One in a Million: The What, How and Why of Custom Built Computers
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OEM designers work hard to figure out the specifications necessary to realize their products through months of planning.
The next step is to try and create this new machine by looking for a manufacturer that offers an embedded system that fits their precise needs, a process that is sometime almost as challenging as designing the product in the first place. Furthermore, sometimes the design and what is available off the shelf simply don’t match up, necessitating the OEM to order custom built computers through a reliable OEM distributor.
The What and How of Custom Built Computers
The concept of custom built computers is quite easy to understand. Luckily, in today’s industrial market, they are easy to acquire if you can find the right OEM distributor.
Given all of the necessary specifications, a distributor can design and assemble a system to fit an OEM’s particular needs. Some OEMs may be stuck between a system that does not provide the necessary functionality and another that offers way too much, the latter driving up the price of the system unnecessarily. The newly designed product may be so unusual that nothing in the manufacturer’s catalogue matches the specifications.
By choosing to go to the custom built computers route, an OEM knows exactly what is in the embedded computer and can ask for special concessions that would normally be outside the boundaries of a manufacturer.
This way, OEMs benefit by being able to bring into existence what they have devised in theory; producing a unique system configuration that separates them from the competition.
Why Use Custom Built Computers?
The simple answer to this question is that an OEM gets exactly what they want for their product, but there are more factors involved.
Pricing Advantage – With More Control
An OEM may be able to save money by going the custom built computers route. The distributor and the OEM have more control over ensuring that the system has only what is necessary. While there is a fee for the service in the form of the non-recurring engineering charge, or NRE, in the grand scheme of the process it is not cost prohibitive.
An Adaptability Advantage
In addition to potential pricing advantages, the benefits of adaptability give a lot of credence to custom built computers. A distinctive paint job, silk screen logo, and custom part number give the OEM’s product its own unique stamp which intellectually protects the system from being offered by other companies.
Lastly, the distributor and OEM have more control over the end of life dates for the system, meaning that the custom built computer will not go obsolete for years to come.
Brian Luckman is the President of New Era Electronics. He has worked in the industrial OEM market for over 25 years, serving a variety of different industries, gaining a strong reputation for his expertise and a thorough understanding of how to properly service OEM customers. In 2000 he began New Era Electronics and the company continues to grow. He’s a husband and father and enjoys exploring the outdoors.
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