2017/03/09Africa、Asia、Europe、Japan、Middle East、North America、Oceania、Latin America
For many OEMs, the process of selecting a monitor to package with their end-product is treated like a simple procurement exercise. You know the drill – call a few suppliers, do a little creative googling and Voila! A 19" touchscreen on sale at CDW for $159.99. Simple, right?
Well. Maybe and maybe not. The truth is a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) display may be perfect for your project. It could also be an epic disaster complete with stalled production lines, software incompatibility issues, and regulatory violations. So how do you know what's right for your organization?
Commercially available displays have an average life cycle of 12 – 24 months and are subject to change at any time during their life cycle. If your product is not impacted by display modifications without notice (LCD Panel, Touch Sensor, Touch Controller, A/D Board, Power Supply, etc.) and your product is not planned for more than 1 or 2 years in production, a COTS display solution may be a great fit for you. Conversely, if you require a stable, long life product with advanced notification of change and EOL management, you're simply not going to find it in the commercial market. Think you can influence a COTS display's life cycle? Think again. The 500 – 2500 units per year you need are less than a day's production for most COTS manufacturers.
It's important to understand how your display will be used by the end-customer. For example, most COTS displays today use either Optical or PCAP (Projective Capacitive) touch. These newer touch technologies are sleek, sexy and more intuitive than their predecessors, providing users with a highly interactive experience. Sounds great, unless of course you're a nurse trying to press a button on a PCAP display while wearing "fluid" covered gloves which when transferred to the screen, makes your PCAP sensor nothing more than a protective screen. In this case, good ol' resistive touch (now available in a sexy true-flat format) would have been the best choice. The lesson here is that sometimes older technology is the best for your environment, so choose accordingly.
Unforeseen testing requirements are a primary cause of line down situations. They pluck expensive resources from engineering and supply chain forcing them to scurry around and re-validate the latest model. These activities can significantly impact the total cost of a display, but often remain unreported in the cost of goods sold. If your product is subject to comprehensive testing due to regulatory requirements or unique software requirements, you must consider the impact of change. Even something as simple as a driver change, if left untested, could render the end product inoperable and undeliverable.
As with life cycle, the availability of commercial displays can be unpredictable. As one of many customers, you will have little to no influence over production and availability. Be prepared to wait. Custom ODM displays may have longer initial order lead times, but these can easily be managed down to zero through cooperative planning/forecasting between you and the manufacturer.
Branding is the largest missed opportunity for OEM customers purchasing COTS displays. Have you considered the advertising value that a custom display can provide? If you're not doing it, you're basically paying to advertise someone else's brand every time you sell a system. For a relatively small investment, you can reinforce your brand with existing customers and potentially reach a new audience.
By following these guidelines you can help your organization identify the best and lowest overall cost solution for your business. It's true, the price tag of COTS displays can be alluring, but it's imperative that OEMs weigh all of the potential pitfalls that could skyrocket the total cost to the organization down the road.
So you think you need a custom display, now what? The first step is to clearly define your requirements. Next, find a quality supplier that understands your needs and can meet them.
Stay tuned for upcoming blogs on the topic including a free, easy to use requirements definition form and tips to finding a supplier you can depend on.
To PageTop