Meet the OEM Solutions engineering team: Specialty PCs

Franklin Flint, OEM’s roving reporter, stopped me in the hall and played a video he shot in our OEM product labs, which I’ve posted below for you to see.  If you’ve ever wondered who is designing and launching the Dell products that go into medical scanners and submarines, this video puts you in touch with the heroes behind the scenes. 

Click play and let Susan Joyner (Product Marketing) and Marissa Moore (Program Manager) from the OEM Solutionsengineering team tell you about the specialty PC line-up they’ve created.  These systems are designed to be used as part of a product rather than your IT infrastructure or corporate computer.   

How we help customers avoid expensive and low-volume customization

Because OEM customers are creating their own products, they usually need things like a custom software load, a rebranded bezel, or a PC that can stand up to harsh environments.  This makes using a product like Dell’s normal OptiPlexdesktop computers a challenge; over the past 25 years Dell has refined its processes to make a great PC that is perfectly designed to run in an office environment, under a desk . . . not in a factory or inside of an enclosure.   

We found that customers were buying a standard PC from Dell and then paying hundreds or thousands of dollars per system for basic customizations.  Not only is this a hassle for our customer, requiring 3rdparty integrators, but it puts many of the design and quality aspects of the Dell PC in jeopardy. 

The risks of ‘aftermarket’ changes

Just imagine if you bought a new car and then had a local mechanic install a 3rdparty stereo.  If that stereo started acting strange, do you think the problem is most likely related to the car manufacturer who produces millions of cars per year using a tightly controlled process?  Or is it the stereo manufacturer who also produces tens of thousands of units?  The problem is far more likely to be the changes made by the mechanic, who could have been trying the installation for the first time on your car or the stereo, or who could have just made an honest mistake that only affected one of his customers.

For this special market, we created special PCs

After enough customers told us about these aftermarket customizations, we decided to build many of them right into the products.  Dell OEM Solutions has been around for over 10 years, and we have over 1500 customers.  It didn’t take long to see the pattern that 80% of the aftermarket customizations could be built into our specialty product line, so that’s just what Susan and Marissa did.  Now customers get the systems they need at a fraction of the cost, at much higher quality, and without sacrificing global availability and support.

Does it surprise you to find out Dell makes these special products?  It surprised me when I joined the OEM group, so you wouldn’t be alone.

If your are interested in learning more about Dell OEM Solutions please visit our website, tweet us, or contact our specialized consultants.

About the Author: Josh Neland