Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) is the role played by a company that designs, brands, and sells a finished product to end customers, typically integrating components and sub-assemblies sourced from a multi-tier supplier base. In PLM contexts the OEM is the apex of the supply chain — it owns the master product definition, drives change orders down to suppliers, and aggregates compliance evidence (REACH, RoHS, conflict minerals) up the chain.

What it covers

• Product definition ownership — engineering BOM, drawings, specifications, change records.
• Supplier orchestration — tier-1/2/n part numbers, dual-sourcing, qualification.
• Brand-level compliance — placing on market, declarations of conformity, recalls.
• Aftermarket — service parts catalogue, warranty, technical publications.
• Counterpart roles — contract manufacturer (CM), design house, ODM, tier-1 supplier.

Relationships (see sidebar)

• Supports the Supplier Development, Supplier Quality Management, and New Product Introduction processes.
• Pairs with the Approved Manufacturer List and Approved Vendor List data objects that the OEM curates.
• Common alternative roles: ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) and CM (Contract Manufacturer) — distinguished by who owns the design IP.