OEM & ODM Battery Manufacturing
Quick answer: CMX Battery is a custom lithium battery manufacturer producing LiFePO4 and lithium-ion packs to your specification — from cell selection and BMS firmware through enclosure design and certification. We build from 12 V to 1000 V+, size capacity to your mechanical envelope and duty cycle, and deliver either under your brand (OEM) or ours (ODM). Programmes run from a load profile or a mechanical drawing, and prototypes are built on the same production line as volume orders, not in a separate lab.
What does a custom battery manufacturer actually do?
Most buyers approaching an OEM for the first time assume “custom” means choosing a voltage and a case size. In practice, a custom lithium battery programme touches five engineering decisions, and each one constrains the others. Getting them wrong is expensive: a pack that fits the enclosure but cannot shed heat, or meets the runtime target but fails transport certification, has to be redesigned.
We run those five decisions in parallel rather than in sequence. Cell chemistry is selected against your duty cycle and temperature range; the BMS is specified for your communication protocol; the mechanical design resolves cell layout, thermal path and ingress protection together; the certification path is identified before tooling, not after. That is the difference between a fifteen-week programme and a thirty-week one.
What we customize
Every dimension of the pack is on the table. Send a load profile or a mechanical drawing and we return a design with test data and a certification path.
Cell and chemistry
Chemistry choice is a trade between energy density, cycle life, safety margin and cost. LiFePO4 (LFP) is our default for stationary storage, motive power and any application where cycle life and thermal stability matter more than pack weight — 3,000 to 6,000 cycles at 80% depth of discharge is routine. NMC and lithium-ion chemistries are specified where volumetric density drives the design, such as portable equipment and robotics. Sodium-ion is available for low-temperature and cost-sensitive stationary applications.
Form factor matters as much as chemistry. Prismatic cells give better volumetric efficiency and simpler structural integration in large stationary packs. Cylindrical cells (18650, 21700, 32700) offer mature supply, predictable thermal behaviour and easier replacement in serviceable designs. Every cell we use is grade-matched and capacity- and internal-resistance-matched per batch — mismatch is the leading cause of premature pack failure, and it is invisible until the pack is in the field.
Voltage and capacity
Our production range spans 12 V to over 1000 V. Common configurations include 12 V, 24 V, 36 V, 48 V, 72 V and 80 V for motive and low-voltage stationary systems, and 200 V to 1000 V+ architectures for commercial and industrial energy storage. Capacity is sized to your envelope and duty cycle rather than chosen from a catalogue — our standard building blocks run from 100 Ah and 200 Ah prismatic modules up to 314 Ah large-format cells, and stationary cabinets from 5 kWh to 20 kWh and beyond in containerised formats.
Sizing is an exercise in honest numbers. A “100 Ah” pack delivers 100 Ah only at a specified discharge rate and temperature; at 2C continuous or at −10 °C the usable figure is lower. We size against your actual load profile — peak current, continuous current, duty cycle and ambient range — and state the derated capacity up front rather than quoting a nameplate number.
BMS and communications
The battery management system is where most OEM differentiation actually lives, and it is the part most often treated as an afterthought. We build 4S to 16S+ smart BMS designs with in-house firmware, which means protection thresholds, balancing strategy, state-of-charge algorithms and fault behaviour can be tuned to your application instead of accepted as fixed.
Communication is specified to your host system: CAN bus (including CANopen and J1939 profiles), RS485 with Modbus, Bluetooth for service access and mobile diagnostics, and UART for simple integrations. If your inverter, charger or vehicle controller speaks a specific protocol, we match it — protocol mismatch is a common cause of integration failure late in a programme, and it is inexpensive to resolve early.
Enclosure and thermal management
Mechanical format follows the application. We produce wall-mounted enclosures for residential storage, 19-inch rack-mounted modules for telecom and UPS, floor-standing cabinets for commercial and industrial storage, and containerised systems for grid-scale deployment. Ingress protection to IP65 is standard for outdoor and industrial units.
Thermal strategy is chosen against duty cycle and environment. Passive cooling (conduction and natural convection) suits low-rate stationary applications and keeps cost and noise down. Forced air handles moderate continuous load. Liquid cooling is specified for high-rate commercial storage and fast-charge applications, where cell temperature spread — not absolute temperature — is the constraint on cycle life.
How a custom programme runs
Five stages, with defined deliverables at each gate. Nothing proceeds to tooling before you have signed off test data.
1 · Discovery
You provide a load profile, mechanical envelope, certification target and annual volume. We assess feasibility, flag constraints and quote. This stage typically takes one to two weeks and costs nothing — if we cannot build what you need, we say so here rather than after you have committed budget.
2 · Design
Schematic, BMS logic and mechanical design, all NDA-protected. You receive cell layout, electrical architecture, thermal simulation, enclosure drawings and a bill of materials. Design review is iterative; we expect two to three rounds before freezing.
3 · Prototype
Prototypes are built, tested and iterated. Critically, prototypes are built on the production line using production tooling and production processes, not hand-assembled in an engineering lab. A prototype that behaves differently from volume product is worse than no prototype, because it validates the wrong thing.
4 · Certification
Testing and documentation for your target market: UN38.3 for transport, IEC 62619 for industrial and stationary applications, UL 1973 and UL 9540A for North American stationary storage, CE for Europe. We identify the required standards during discovery so the design is built to pass rather than retrofitted.
5 · Production
Volume production under your label or neutral, with per-unit test data and batch traceability. Documentation — test reports, certificates, MSDS, packing lists — is issued in your name so your brand carries the compliance record.
Product lines we build on
Custom programmes do not have to start from a blank sheet. These are the platforms we already produce, and each one is a viable starting point for modification.
| Product line | Typical voltage | Typical capacity | Primary applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home energy storage | 12 V / 48 V | 100–400 Ah, 5–20 kWh | Residential solar self-consumption, backup |
| Commercial & industrial ESS | 200 V – 1000 V+ | 20 kWh – multi-MWh | Peak shaving, demand charge management, backup |
| Containerised BESS | 600 V – 1500 V | 500 kWh – 5 MWh | Grid services, utility-scale storage, microgrids |
| Forklift and motive power | 24 V / 36 V / 48 V / 80 V | 200–600 Ah | Material handling, warehouse fleets |
| RV and marine | 12 V / 24 V / 48 V | 100–300 Ah | Leisure vehicles, trolling motors, house banks |
| Golf cart and LSV | 36 V / 48 V / 72 V | 50–200 Ah | Golf fleets, neighbourhood vehicles, utility carts |
| UPS and telecom | 48 V (and 12 V / 24 V) | 50–200 Ah | Data centres, base stations, critical backup |
| Lithium cells and modules | 3.2 V per cell | 50–314 Ah | Pack integrators, cell-level supply |
| Portable power stations | 12 V / 24 V / 48 V | 0.5–5 kWh | Off-grid, emergency, mobile work sites |
OEM vs private label vs ODM
These three terms are used loosely in the industry, and the distinction has real commercial consequences.
| Model | Who designs it | Tooling cost | Lead time | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OEM | You — we build to your drawings | Low to none | Shortest | You have in-house engineering and a defined design |
| ODM | Us — based on your requirements | Low to moderate | Short to medium | You know the requirement but not the cell-level design |
| Private label | Us — proven platform, your brand | None | Shortest | You need to get to market fast with a validated product |
All three keep the lithium engineering in-house: cell grading, pack assembly, BMS firmware and end-of-line test under one quality system, with documentation issued in your name. Neutral labelling and neutral cartons are available, and minimum order quantity is set by project — from a single sample to full container volumes.
Engagement options
Choose the route that matches where you are in the process:
- Custom pack design — start from a specification or a mechanical envelope and design from cell level up
- Private label — put your brand on a validated platform and reach market faster
- Wholesale supply — container-level volume of stock SKUs for distributors
- The OEM/ODM process in detail — timeline, deliverables and decision gates for each stage
- How to evaluate a manufacturer — a buyer’s checklist if you are still comparing suppliers
Start your custom battery programme
Engage from a specification, a drawing, or just a problem to solve. Tell us the load, the envelope and the volume, and we will tell you what is feasible, what it costs, and how long it takes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order quantity for a custom battery?
MOQ is set by project rather than by a fixed rule. A private-label programme on an existing platform can start from a small pilot quantity. A fully custom pack requiring new tooling typically carries a higher minimum to amortise tooling and certification. We quote MOQ alongside unit price so you can see the trade-off rather than discover it later.
How long does a custom battery programme take?
A private-label programme on an existing platform can ship in a matter of weeks. A fully custom pack — new enclosure, custom BMS firmware, fresh certification — typically runs twelve to twenty weeks from design freeze to first production, with certification often the longest single item. Identifying certification requirements during discovery is the most reliable way to compress the schedule.
Can you match an existing battery we are already buying?
Yes, in most cases. Send the specification, a sample, or the datasheet and we will assess whether we can match or improve on it. Common improvements we identify are better cell matching, a BMS with proper low-temperature charge protection, and enclosure changes that improve thermal behaviour.
Do you provide UN38.3 and other certification documents?
Yes. UN38.3 test reports and MSDS ship with every order, and we support IEC 62619, UL 1973, UL 9540A, CE and RoHS documentation depending on your market. Documentation can be issued under your brand name for private-label and OEM programmes.
What information do you need to quote?
At minimum: voltage, capacity or energy target, maximum continuous and peak current, mechanical envelope or dimensional constraints, operating temperature range, target certification, and annual volume. A load profile is more useful than a capacity figure if you have one. If you only have a problem description and not a specification, that is a workable starting point too.
Is my design protected?
Yes. We work under NDA as standard, and custom designs developed for a customer are not offered to other customers. Cell grading data, BMS firmware and mechanical tooling for your programme stay with your programme.
Can you build to our existing BMS protocol?
In most cases yes. We develop BMS firmware in-house, so CAN, CANopen, J1939, Modbus over RS485, Bluetooth and UART integrations can be matched to your host system. Provide the protocol specification or the existing communication matrix during discovery.
What is the difference in price between LiFePO4 and NMC?
LiFePO4 is typically lower cost per cycle and offers longer cycle life and better thermal stability, making it the better value for stationary storage and motive applications. NMC costs more but delivers higher energy density, which matters when volume or weight is the binding constraint. We size both options against your duty cycle and quote the lifecycle cost rather than just the unit price.
How quality is controlled
Custom work lives or dies on consistency, and consistency is a function of incoming inspection and end-of-line test, not of final visual checks. Every cell lot entering our line is sampled for capacity, internal resistance and self-discharge, and lots are matched into batches before assembly. A pack built from unmatched cells will drift out of balance within a few hundred cycles, and no BMS can fully compensate for it.
Every finished pack receives an end-of-line test covering insulation resistance, voltage and capacity verification, protection threshold validation and communication handshake. Test data is recorded per unit and keyed to a serial number, so a field failure years later can be traced back to the cell lot, the operator and the test record. For OEM and private-label programmes that documentation is issued under your brand.
Why buyers choose CMX Battery
- Engineering under one roof. Cell grading, pack assembly, BMS firmware and test are in-house, which means design changes do not require renegotiating with a third party.
- Prototypes built on the production line. What you validate is what you receive in volume.
- Certification identified up front. Standards are selected during discovery so the design is built to pass.
- Per-unit traceability. Serial-numbered test records, not batch averages.
- Neutral or your brand. Labelling, packaging and documentation issued in your name.
- Honest sizing. Capacity quoted against your duty cycle and temperature range, not a nameplate figure.