;
3. Supply Chain Partner: Managing Tier 2 suppliers, inventory, regional delivery, and after-sales outcomes.

The essence of upgrading is not adding more free services, but rather taking on a higher value responsibility that customers are willing to pay for and that the company can consistently deliver.

Deloitte's analysis of servitization in manufacturing (https://www.deloitte.com/ch/en/Industries/industrial-construction/perspectives/servitization-an-increasing-trend-driving-manufacturing-sales-in-switzerland.html) points out that manufacturers are shifting from simply selling products to providing services, subscriptions, or pay-as-you-go models. However, servitization also requires companies to redesign their business cases, ecosystem partners, and risk allocation.

Phase One: OEM Product Manufacturer

OEM companies are primarily responsible for:

• Receiving drawings or product requirements;
• Quoting and prototyping;
• Raw material procurement;
• Production and inspection;
• Delivery according to contracts and trade terms.

Core competitive indicators are:

• Product price;
• Quality stability;
• MOQ;
• Production cycle;
• Production capacity and basic export capabilities.

Major Risks

• Continued price pressure due to product homogenization;
• Customers possess design, channel, and end-user data;
• Lower supplier replacement costs;
• Sales growth relies on more orders, rather than higher customer value.

The OEM model remains suitable for standardized products and projects with complete customer capabilities. The issue is not "doing OEM," but whether the company only has OEM capabilities.

Phase Two: Solutions Provider

Solution providers will be involved earlier:

• Manufacturability analysis;
• Material selection and substitution;
• Structural, tolerance, and component optimization;
• Mold and tooling design;
• Sample and reliability testing;
• Certification cooperation;
• Packaging and transportation optimization;
• Production ramp-up and annual cost reduction.

The core value is reducing the time and risk for customers from design to stable mass production.

Why are customers willing to pay?

• Reduced mold modifications and rework;
• Shorter product launch cycle;
• Reduced material and assembly costs;
• Improved mass production consistency;
• Reduced coordination among multiple technology suppliers.

Clearly Defined Boundaries of Responsibility

• Who approves design and engineering changes;
• Who owns the molds, drawings, and improvement plans;

Does alternative material require retesting or certification?

• How are costs shared in the event of development failure?
• Who bears the risks arising from supplier recommendations?

Phase Three: Global Supply Chain Partners

Supply chain partners may further assume the following responsibilities:

• Key Tier 2 supplier selection and management;
• Multi-factory coordination and final assembly;
• Safety stock and demand forecasting;
• Overseas warehousing and regional distribution;
• Spare parts, repair, and returns/exchanges;
• Compliance documentation and version maintenance;
• Product lifecycle and discontinuation management.

This phase is more suitable for:

• Complex product structure;

Numerous SKUs;

Requires continuous replenishment;

Small customer supply chain teams;

Sales in multiple countries;

After-sales service and spare parts are critical;

High supplier switching costs.

Capability Differences Among the Three Models

Five Questions Your Enterprise Must Answer Before Upgrading

1. Does the customer truly need it?

Don't build overseas warehouses or after-sales teams just because it's popular in the industry. First, confirm the customer's problems, the value they are willing to pay, and the sustainability of their needs.

2. Does the company possess data capabilities?

Supply chain services require connecting orders, BOM, quality, inventory, logistics, and after-sales service. If this data still relies on individuals, service commitments are difficult to consistently deliver.

3. How are new services charged?

Common methods include:

• Product development fees;
• Engineering and mold fees;
• Project management fees;
• Supply chain management fees;
• Warehousing and logistics fees;
• After-sales service fees;
• Annual service contracts;
• Performance fees linked to KPIs.

4. Is the capital and risk manageable?

Overseas inventory, payment terms, spare parts, and after-sales service increase capital tied up. Companies should calculate worst-case scenarios, not just look at new revenue.

5. Are liability boundaries written into the contract?

Inventory ownership, certification responsibilities, returns, recalls, data, intellectual property, and transparency with second-tier suppliers must be clearly defined.

Progressive Upgrade Approach

Step 1: Select a Key Client

Prioritize clients with stable partnerships, clearly defined issues, and a willingness to collaborate on improvements.

Step 2: Add a Paid Service

Examples:

• DFM engineering assessment;
• Supplier integration;
• Spare parts planning;
• Regional safety stock;
• Quality data reporting.

Step 3: Set KPIs

Can be used:

• Product development cycle;
• First-pass yield;
• On-time delivery rate;
• Stockout rate;
• Inventory turnover days;
• After-sales response time;
• Disruption recovery time.

Step 4: Validate Business Results

Simultaneously validate client revenue, company gross profit, capital tied up, and operational risks. Once results are reproducible, expand to other clients and markets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should all manufacturing companies upgrade to supply chain service providers?

No. Standardized products, low after-sales needs, or transactional clients may be better suited to a high-efficiency OEM model.

Can small and medium-sized factories upgrade?

Yes. SMEs are better suited to starting with single engineering, quality, spare parts, or inventory services, rather than covering the entire supply chain at once.

Is building overseas warehouses a necessary condition for upgrading?

No. Overseas warehouses are just one of the regional delivery tools. When demand is unstable or there are too many SKUs, overseas warehouses may increase inventory buildup and tax risks.

Is service revenue always higher than product profit?

Not necessarily. Without standardized processes, pricing, and clear boundaries of responsibility, services may increase workload but reduce profits.

Conclusion

The essence of upgrading from OEM is not changing the company name or promising "full-chain service," but rather gradually shifting from completing production tasks to taking on a portion of the client's development, delivery, or operational outcomes.

The most prudent path is: first solve a real problem, establish a chargeable service, demonstrate value with KPIs, and then gradually expand the scope of responsibility.

References

• Deloitte: Seritization—an increasing trend driving manufacturing sales
• Deloitte Insights: Aftermarket services and outcome-based manufacturing models