FSDU Factory Visit – Manufacturing in China

ODM has just returned from visiting our FSDU Factory in Guangdong Province, East China. Our supplier has great experience working with Instore Displays, FSDU and POS Displays; so unsurprisingly while we were there they were making all of these Marketing Displays!

Our aim was to check on production, making sure all runs smoothly and at the same visualize the processes involved in Wooden FSDU (Free Standing Display Unit) Production.

FSDU Factory Visit- Step 1. Cutting the Wood

Depending on the FSDU, our supplier would usually use wood/MDF as the base material. This a easily customizable, cheap and good quality wood. All these factors make it a great choice when choosing your budget and material choice for your FSDU.

The first stage is cutting the raw MDF sheets cut down to size, this is done by machine and the sheets can be cut multiple layers at a time. As well as using the above machine which requires a human hand to guide, our supplier has lazer cutting as well, which can make much more complicated designs than if this was guided by hand.

FSDU Factory Visit- Step 2. Smoothing

Now are sheets are cut into shape we need to polish and smooth the wooden sheets, this can be done in 2 steps. The first step occurs by taking the sheets through a Smooth, where multiple sheets can be cut be smoothed at the same time.

This is stage is undertaken before Assembly, as the sides need to be smooth before they can be assembled. The next smoothing stage takes place after the sheets have been assembled.

FSDU Factory Visit- Step 3. Assembly

Now the sheets are cut and smoothed, we can now assemble these to their needed shape. With most FSDU the main shape is a relatively basic rectangular shape, and this is assembled from the MDF sheets cut during the previous steps.

Once the sheets have been assembled to their basic shape, the second stage of Smoothing begins. During this step, multiple Smoothing methods are used: Sand Blasting, Sand Paper and Power Sanding. Depending on which part of the FSDU needs smoothing, then a particular method will be used.

Depending on the FSDU final shape, the Assembly stage can be more complicated than making a simple rectangular Display. Our supplier was working on a FSDU for a Watch client, for this they needed to have boxes stacked upon each other.

FSDU Factory Visit- Step 4. Painting

Our next step, once the FSDU have been assembled, is to paint! This is a 4 step process that requires the FSDU to be painted white, polished and then repeat (painted white & polished again).

The reason we do this Painting and Polishing as a 4 step process is due to making sure the base colour is set and the wood is smooth post painting.

Now we have the painting and polishing completed, we have a White FSDU that’s ready for Finishing: Painting and Branding!

FSDU Factory Visit- Step 5. Finishing FSDU

Now are FSDU is complete, it’s ready for the branding that makes this a true Instore Marketing tool. Probably one of the most important parts of any manufacturing is branding, getting branding done correctly for the appropriate product is key.

Our supplier is an expert in Silk Screen Printing on their FSDU, and we had a chance to review their Printing Plates. Silk Screen Printing is one of the most standard printing methods and is both cheap and good quality!

As mentioned earlier we came to the factory as our supplier was finalizing a Watch FSDU, but also we were able to see the final stages of many different FSDU including those that had a finished layer added.

The above image shows the finished wood layer with blue silk screen logo, but we were also able to see the finished production of a Lighting FSDU.

We were extremely fortunate to visit the factory at such a busy time during their Production, this comes as no surprise though as we were past the 60 day countdown for Chinese New Year. After viewing each stage of Production we also had a chance to see the FSDU Factory’s Sample Room.

With every factory visit, ODM always goes to check out the Sample Room, this is the factory’s show room where they can show off the best production they’ve done in the past. It’s important that we review this to see the quality but also whether we can find a FSDU that could be a good fit for you and your clients.

So why does ODM take the time to visit factories and put boots on the ground?

When manufacturing in China it is imperative to visit factories often and control all aspects of production. This is often a difficult task when located halfway round the world. Having a trusted agent who can make sure that production runs smoothly and the quality is up to spec is extremely important.

Here at ODM we have years of experience in manufacturing promotional products. Feel free to get in touch and let us assist you in coming up with some new and innovative ways to promote your brand. Check out our recent POS Display Blogs for more information on what displays could work for you!

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