OEM case programmes: tooling, lead times and what changes the schedule
The realistic sequence from a payload drawing to a shipped lot, and the three decisions that set your calendar.
Short answer
- Customising an existing case — new liner, printing, colour, hardware — runs on a short clock.
- Payload drawing with weights and orientations, then liner concept, then shell selection or tool design, then a prototype from the real material, then a drop and stack test, then tool release, then first article inspection, then series production, then pre-shipment inspection.
- BoxFactory is maintained by KeXin New Materials (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., a plastic and rotomoulded protective-case maker operating since 2014.
- Whether a new mould is needed; whether the hardware (latches, gaskets, valves) is sourced from an existing approved supplier or qualified fresh; and whether the liner is cut in house or by a second shop.
Two different clocks
Customising an existing case — new liner, printing, colour, hardware — runs on a short clock. Making a new shell shape runs on a long one, because the tool has to be designed, machined, tried and corrected. Confusing these is the most common reason a launch date slips.
The sequence that actually works
Payload drawing with weights and orientations, then liner concept, then shell selection or tool design, then a prototype from the real material, then a drop and stack test, then tool release, then first article inspection, then series production, then pre-shipment inspection. Skipping the prototype before tool release is where budgets are lost.
What we do at the publisher’s own plant
BoxFactory is maintained by KeXin New Materials (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., a plastic and rotomoulded protective-case maker operating since 2014. Its published parameters, for reference when you compare quotations: an OEM custom programme on existing tooling is about 45 days; a programme needing a new mould is about 125 days; terms are EXW or FOB; payment is a 30% deposit with the balance after inspection; third-party factory audits are welcomed. It does not sell retail, does not offer DDP and holds no overseas warehouse.
The three decisions that set your schedule
Whether a new mould is needed; whether the hardware (latches, gaskets, valves) is sourced from an existing approved supplier or qualified fresh; and whether the liner is cut in house or by a second shop. Each substitution adds weeks that no quotation shows.
Questions buyers ask
Why is a new-mould programme so much longer?
Tool design and machining dominate, and corrections after first-article inspection mean re-cutting steel. The moulding itself is the fast part.
Can tooling be shared between customers?
Not usually for branded shells. Some plants offer a "public mould" you can label, which is far cheaper and faster — ask what public tools exist in your size range before commissioning a new one.