Rocky Mountain Computer Support has been in the computer business for years. Over time, we came to realize many of the so called "laptop manufacturers" produce what seemed to be, the identical product. This seemed odd to us, so we dug a little deeper. What we found was very interesting. Hopefully, the information below will shed some light on who is making what.....

First, let me explain the different levels of manufacturing. First is a Original Design Manufacturer (ODM). These are the true manufacturers who actually cast, and assemble the main unit which includes the motherboard, outside casing, and display. A few examples of ODMs are Compal, Clevo, Arima, Inventec, and Mitac, Asus, Uniwill, and TwinHead-- probably companies you have never heard of before. But you have definitely seen their systems if you are ever seen a laptop. These companies are usually located somewhere in Taiwan or Asia, and have warehouse distribution centers in the US. They distribute their product to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). These companies then add the ram, processor, software, and hard drive to the systems. The OEMs stick their label to it, and call themselves manufacturers. In my opinion they are really service providers, not true manufacturers. Their products are then sold directly to consumers, or through dealers like Rocky Mountain Computer Support.

Lets move on. So, who makes Toshiba notebooks? One would assume Toshiba right? Nope, wrong. Toshiba actually buys their product from several ODM manufactures in Taiwan. To name a few, Compal, Clevo, and Mitac. Ok, they do make a few (and I mean just a few) of their models themselves, but most are bought from other manufacturers, and relabeled and serviced by Toshiba. Compaq, same story. Compaq has been in the notebook business from the very beginning. And guess what, they buy many of their systems from ODMs as well. Mitac, an ODM manufacturer gained strength in the notebook market from a large contract with Compaq. They also buy from other ODMs like, Inventec and Arima. DELL buys most of their systems from Compal, the Chembook 3015 is identical to the Dell 5000 Series Dell didn’t even change the look at all. Most systems offered by ChemUSA are manufactured by Compal. Sony, HP, Sharp have all had, or still have contracts with TwinHead.

So, lets move on to our brands we sell. I would call them manufacturers like everyone else, but as you know now, there are only a handful of true manufacturers (ODMs), but a ton of marketing or servicing manufacturers (OEMs).

About Our Brand

ChemUSA. We chose ChemUSA as our main supplier because if their outstanding track record in carrying the highest quality notebooks in the world. From day one, their superior 24-hour customer support, and service has always impressed us. Most of their notebooks are manufactured by Compal out of Taiwan. ChemUSA actually provides distribution and order fulfillment service for many other brands as well. So, the notebooks you will find from ChemUSA are not clones, they are the same high quality systems you will find from other large, name brand companies, only at a lower price. ChemUSA offers a standard 1-year part, 3-year labor, and lifetime technical support warranty.
 

Jeff Smith, Owner
Rocky Mountain Computer Support
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