OEM tiles from a Morbi manufacturer are tiles made to your specification, often to your own design, and sold under your brand. An OEM tiles manufacturer builds to your brief, while a private label supplier lets you rebrand a design the factory already makes. Catalogue buying means picking from the factory's range under its own name.
The difference matters because it decides who owns the design, how much control you have and what minimums apply.
What is the difference between the three models?
Think of them as a ladder of control and commitment.
- Catalogue buying: you choose existing designs and sizes, the factory's name or neutral cartons are used, and you have the least control and the lowest minimums.
- Private label: you choose existing designs but the cartons carry your brand, and you may ask for exclusivity on selected designs. See private label tile boxes.
- OEM: you supply or approve the design, size, surface and specification, and the factory builds to it. You carry more responsibility for the technical brief and the approvals.
What does the factory need from you?
An OEM brief should be complete. Give the design files or reference tiles, the size and thickness, the surface finish, the body type, the water absorption and strength requirements, the shade tolerance and the packing instructions. The clearer the brief, the fewer disputes about whether the tile is 'right'.
Expect the factory to ask for a minimum order per design and for time to produce a development sample. Approve that sample in writing and keep a sealed counter-sample, as you would for any custom tile.
Which factories can do OEM work?
Not every plant suits it. OEM needs a plant with digital printing capacity, stable process control and the ability to hold shade between runs. Smaller plants may agree to everything and then struggle on repeat orders. Our guide to checking a tile factory's capacity lists what to confirm before you commit, and finding a genuine tile manufacturer in Morbi helps you avoid traders posing as factories.
What belongs in the contract?
Write down who owns the design and the digital files, whether the factory may sell the design elsewhere, how long exclusivity lasts, and what happens to the cartons and printing plates if you stop ordering. Add the tolerances you will accept, the inspection method, the claim window and the remedy for non-conforming lots. A short NDA before you share designs is sensible.
Get legal advice for the final wording in your jurisdiction. Contracts that work in one country may not be enforceable in another.
How do you check the first OEM run?
Treat the first run as a test of the factory, not only of the tile. Inspect before loading against the approved counter-sample: shade, size and calibre, flatness, surface defects, carton markings and packing. Have a sample tested at a laboratory for the properties in your brief. Compare the batch with the development sample under the same light. Record anything outside tolerance in writing and agree the fix before the container leaves. Doing this on the first run sets the standard the factory will follow on every repeat order.
Next step
We find and audit manufacturers, check samples and documents, and supervise production and loading, so an OEM run matches your brief. Book a free sourcing review and bring your drawings or reference tiles.