For commercial display equipment, a standard model does not always fit the way a customer wants to present products.
In this project, the customer came to SOMCLAN with a clear requirement: develop a custom glass display cabinet that could provide strong product visibility while fitting a specific installation footprint.
The project eventually developed into two related cabinet configurations:
- A single-glass-door display cabinet
- A four-sided-glass display cabinet
Although the two models share a similar dimensional platform, their glass structures and visual presentation are different.
Instead of simply modifying an existing cabinet, the project required SOMCLAN to translate the customer's dimensional requirements, display concept and structural expectations into manufacturable products.
This is where the OEM & ODM process became the most important part of the project.
Project Background
The customer was looking for a commercial glass display solution that could combine three things:
- Clear product visibility
- A defined cabinet footprint
- A professional stainless-steel appearance suitable for commercial environments
The challenge was that the required cabinet could not simply be selected from a standard catalog.
The customer had already established the approximate cabinet dimensions and wanted the equipment to follow a specific structural concept.
The requested cabinet platform was approximately:
- Width: 1300 mm
- Depth: 700 mm
- Height: 2300 mm
The customer also wanted the display area to support hanging products using internal rails and hooks.
This meant the cabinet had to be considered as a complete system rather than just a glass enclosure.
The cabinet body, glass structure, internal hanging system, refrigeration area, control position and overall proportions all had to work together.
Customer Requirements
One Project, Two Different Display Configurations
One of the interesting aspects of this project was that the customer did not require only one cabinet.
They wanted two different configurations based on the same general design direction.
Single-Glass-Door Cabinet
The first model uses a more conventional enclosed display structure.
The front glass provides product visibility while the surrounding stainless-steel structure provides a clean and durable commercial appearance.
This configuration is suitable when the customer wants to balance product visibility, cabinet protection and controlled access.
Four-Sided Glass Cabinet
The second model takes the concept further.
Instead of focusing primarily on front-facing product visibility, the four-sided glass structure allows products to be viewed from multiple directions.
This creates a more open display effect and can be particularly useful when the cabinet is positioned where customers can walk around it.
The customer therefore needed the second model to provide a different merchandising experience while maintaining the same overall design language.
SOMCLAN Custom Solution
The most important part of this project was not simply manufacturing the cabinets.
It was the process of converting the customer's requirements into a practical OEM & ODM solution.
Starting From the Customer's Dimensions
The customer supplied specific dimensional requirements rather than simply asking for "a glass display cabinet."
This gave the engineering team a clear starting point.
The main cabinet platform was designed around approximately:
1300 × 700 × 2300 mm
The dimensions affected almost every part of the cabinet.
For example, cabinet depth determines the available internal display space, while cabinet height influences the number of hanging levels and the overall visual proportion.
The width also affects how much product can be displayed while maintaining reasonable accessibility.
This is why dimensional customization is often more important than simply changing the exterior appearance.
Designing the Internal Display Structure
The customer's application required more than empty refrigerated space.
The cabinets were designed with internal hanging rails and hooks so that products could be displayed vertically.
This creates a very different merchandising logic from a conventional shelf-based refrigerator.
Instead of stacking products horizontally, the internal structure allows products to be suspended at different levels.
This required the internal hanging system to be considered together with the cabinet height and available display volume.
For an OEM project, these details matter because a cabinet that looks correct externally may still fail to work efficiently if the internal layout is not designed around the customer's actual products.
Developing Two Models From One Design Direction
Another important part of the project was maintaining consistency between the two cabinet models.
The customer wanted the two configurations to look like part of the same product family.
SOMCLAN therefore kept the major design language consistent while changing the glass structure according to the application.
The result was two different display solutions:
| Model | Main Design Direction | Display Character |
|---|---|---|
| Single-Glass-Door Cabinet | Enclosed front display | Controlled and focused product visibility |
| Four-Sided Glass Cabinet | Multi-directional glass display | More open and panoramic product visibility |
The purpose was not to create two completely unrelated products.
Instead, the two models were developed as two configurations within the same customized product concept.
OEM & ODM Engineering Behind the Project
OEM — Building Around the Customer's Requirements
For many B2B buyers, OEM does not necessarily mean putting a logo on an existing machine.
In a project like this, OEM can involve much deeper customization.
The customer may need changes to:
- Cabinet dimensions
- Glass configuration
- Internal hanging structure
- Product display layout
- Exterior finish
- Control panel position
- Cabinet structure
- Packaging configuration
These requirements have to be converted into engineering specifications before production begins.
That is where an experienced OEM manufacturer can provide more value than a simple trading supplier.
ODM — Turning a Concept Into a Manufacturable Product
The project also demonstrates the ODM side of customization.
The customer had a clear product concept, but the final cabinet still required engineering decisions before manufacturing.
SOMCLAN's role was to help translate that concept into a practical product structure.
This includes evaluating:
- Structural proportions
- Internal space
- Glass arrangement
- Hanging system
- Refrigeration layout
- Service accessibility
- Manufacturing feasibility
- Final appearance
The goal is not simply to make the cabinet look correct in a rendering.
The goal is to make sure the final design can actually be manufactured, assembled, tested and delivered.
From Engineering Drawing to Finished Cabinet
A successful customization project should have a clear connection between the drawing and the final product.
In this project, the dimensional drawings defined the cabinet framework before production.
The renderings then showed how those technical requirements could be translated into a finished commercial product.
This is an important part of the B2B purchasing process.
A buyer needs to know that the product shown during the quotation stage is not simply a concept image.
The engineering drawing, production process and final cabinet need to remain aligned.
Manufacturing & Delivery
Once the structure and specifications were confirmed, the project moved from design into manufacturing.
For customized commercial refrigeration equipment, production is not simply about cutting stainless steel and installing glass.
Multiple components have to work together.
Cabinet Fabrication
The stainless-steel cabinet structure provides the main mechanical framework.
The manufacturing process needs to maintain accurate dimensions so that the glass panels, doors, internal rails and refrigeration components can be assembled correctly.
For a customized cabinet, dimensional accuracy becomes especially important because there is less tolerance for deviations from the customer's original drawing.
Glass and Display Structure
The glass configuration was one of the key differences between the two models.
The single-glass-door model emphasizes front-facing visibility.
The four-sided-glass model creates a more open display structure.
Both require careful coordination between glass dimensions, cabinet frame dimensions and assembly tolerances.
This is another reason why OEM projects require communication between the customer, engineering team and production team throughout the process.
Internal Hanging System
The internal rails and hooks were designed around the customer's intended display method.
This is a small detail visually, but an important functional detail commercially.
For hanging products, the position, height and spacing of the rails directly affect:
- Product loading
- Product visibility
- Display density
- Accessibility
- Cleaning
- Daily operation
A successful customized cabinet therefore has to be designed around how the customer will actually use it, not only how it looks.
Final Result
The final result was a customized glass display cabinet project with two different configurations.
The first model provides a more enclosed single-glass-door display format.
The second model uses a four-sided glass structure to create a more open visual presentation.
Both were developed around the customer's required cabinet dimensions and internal display concept.