Private label and OEM, any category

Private label is a maker's existing product in your packaging and under your brand. OEM goes a step further: the product is made to your own specification, from material and size to colour and finish. In both cases a Japanese company does the making and you own the brand. I find the makers who take outside orders, ask them in Japanese and bring back their own figures in writing.

What can be made

Name imprinting (名入れ): your logo printed or stamped on a maker's existing product
Private label: the maker's product in your packaging and under your brand
OEM: a product made to your specification

How far it can be yours

Each step down adds setup work for the maker, and usually a larger minimum.

Name imprinting. Smallest commitment. The product is unchanged; only your logo is added.
Private label. Medium. The packaging is new, the product is not.
OEM. Largest. Setup costs (printing plates, dies, moulds) and a minimum lot apply.

Worth knowing first

Setup costs are yours. Anything made specifically for your product, such as a printing plate, a cutting or stamping die, a mould or a woven label pattern, is a one-off cost charged by the maker. Agree in writing who keeps it and whether it can be reused.

Minimums are the maker's. I do not publish typical minimums, because they vary widely between makers in the same trade. Many requests start as OEM and become private label once the real minimum is known.

Your market's rules. Labelling, safety and import rules in your country are yours to confirm. I bring back whatever documents the maker can supply.

Minimum lot, price and lead time

They are set by each maker and differ widely, so I do not publish typical figures. I bring back each maker's own minimum, unit price and lead time in writing, and tell you which change would bring the minimum down.

Guides for this category

Longer guide on my main site (in English): OEM manufacturing in Japan: how it works, what it costs and how long it takes