For commercial foodservice businesses, refrigeration equipment is not always about choosing a standard model from a catalog.
Sometimes, the product has to fit a particular counter layout, display strategy, working environment, or food presentation requirement.
That was the starting point of this custom refrigeration project.
The customer needed a stepped display cabinet for prepared foods, but the requirement was not simply to place more products inside a refrigerated cabinet. The display needed to make different levels of food clearly visible while keeping the equipment practical for daily commercial use.
Instead of forcing the application into an existing standard model, SOMCLAN approached the project as a custom OEM & ODM development.
The result was a stepped commercial display cabinet designed around the customer's dimensional and presentation requirements.
Image placement: Place the finished product photo immediately after the introduction. This should be the hero image of the article because it gives buyers an immediate understanding of the completed customization project.
Project Background
The project began with a straightforward requirement: the customer needed a commercial refrigeration cabinet specifically for displaying prepared foods.
However, the intended display format created several design considerations.
Prepared foods are often displayed in multiple layers or categories. If the products are placed on a single flat surface, items toward the back can become difficult to see. A stepped structure provides a different approach, allowing products at different heights to remain visually accessible.
For this project, the customer wanted the cabinet to combine:
- refrigerated food storage and display
- a stepped internal presentation structure
- a commercial stainless-steel exterior
- a wide display area
- custom overall dimensions
- practical access for daily operation
This meant that the cabinet had to be designed around the application rather than treated as a standard refrigeration unit.
Customer Requirements
A Wider Cabinet With a Defined Footprint
The customer provided a dimensional concept rather than asking for a standard catalog size.
The engineering drawing specified an overall width of 2200 mm and a depth of approximately 1500 mm, creating a substantial display footprint for the intended commercial environment.
The cabinet was also divided into different functional sections, with the refrigeration system positioned within the lower structure.
Image placement: Insert the dimension drawing here. It works best immediately after explaining the dimensional requirements, because the reader can connect the written requirements with the actual engineering layout.
The drawing became an important reference during the development process.
Instead of simply scaling an existing cabinet, SOMCLAN had to consider how the external dimensions, refrigeration section, display area, stepped shelves, ventilation openings and internal structure would work together.
A Stepped Display Structure for Prepared Foods
The second major requirement was the stepped display arrangement.
The purpose was practical: different levels could be used to organize prepared foods while improving visibility from the customer-facing side.
This required more than simply adding shelves.
The height and position of each level had to work together with the cabinet's overall structure. The display area also had to remain visually open enough for customers to see the products clearly.
For an OEM project, these details matter because a small change in shelf position can affect the appearance, usable display space and overall proportions of the cabinet.
Commercial Appearance Without Sacrificing Practicality
The customer also wanted a clean commercial appearance suitable for a professional foodservice environment.
The finished cabinet uses a stainless-steel exterior with a large front display area and a lower refrigeration compartment.
The result is visually straightforward: the equipment does not compete with the food being displayed.
That is an important consideration for prepared food equipment.
The cabinet is there to support the merchandising and operation of the food business, rather than becoming the focus itself.
SOMCLAN Custom Solution
Turning the Customer's Drawing Into a Manufacturable Product
Once the requirements were established, the next challenge was converting the dimensional concept into a manufacturable refrigeration cabinet.
This is where OEM development becomes different from simply purchasing an existing commercial refrigerator.
A customer may provide:
- a rough dimensional drawing
- a product reference
- a hand-drawn concept
- photographs of a similar cabinet
- a target footprint
- or simply an explanation of how the equipment should be used
The manufacturer's role is to translate that information into an actual product structure.
For this project, SOMCLAN worked around the customer's dimensional layout and developed the cabinet structure accordingly.
The engineering drawing defined the major dimensions and helped establish the relationship between the display section and the refrigeration base.
Image placement: If you use a second engineering image or a more detailed drawing, place it here. It reinforces the OEM development process rather than simply showing another product photo.
Designing the Display Around the Food, Not the Other Way Around
One of the most important aspects of this project was the display structure.
The stepped arrangement creates several presentation levels, giving prepared foods a more organized visual hierarchy.
This type of design can be particularly useful when different food products need to be displayed simultaneously.
Instead of asking the operator to adapt the food presentation to a fixed standard cabinet, the cabinet itself was developed around the intended presentation method.
That is one of the practical advantages of OEM refrigeration development.
The equipment can be adjusted according to the application instead of the application being forced to fit an existing product.
Integrating Refrigeration Into the Custom Structure
Customizing the external appearance is only one part of refrigeration OEM development.
The refrigeration section also has to be integrated into the cabinet structure.
For this project, the lower section houses the refrigeration components while the upper area is dedicated to product presentation.
This creates a clear separation between the technical and display functions of the cabinet.
From the outside, the customer sees a clean commercial display unit.
Behind that appearance is a structure developed to accommodate the refrigeration system, airflow openings, controls and internal cabinet construction.
This is where experience in commercial refrigeration becomes important.
A custom cabinet still needs to be designed as a refrigeration system, not simply as a piece of stainless-steel furniture.
From Engineering Concept to Finished Cabinet
Manufacturing the Custom Structure
After the design direction and dimensions were established, the project moved into manufacturing.
The cabinet structure was fabricated according to the customized dimensions, including the stainless-steel body, display area, stepped internal structure and lower refrigeration section.
Image/video placement: Use the first product video here. This is a good transition point from engineering to manufacturing because video can show the finished cabinet from multiple angles more effectively than another static image.
For B2B buyers, this stage is important because customization is not only about creating a drawing.
The final product has to be manufactured consistently with the approved structure.
Checking the Finished Product Against the Original Requirement
A successful OEM project should ultimately return to the original customer requirement.
Does the final cabinet have the required footprint?
Does the stepped structure provide the intended presentation?
Does the refrigeration section remain integrated into the overall cabinet design?
Does the finished appearance match the original design direction?
These questions help turn a custom concept into a commercially usable product.
Image placement: Place the front real-life product photo here if you have it. The front view is useful for comparing the finished proportions against the engineering drawing.
Image placement: Follow with the angled real-life photo. The angled view is useful for showing the cabinet depth, side structure and overall three-dimensional proportions.
Seeing the Cabinet in a Real Foodservice Environment
A refrigeration cabinet can look very different once it is placed into an actual operating environment.
For this project, the cabinet was designed for prepared food display, so the final application is just as important as the equipment itself.
Image placement: This is the best position for the AI-rendered application image. Place it after the manufacturing section so the reader first understands how the cabinet was developed and then sees what that design is intended to achieve in a commercial environment.
In a working foodservice environment, the stepped structure becomes more than a visual design feature.
It helps create different presentation levels, making the cabinet suitable for displaying a variety of prepared foods in an organized format.
The stainless-steel construction also gives the cabinet a professional commercial appearance that fits naturally into a food preparation or serving environment.
Image placement: If you have the additional white-background AI product-use rendering, place it here or immediately after the main application image. It can provide a cleaner visual reference between the lifestyle scene and the real product photos.
Final Result
The final product was not simply a modified standard cabinet.
It was a refrigeration solution developed around a specific application.
The project combined a custom footprint, stepped display structure, commercial stainless-steel construction and an integrated refrigeration section into one cabinet.
More importantly, the project demonstrates how a customer concept can move through different stages:
Application requirement → dimensional concept → engineering development → manufacturing → finished commercial equipment.
That process is at the core of SOMCLAN's OEM & ODM approach.
For B2B buyers, customization does not necessarily mean starting from zero.
In many cases, the most efficient approach is to start with a clear application requirement and work with an experienced refrigeration manufacturer to determine the appropriate structure.
What This Project Says About SOMCLAN OEM & ODM
We Work From Your Requirement
A customer does not need to have a complete engineering package before contacting SOMCLAN.
Drawings, reference photos, dimensions and product concepts can all be used as starting points for a customization project.
The more clearly the application is defined, the easier it becomes to develop the right structure.
Customization Goes Beyond Appearance
For commercial refrigeration, OEM customization can involve much more than changing the exterior finish.
It may include:
- overall dimensions
- display configuration
- internal layout
- shelf structure
- refrigeration compartment arrangement
- ventilation design
- control position
- mobility requirements
- branding and exterior details
The objective is to create equipment that works for the customer's actual business environment.
From One Custom Project to Future Product Development
A customized project can also become the foundation for a repeatable commercial product.
Once a design has been developed and validated, future orders can follow the same engineering direction while allowing further adjustments where necessary.
For distributors, restaurant groups, foodservice operators and refrigeration equipment buyers, this can provide more flexibility than relying entirely on standard catalog products.
If you are developing a commercial refrigeration product with specific dimensions, display requirements or structural requirements, our OEM & ODM team can work with your drawings, reference images or initial product concept.