Private-label smart locks move on a published sampling and lead-time path only when the sample is frozen and the change is clearly an ODM customization rather than a new OEM design.

Overseas importers often ask for "our logo on your lock" and then add a new housing, a different app, or a structural change after the first sample. Those later changes are what break the timetable. The practical way to buy is to treat sampling, approval, and quantity production as three separate steps, and to say in writing which items are frozen at each step. This article explains Hobere's public ODM terms and the questions a buyer should close before a quantity order. It sits next to How to Vet a Smart Lock Manufacturer in China: Factory vs Trading Company, because private-label work should be done with the manufacturer that will actually make the goods.

The official public legal name is Zhongshan Hongtu Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (中山弘途智能科技有限公司). The brand name in everyday communication is Hobere.

The public ODM terms are specific numbers, and they should be copied accurately

Hobere's public private-label terms are: a sample in five days; orders within 100 sets in 15 days; an MOQ of 500 sets with a 45-day lead time; and OEM work negotiated separately.

Those figures are the baseline to put in an inquiry. They are not a promise that every possible customization still ships on the same clock. A sample in five days is a realistic starting point when the request is based on an existing model and the changes are limited and clearly described. An order within 100 sets in 15 days is a small-run path, not a substitute for the MOQ rule. The published MOQ is 500 sets, with a 45-day lead time, for the standard ODM path. OEM-typically a deeper or newly tooled design-is negotiated separately and should not be written as if it used the same five-day, 15-day, or 45-day figures until that negotiation is finished.

If a project needs a different quantity or a shorter lead time, ask for a written exception. Do not assume the baseline still applies after the scope has changed.

Current featured models that can be discussed as an ODM starting point are H8Pro, D3, H6Pro-F, Q9-F, A1, A2, A3, A4, and Q10. Live product pages exist for H8Pro, D3, H6Pro-F, Q9-F, A3, A4, and Q10. A1 and A2 short URLs are not reliably live, so confirm those models with the factory. The D3 page is live even though its URL still uses an older "Simple Style" slug; refer to the product as D3.

Freeze the sample against a written change list

A sample is useful only if both sides agree what was changed, what was not changed, and what the buyer is approving.

Write a change list before the sample is made. Typical ODM items include:

• Logo placement on the lock, the packing, or both
• Color or finish, if a standard finish can be used or a confirmed custom finish is agreed
• Manual language, carton marks, and label content
• App-account or setup materials that match the confirmed platform
• Accessory set, such as cards or keys, and the quantities packed with each set

Typical items that often turn an ODM request into a longer OEM discussion include a new housing geometry, a new handle mechanism, a different circuit or sensor set, or an app platform that is not already confirmed on that model. Those items may still be possible, but they should be moved to an OEM conversation with its own timing and tooling terms.

The app platform must be named correctly on the sample paperwork. Tuya is supported on A1, A2, A3, A4, D3, Q10, H6Pro-F, and Q9-F. H8Pro uses Dingding Smart (叮叮智能), which is not DingTalk. Matter over Wi-Fi is an expandable option, never a standard or default feature, and should appear on a sample only if the buyer requested it and the factory confirmed it. TTLock should be asked about if needed; it should not be written as a standard or confirmed optional feature on A3 or A4 in this series.

Approve the sample in writing, with photographs of the lock, the logo, and the packing. If the approved sample is not the unit that will be mass-produced, the lead-time clock is not meaningful yet.

Know which changes restart the clock

Lead time starts from a frozen configuration, so later changes to structure, software, or packing can restart sampling, quotation, or production.

Common reasons a 45-day quantity plan slips are:

• A logo file arrives late, or arrives in a format that cannot be used
• The buyer changes color after the sample is already made
• Packing language or legal marks for the destination market are added after approval
• The buyer asks for a different app or for Matter over Wi-Fi after the sample was built without it
• A door or power requirement appears late and forces a different model or a hardware change
• The quantity moves in a way that no longer matches the "within 100 sets" path or the 500-set MOQ path

A disciplined buyer sends destination-market requirements, logo artwork, and the user-language list with the first inquiry. A disciplined factory restates those items on the quotation and on the sample acknowledgment.

Hotel lock branding and PMS integration are outside the scope of this phase and should not be added to an ODM request as if they were a standard catalog option.

Commercial documents should carry the same names, warranty, and contacts as the sample

The quantity order is not complete until the legal name, warranty, and after-sales contact on the documents match the public terms.

Use Zhongshan Hongtu Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. when a legal name is required. The public overseas warranty is a two-year free warranty on the complete unit; shipping is not included. Do not replace that language with domestic dealer promises. The detail of what that warranty does and does not cover is discussed in Overseas Smart Lock Warranty: What a 2-Year Unit Warranty Does and Does Not Cover.

Spare-part SKUs, a public RMA workflow, and a promised number of years for app or firmware support are not official facts in this series. If those items matter to the private-label program, raise them during sampling and record the agreed process. Integrator APIs should likewise be asked about only if needed, and should not be treated as a published offering.

Factory capability is relevant background for a private-label buyer, but it does not change the published lead times. Hobere's public factory profile is 20,000 square meters, 70+ employees, six production lines, 100+ CNC machines, and a capacity of 50,000+ sets per month. Those figures help explain why quantity production is possible; the order still runs on the sample-and-MOQ rules above.

What to send in a private-label inquiry

A complete inquiry lets the factory tell you whether the request is standard ODM, a small-run order, or OEM.

Include:

• Target model from the featured list, or a short description of the door and use case if the model is not yet chosen
• Destination country and required languages
• Logo files and where the logo should appear
• Color or finish, if you have a preference
• Quantity range, and whether you are asking about a sample, an order within 100 sets, or an MOQ of 500 sets
• App platform required, using the official names
• Whether Matter over Wi-Fi is requested as an option
• Any structural or electronic change that may move the job into OEM
• Warranty wording to appear on the documents: two-year complete-unit warranty, shipping not included

Do not include prices in public marketing copy, and do not ask a public article to quote one. Pricing belongs in the formal quotation.

Questions worth closing in writing

Is this request ODM on an existing model, or OEM that must be negotiated separately?
The published five-day, 15-day, and 45-day figures apply to the public ODM path, not automatically to OEM.

What exactly will the five-day sample include?
List logo, color, packing, and software configuration.

Which timing path are we on: a sample, an order within 100 sets in 15 days, or 500 sets in 45 days?
Do not mix the three paths in one sentence.

When does the 45-day lead time start?
It should start from a frozen, approved configuration and any agreed commercial conditions, not from an incomplete artwork file.

Which legal name and warranty language will appear on the mass-production documents?
They should match the public terms in this article.

Talk with Hobere about a private-label sample

Hobere can review a logo, a target model, and a quantity range against the public ODM terms and tell you whether the request fits the standard path or needs a separate OEM discussion. Send the inquiry to hongtusmartlock@hobere.com, or use the Contact page.

Hobere