Published 2026-10-21, updated 2026-10-21, by the Maclean team in Suzhou

OEM or ODM Floor Washers: Where a Small Brand Should Start

Short answer: Start with an existing model under your brand: your logo, body colour and colour box on a floor washer whose specs are already fixed. A new design needs new molds, so it takes longer and needs a bigger volume. Many Chinese factories, us included, call the first route OEM. In the strict meaning it is ODM or private label.

Buyers and factories use the words OEM, ODM and private label in different ways, so two quotes can both say OEM and mean different things. Below is how the three terms work for cordless floor washers, and how a small brand can start.

Three terms

Term	Who owns the design	What the buyer brings
OEM (strict meaning)	The buyer	Drawings and specifications, often the molds
ODM	The factory	Brand, colour and packaging, sometimes small changes
Private label	The factory or supplier	Brand and packaging

In China, many factories say OEM for any product made under the buyer's brand. We do too. On this website, OEM means your logo, body colour and colour box on one of our existing models. In the strict meaning above, that is ODM or private label. Before you compare quotes, ask each factory for a list of what is fixed and what you can change.

Route 1: your brand on an existing model

This is how we work. You choose a model, and we build it under your brand.

You change the logo (pad printing or hot stamping), the body colour and the colour box.
You choose the series and the body design. The GT8 series has 20 body designs and the GT9 series has 14. The designs in one series share the same specs.
The motor, battery, tanks, specs and container plan stay as they are.

Step	With us
Branded sample	10 days
First order	45 days of production
Repeat order	35 days of production

The specs are fixed, so most of your checking is on the branding and the sample. Our sample checklist lists what to test.

Route 2: a new design

A new design needs a new housing, and a new housing needs new molds. The molds have to be made and tested, and the new product has to pass its tests before the sample is final. This takes much longer than branding an existing model. The mold cost also has to be spread over enough units to make sense.

This route suits a brand that needs a shape no one else sells, has engineers to write the specification and plans volume over several years.

Side by side

Question	Existing model	New design
Time to a branded sample	10 days with us	Longer, the molds come first
Mold cost	None	Paid before the first order
Who owns the design	The factory	Agree this in your contract
What makes it yours	Logo, colour, colour box and your choice of design	Your own shape

Which route fits a small brand

For a first order, an existing model is the safer start. A first order on an existing model lets you test a market without paying for molds. You learn which colour and design sells, and a repeat order takes 35 days. If a product sells well for years and you need a shape of your own, a new design can come later.

How to stand out on an existing model

The usual worry is that a competitor sells the same product. On an existing model you still decide a lot:

Choose your design inside a series. Two GT8 buyers can pick two different bodies out of 20.
Choose your own body colour.
Make your colour box and your product photos your own.
Lead with features shoppers can see, like the GT9 LED display and voice prompts, or the GT6 850 ml clean water tank and edge brush.

Questions to ask any factory

When you say OEM, what can I change and what stays fixed?
How long does a branded sample take?
What is the MOQ per model, and can I put two models in one order?
Which of my changes add time to the order?

Our answers are on the OEM service page and in the FAQ. Before you write to us, see what to send for a quote.

More guides

Related products: all floor washers, OEM service.