Orange Creatives

What Orange Creatives does

Orange Creatives FPI (广州市橙创设计有限公司) is a Guangzhou-based contract manufacturer specializing in innovative consumer products that require custom electronics, injection-molded plastics, metal parts, soft goods, and assembly. Founded in 2000 and operating as the Chinese manufacturing arm of the Netherlands-rooted parent FPI (Factory and Product Innovation), the firm serves premium international brands and funded startups through a five-stage Stage-Gate methodology covering feasibility study, engineering and prototyping, design for manufacturing, production setup, and production and shipping. The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and ISO 14001 certifications and manufactures products requiring CE, UL, FCC, RoHS, and REACH compliance, with 800+ innovative products delivered across its history.

Revenue is generated through project-based contract manufacturing fees with bundled engineering and DFM services, spanning typical project timelines of 10 months to working prototype (e.g., Bolt meal plan trolley) and 18 months to mass production (e.g., Dukhoon+ aroma diffuser). Long-term client relationships include Modrobotics (Cubelets modular robotics, ongoing since 2010), Vanmoof (pre-$60M raise), and Littlebits (pre-Sphero acquisition), alongside named projects for Dukhoon+, Bolt, Bio-Box, Beep, Vess, Winswift, and Iconize Classroom. The 11-50 person team includes a Founder/CEO Boukje Koch (Dutch), Partner & Creative Director Mariet Schreurs, Partner & Development Director Erik van Vliet, and Chinese engineering, design, quality, and account management staff, with engineering and CMF (Color, Material, Finish) capabilities anchored by a Shenzhen presence.

Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with direct engagement, supplemented by event-driven demand generation at the Canton Fair, CES Las Vegas (as part of the Dutch Tech delegation), BODW Hong Kong, and design award ceremonies. FPI's WeHardware CTO-for-hire initiative extends the offering upstream into professional services for European and US startups. Since 2018, Orange Creatives has built a sustainable materials capability covering biobased, recycled, and compostable inputs, formalized through a 2022 Red Dot Award for Sustainability won jointly with A4M Group, CIRCO, TU Delft, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Noorderwind. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated project by project.

Name

Orange Creatives

Legal name

广州市橙创设计有限公司

Website

https://orangecreatives.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Guangzhou-based contract manufacturer for innovative consumer products including robotics, AI toys, smart appliances, and purification devices, serving premium international brands and funded startups with stage-gate product development from feasibility through mass production.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Manufacturing

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (54142), Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing (335)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial IoT/Edge Electronics Manufacturing (Gateways, Edge Controllers) (IMAGAGAC)

Keywords

• Contract manufacturing
• Design for manufacturing
• Consumer electronics manufacturing
• Injection molded plastics
• Sustainable product sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Guangzhou

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contract Manufacturing Services: End-to-end manufacturing services for innovative consumer products including feasibility studies, engineering, prototyping, tooling, assembly, and shipping. Revenue is project-based, earned per production run or development contract.
2. Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Services: Engineering services including mechanical, electronics, and softgood engineering, design for manufacturing analysis, performance testing, and optimization. Typically bundled with production contracts.
3. CTO for Hire / WeHardware Services: Hardware CTO services for hire helping startups realize physical products and production capacity. Part of FPI's WeHardware initiative serving European and US startups.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Orange Creatives FPI is a Guangzhou-based contract manufacturer that produces innovative consumer products for premium international brands and funded startups. Its core services combine design for manufacturing (DFM), engineering (mechanical, electronics, softgood), prototyping, tooling, supply chain management, and mass-production assembly for smart appliances, robotics, AI toys, air and water purification devices, outdoor/DIY equipment, and sustainable packaging. The company also operates the WeHardware initiative, providing hardware CTO-for-hire services to European and US startups seeking to develop and scale physical products in China.

Product overview

Orange Creatives FPI (橙创) is an innovative contract manufacturer in China specializing in premium brands and innovative products. Their portfolio includes manufacturing services for Smart Appliances, Robotics, AI Toys, Air & Water Purification, and Outdoor & DIY products. They offer Design for Manufacturing services using a stage-gate approach, managing the complete supply chain from feasibility study through production and shipping. Notable manufactured products include Cubelets modular robotics, Dukhoon+ aroma diffuser, and Bolt meal plan trolley. They also provide biobased and recycled material solutions for sustainable product development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contract Manufacturing for Smart Appliances End-to-end contract manufacturing services for innovative smart home appliances, including custom plastic casings, electronics, metal parts, soft goods, assembly, and packaging, targeted at premium international brands and innovative startups.
• Contract Manufacturing for Robotics Contract manufacturing of modular robotics products, including plastic casings with magnet inserts, construction engineering, and design for manufacturing for new product releases, targeted at educational and consumer robotics brands.
• Contract Manufacturing for AI Toys Contract manufacturing services for AI-enabled toys and educational robotics products requiring custom electronics and innovative product design, targeted at consumer toy and educational technology brands.
• Contract Manufacturing for Air and Water Purification Products Manufacturing of air purifiers, water purification devices, and related home appliances with sustainability focus, targeted at consumer brands in the clean-air and clean-water categories.
• Contract Manufacturing for Outdoor and DIY Products Contract manufacturing services for outdoor equipment and do-it-yourself products requiring injection-molded plastic casings, targeted at consumer outdoor and DIY brands.
• Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Service Stage-gate methodology combining product engineering with in-house tooling expertise for scalable production, covering feasibility study, engineering and prototype, design for manufacturing, production setup, and production and shipping. Typically bundled with production contracts for premium brands.
• Full Supply Chain Management for Assembled Products End-to-end supply chain management for assembled products including plastic casing, electronics, metal parts, soft goods, assembly, packaging, and certification (CE, UL, FCC, RoHS, Reach), targeted at international brands seeking single-vendor accountability.
• Biobased and Recycled Materials Solutions Manufacturing and supply chain solutions using sustainable material options including PLA packaging for products such as Bio-Box, biobased casings, hemp PP test samples, sustainable granulate samples, recycled plastic options, and biodegradable coatings. Delivered through Orange Creatives' supply chain with collaborating material suppliers, waste management experts, and certification partners.
• WeHardware (CTO for Hire / Hardware CTO Services) Hardware CTO services for hire that help European and US startups realize physical products and production capacity, part of FPI's WeHardware initiative operating in conjunction with Orange Creatives' manufacturing capabilities. Selected as one of the top 90 tech pioneers of Holland by the Dutch government.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 800 innovative products developed and produced using stage-gate approach
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FPIcoreOthersFPI is the mother company of Orange Creatives FPI. Both operate together with shared resources and expertise. FPI has been helping startups since 2007 and exhibited at CES 2021 as part of the Dutch Tech delegation, launching the WeHardware initiative. Orange Creatives is the Guangzhou-based manufacturing arm.
• A4M GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA4M Group is the Dutch office of Orange Creatives. Mariet Schreurs and Jam Chung attended the Red Dot Award ceremony together with their office in the Netherlands. The Red Dot Award for Sustainability was won together with A4M Group. Both collaborate on circular design vision for electronics.
• WeHardware (FPI Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeHardware is FPI's startup initiative providing hardware CTO services for hire. Helps European and US startups realize physical products and production capacity. Selected by Dutch government as part of top 90 tech pioneers of Holland. Orange Creatives/FPI have partnered with startups like Modrobotics, Vanmoof, and Littlebits before their major funding rounds.
• Dutch Government / Dutch Tech DelegationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFPI was selected to join the Dutch Tech delegation to CES 2021 in Las Vegas. WeHardware initiative selected as one of the top 90 tech pioneers of Holland.
• CIRCO (Creating Business through Circular Design)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIRCO is a circular design organization. Mariet Schreurs participated in panel discussions on circular design with CIRCO representatives at Hebei Industrial Design Week 2022 and BODW 2022.
• NoorderwindminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign studio that helped inspire the circular design vision for electronics that won the Red Dot Award for Sustainability.
• TU Delft (Industrial Design Engineering)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner that contributed to the circular design vision for electronics recognized at the Red Dot Award.
• Ellen MacArthur FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation that inspired the circular design vision for electronics that won the Red Dot Award for Sustainability.
• ModroboticscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorClient and long-term manufacturing partner for Cubelets modular robotics. Since 2010, Orange Creatives FPI has been responsible for manufacturing plastic casings with magnet inserts, including construction engineering and DFM. Modrobotics raised $10M USD.
• VanmoofminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFPI has partnered with Vanmoof since before their major funding (raised $60M USD). Vanmoof is an e-bike brand.
• littleBits (Sphero)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFPI partnered with Littlebits long before it was acquired by Sphero. Electronics kit manufacturer.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• IDEO: Premier design consultancy that helps clients develop innovative consumer products from concept through prototyping, occasionally supporting manufacturing transitions. Adjacent rather than competitive: IDEO is not a contract manufacturer, but it shapes the same client-buying journey.

Broad incumbents

• Jabil: Global manufacturing solutions provider with extensive EMS, design services, and supply-chain management across consumer electronics, smart home, and IoT product categories. Overlaps with Orange Creatives on smart appliances, AI toys, and consumer electronics manufacturing.
• Pegatron: Tier-one Taiwanese ODM/EMS with consumer electronics, smart home, and connected device manufacturing capabilities. Comparable category overlap but operates at much higher volume than Orange Creatives and focuses on established OEMs rather than startups.
• Flex (Flextronics): One of the world's largest EMS providers with broad end-to-end manufacturing services, including consumer products, IoT, and design support via PCH. Competes for the same international innovative-product clients, with vastly greater scale but less boutique service depth.
• Foxconn (Hon Hai): Largest EMS provider globally with extensive consumer electronics and smart appliance manufacturing capabilities. Serves similar end-product categories but at radically larger scale and with less focus on boutique startup programs.

Direct peers

• PCH International: PCH (now part of Flex) ran the most directly comparable model globally: hardware manufacturing and supply-chain services purpose-built for startups and scale-ups. Same target buyer (international hardware founders needing China-aligned production), same end-to-end scope from prototype to shipping.
• Dragon Innovation: Dragon Innovation offers hardware manufacturing consulting and production matching services to startups, including the well-known "Hardware Is Hard" playbook. Operates in the same consulting-plus-China-execution niche as Orange Creatives' WeHardware initiative.
• Lunar Design: Industrial design firm with an in-house manufacturing engineering practice that helps consumer hardware clients move from concept to production. Comparable mix of industrial design services, manufacturing engineering, and consumer-product focus.
• Cooper Perkins: Integrated product design and engineering firm that takes hardware concepts from design through manufacturing, serving startups and enterprise clients with complex electromechanical products. Closely comparable scope and client mix to Orange Creatives' design-led manufacturing offering.

Emerging players

• frog design: Global design and engineering firm (part of Capgemini Engineering) with manufacturing partnership capabilities and a strong industrial design lineage. While larger and design-led rather than manufacturing-led, frog overlaps on integrated product development for ambitious consumer hardware programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orange-creatives
• Instagraminstagram.com/orange_creatives

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Orange Creatives