ODM/OEM創新的兩難與解答

Abstract

個人電腦技術引發PC世代，開啟全球PC市場。為推動此一技術發展，包括有遠見的技術者、市場情報分析者、產業顧問與專利專家齊聚一堂。為了達到市場需求，產銷供應鏈被拆解為設計，製造，品牌與銷售渠道。在此一產業鏈中，ODM/OEM已成為一個通用常見的組合，ODM負責將概念性的規格，調適到可量產的程度，而OEM則負責製造的部分。回顧PC產業興起初期，台灣ODM在將概念規格轉換為量產產品上，扮演重要的角色，高度主導設計決定權以及製造流程，ODM/OEM兩者之間協同作戰，獲取巨大利益。但當產品與零件越來越成熟與標準化後，OEM對於ODM設計創新的需求逐步降低，隨之利潤也大幅降低。 也就於此十數年間，網際網路以及移動上網的普及，以美國為主的網際網路創新模式不斷演進與改善、全球經濟高度動盪、中國營運成本持續升高，創新產品獲取的利潤高度集中(如Apple，三星獲取智慧型手機大部利潤)，生產規模高度集中(如鴻海，廣達)，少數領先廠商掌握大部利潤。大部分ODM/OEM企業因創新不及，差異化不足，導致產能過剩，削價競爭亦無所獲。台灣的ICT ODM/OEM商業模式在歷經數十年的成功發展，卻在近十年發展成為勞力密集、規模龐大、利潤急遽衰退的困境。 面對ICT產業巨大的利潤衰退，ODM/OEM商業模式的發展面臨前所未有的衝擊以及在推動創新時產生了兩難困境。其中兩難主要源於企業必須同時確保維持數以萬計的員工生計的前提下，OEM(本研究也稱此為主流組織)擔任著cash cow角色，期望ODM(本研究也稱此為創新組織)的設計與創新，能為掌握未來趨勢與提高客戶創新價值提出貢獻；但是新興的創新客戶除了掌握市場，更緊抓設計，控制大部創價環節，導致ODM團隊越來越缺少市場情報與終端回饋，並缺乏創新環境與模式，難以提供創新價值給OEM，因此形成了兩難的困境。 本研究將基於網際網路及行動上網普及、EC銷售模式之逐漸成熟，為ODM/OEM商業模式再創新，設計一新穎及可行的理論模型，建立開啟創新產品獨立運作與發展的孵化環境，最終與OEM合作創新主流市場，跳脫ODM/OEM現有之兩難困境。 創新組織與主流組織之價值網路定義，也是企業同時推動兩種商業模式時，是否陷入兩難的關鍵因子，這也會在本研究中有深入探討。

The personal computing technology advances triggered the PC era, and opened up the global PC market. To promote the technology advance, there are technology visionaries, industry information analysts, industry consortiums, and patent players coming into play. To meet the global demands, the supply chain is then decomposed into design, manufacturing, brand, and channels for mass production. In global PC industry, the ODM/OEM has been a common practice for PC manufacturing, where ODM and OEM are the abbreviations of Original Design Manufacturing, and Original Equipment Manufacturing. ODM is responsible for turning conceptual specifications into feasible design for manufacturing. And OEM is response for the equipment manufacturing.

In the global ICT Industry, the ODM/OEM plays important roles in the design-in and manufacturing processes. Initially, the ODM/OEM collaborates smoothly, and jointly makes the mass production of ICT products, such as personal computers, feasible. While more and more components are designed with plug-and-play compatibility, less and less the design-in works are needed for ODM to co-work with OEM. The ODM/OEM profit margins hence dropped dramatically in the last 10 years. In past ten years, the mobile Internet keep evolution and mainly leading by US entrepreneurs’ innovation, the global economic tsunami, China’s operation cost keep raising, the few innovative firms grabbed most of profits (e.g. Apple and Samsung share the more than 90% of profits from global smartphone market in 2012/2013); ODM/OEM lacks of innovation/differentiation result in only few companies (Foxconn and Quanta) shared most of revenue of ICT industry. As well as causing market oversupply and price war everywhere. Taiwan ODM/OEM business model has been challenged to be sustainable and we have to think about why and what the root causes are, and how to re-invent the ODM/OEM business model from the dilemma. Facing the dilemma, Taiwan’s ODM/OEM has to sustain the existing business, in order to keep maintaining the couple ten thousands of employees operation and surviving. OEM team plays as the role of cash cow and look forward to having the innovation products from ODM team. On the other hand, the ODM team can’t access the market to get the real needs due to most of innovative customers’ control not only the market/sales but also the design activities without ODM’s involve. So the ODM team can contribute nothing to the OEM team gradually. This causes the dilemma. The rise of e-commerce opens up an opportunity for ODM to build up innovative products, to grow up as a strong independent organization, and again to collaborate with OEM. This paper shows the steps for ODM/OEM’s business model re-invent. The re-invented business model then resolves the original ODM/OEM dilemma. The value network of organizations will be addressed in this thesis, because of this is one of key factor to success or fail when firms deploy disruptive and sustainable business models at the same time.