OEM / ODM FAQThe 18 questions buyers ask first

Mainly footwear brands, sports brands, medical device companies, military and police uniform suppliers, hardware and general retail, group buyers, live-commerce platforms and coach tour operators. More recently that has extended to long-term care and special education providers, crowdfunded start-ups, and companies buying employee welfare items.

What they have in common is needing more than "someone who can make it": they need a product that can be repeated reliably with a traceable specification. One-off personal customisation is outside what we do.

Insoles include flat, pressure-relief, cupped, 3D arch support, graphene and various functional constructions. Beyond insoles we make outsoles, functional pillows, graphene eye masks and yoga mats.

Functionally that spans cushioning, support, pressure relief, moisture management, breathability, deodorising and far infrared. To be precise: these are directions of material and structural design; actual performance figures for a finished product must be established by testing.

Yes. We supply shoe factories regularly, shipping to their last, size run and packing specification. Insoles can be packed for retail sale or supplied loose for fitting, and both can sit on the same order.

Chiefly EVA, PU, natural latex, PU foam, memory foam, silicone, SEBS, leather and cowhide facings, multi-functional composites and recycled lower-carbon materials. In addition we hold our own TakeSoft patented green latex and graphene composites.

There is no universally correct material; it follows the claim and the price band. The trade-offs are set out in the comparison table on Insole OEM / ODM.

Four layers: selecting certified material sources, holding production standards and process parameters, full inspection and periodic testing, and running the line to a quality management system.

Insoles and outsoles are used as a pair, so our inspection compares by pair and by batch rather than sampling individual parts — left-right asymmetry and hardness drift between batches rarely show on a single-part check but land directly in customer complaints.

Not by quoting a material supplier or a paper. A material-level conclusion is not your finished product's performance. To publish an antibacterial rate, a deodorising claim or a slip rating, the finished item has to be tested by the corresponding standard method — AATCC 100 or ISO 20743 for antibacterial work, for example — and the method stated.

Physiological effects attributed to far infrared remain a research topic, and consumer goods must not make therapeutic claims. We can supply process and material information to support your submission.

Yes, gladly. Where an existing pattern fits we can ship a stock sample immediately; where the part has to be made to your specification it enters the sampling process, with cost and lead time assessed against complexity.

Yes. Custom work runs in four stages: requirement discussion, design confirmation, sampling, production, each with defined items to sign off so a mismatch in understanding does not surface late.

In practice the most efficient starting point is an existing product you want improved. Feel and firmness described in words carry a lot of error; handling a physical part settles it in one step.

Yes. A sketch, a reference product, an intended function or a market position is enough for us to work out materials, structure and a development route. It helps to have thought about three things: the use case, how long the product is worn at a time, and the target retail price. Those three largely settle the material direction and whether tooling is needed.

Yes. We continue the original shoe mould making and footwear design business and develop tooling against the product form and production conditions, covering outsole, insole, slipper, rubber, injection and other footwear moulds.

Tooling cost follows material, size run, cavity count and structural complexity, and a shoe normally needs the full size run, which is where most of the cost sits. Our usual advice is to validate the market on an existing mould first and invest in tooling once the line is confirmed to sell.

Yes, assessed against product type and specification; quantity, cost and timing come back once the requirement is confirmed. For a start-up we generally suggest testing the market on an existing pattern with no new tooling, keeping the budget for marketing validation and investing in moulds once sales are established.

OEM means you already hold a complete specification and we manufacture to it. ODM means joint development from product planning, material and structure onwards.

The deciding question is whether your team can already translate a functional claim into a producible formulation and set of structural parameters. If not, ODM avoids a great deal of wasted iteration.

It depends on the product and the degree of customisation, principally on whether a new pattern or mould is required. An existing pattern with no new tooling has the lowest threshold; a custom part carries a higher MOQ so the tooling can amortise. Talk to our sales team for the specific case.

Generally 1–2 weeks for samples and 30–60 days for production. Where tooling is required, mould making and first shots are counted separately and are usually the longest single element. Exact timing is confirmed with our sales team.

Contact our sales team for a quotation. Quotations normally exclude freight, which is calculated separately against the shipping method and destination.

To get a quotation right first time, provide: intended use, target sizes, a reference sample or drawing, target quantity and launch timing.

Bank transfer among other methods. Terms are usually 40% deposit on order confirmation and 60% before delivery, with the specifics agreed against order value and the working relationship.

Contact our sales team promptly. Depending on progress, some changes will affect the production schedule and the cost; once an order has entered production it cannot be cancelled, because material has been issued and line time committed.

Both can be arranged. Freight is calculated on the shipping method, weight and destination. For products such as pillows where volumetric weight exceeds actual weight, how they are packed feeds directly into freight per unit and is worth discussing during planning.

Contact our sales team at any point. We provide production updates and shipment tracking on a regular basis so the status of the order is never a mystery.

Contact us within 7 days of receipt with a detailed description and photographs. We will investigate and agree the remedy with you against the actual circumstances.

Yes. You are welcome to contact the engineering team at any point during a project to discuss product design, process and technical questions. For judgements about structure or material, speaking to the engineers directly is usually more efficient than relaying through sales.