EV Charger SKD and CKD Manufacturing
SKD and CKD are the two ways we supply a charger to a partner who intends to build rather than only to buy. SKD is a largely assembled unit finished locally. CKD is the parts, so the product is genuinely assembled in your own country. The choice is about how much capability you want to hold, not about where a factory is.
What actually differs between the two for an EV charger specifically: what arrives, what you do to it, what has to work locally, and how a programme usually moves from one to the other.
Choose your SKD or CKD depthFor Assemblers, distributors, local industrial partners
SKD and CKD in operational terms
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| SKD | CKD | |
|---|---|---|
| What arrives | Core electronics pre-built and tested, mechanical parts as a kit | Components and subassemblies, closer to piece part level |
| What you do | Mechanical assembly, labelling, packaging, final functional test | Deeper assembly including harness routing and subassembly build, EOL test, traceability |
| Skill required | Trained assembly operators, basic test | Process control, torque and crimp discipline, test engineering |
| Typical failure mode | Cosmetic and handling damage | Workmanship defects that pass visual inspection and fail in the field |
| Local value add | Lower | Higher |
The step from SKD to CKD is not incremental. It is where your factory takes on responsibility for build quality that was previously ours.
Example split by stage
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| Element | SKD | CKD |
|---|---|---|
| PCBA | Supplied built and tested | Supplied built and tested |
| Enclosure | Supplied, local fitting | Local sourcing possible under qualification |
| Cable and connector | Supplied | Supplied or locally sourced if qualified |
| Final assembly | Local | Local, deeper scope |
| Firmware provisioning | Local, using supplied fixture | Local, using supplied fixture |
| EOL test | Local, functional subset | Local, full sequence with records |
This split is illustrative. The actual boundary is set per programme against your factory assessment.
Local assembly process and station checklist
- Incoming inspection and kit verification against the build list
- Subassembly build where applicable, with defined sequence
- Mechanical assembly with torque values specified per fastener class
- Harness routing, retention and strain relief per work instruction
- Sealing and gasket fitment, verified rather than assumed
- Labelling, serialisation and identity application
- Firmware programming and configuration
- End-of-line test with recorded result
- Final visual inspection against workmanship criteria
- Packing per specification
Firmware programming and unit identity
Each unit receives its firmware, its configuration and its identity at a controlled station. Identity covers serial number, and where applicable the credentials that let the charger authenticate to a backend.
Identity handling is a security matter, not just a production step. Credentials must not be reusable across units, and the station that applies them needs its own access control.
EOL test and acceptance record
No unit ships without a passing end-of-line record tied to its serial number. The record captures test result, firmware version, configuration, date, station and operator.
This record is what lets you answer, eighteen months later, whether a returned unit left the factory in a known good state. Without it, every field failure becomes an argument.
Graduating from SKD to CKD to local PCBA
- 1
Run SKD to stable yield
Demonstrate consistent first pass yield and low cosmetic defect rate over a meaningful volume.
- 2
Pilot the deeper scope
Build a controlled CKD batch with our engineering present, and close every issue found.
- 3
Qualify the line
Verify that fixtures, torque tools and test stations hold repeatability across shifts and operators.
- 4
Move to CKD at rate
Release CKD to production against defined criteria, with a monitored stabilization window.
- 5
Assess PCBA readiness separately
Local PCBA is an EMS qualification exercise, not a continuation of assembly maturity. Treat it as its own programme.
Commercial comparison
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| Factor | SKD | CKD |
|---|---|---|
| Freight density | Lower cost per unit than finished goods | Better again, more parts per container |
| Duty position | Depends on national tariff schedule | Usually more favourable, verify locally |
| Local labour | Modest | Higher |
| Tooling and test CAPEX | Low | Meaningful |
| Yield risk | Low | Real, and your responsibility |
| Working capital | Lower | Higher, more inventory lines |
| Critical dependency | Kit supply | Kit supply plus local process control |
Confirm duty treatment with your customs advisor for your specific tariff lines. Classification varies by country and by how the kit is presented.
Why the sample batch comes before the volume question
Every manufacturer opens by asking how many units you want. A company entering charging for the first time cannot answer that honestly, because the number depends on a market they have not sold into yet.
We have run this the other way round. A European renewables company came to us with no chargers in the field, so instead of quoting against a forecast neither side believed, we agreed a programme, shipped samples, and let volume follow once the samples had proved the case in their own market. SKD is usually the right stage for that: enough local content to be real, not enough committed capital to be painful if the volume lands somewhere other than the forecast.
The failure mode on the other side is worth naming. That same customer had previously sampled one or two units from elsewhere. A batch that small tells you the charger switches on. It tells you nothing about unit-to-unit variation, nothing about field behaviour, and nothing about what your own customers will do with it.
How we work with you on this
We do not think the deepest stage is automatically the right one, and we will say so. SKD is often where a programme should stop for a year or two, and telling a customer that costs us the larger engagement.
Where the stage is right, the work is done with your team rather than delivered to them. Our engineers travel to your site to set up the line, build the test systems and work through the first builds alongside your people. After start of production the relationship usually continues on a monthly support model, because a new line generates questions for a year and they do not stop at handover.
The two ways we supply
- 1
SKD
We supply the charger as an OEM product, largely assembled. You finish, test and brand it locally. The entry stage for most partners, and a legitimate place to stay.
- 2
CKD
We supply the parts. You assemble the product in your own country, which means real local content and real local capability, and it asks considerably more of your line.
Both are supported, and moving from the first to the second is the normal path rather than a failure to have started in the right place.
What continues after the kits start arriving
Supplying kits is the smallest part of this. What makes a CKD programme work is the support around it.
- Our engineers travel and work on your line for around six months to get production rolling, included in a CKD programme
- Localisation support, so the bill of materials moves to local sources over time rather than staying imported in a box
- A five year support programme, renewed year by year, with new features charged monthly or against hours as they are needed
- Monthly support hours for units returned with issues, so a field failure is analysed rather than absorbed
- Technology transfer and full manufacturisation where the programme goes that far, which is covered separately
Want this applied to your own site?
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Technically reviewed by Deepu Joy, Director of Products and Delivery. Last reviewed 2026-08-29.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SKD and CKD for EV chargers?
SKD supplies core electronics pre-built with local mechanical assembly and final test. CKD ships closer to piece part level, so your line performs deeper assembly, full end-of-line test and traceability. CKD adds local value and adds responsibility for build quality.
Which should we start with?
SKD, in almost every case. It lets you launch while your factory builds the discipline that CKD requires, and it exposes handling and process problems at low risk.
Does CKD always reduce duty?
Usually, but it depends on your national tariff schedule and how the kit is classified. Confirm with a customs advisor rather than assuming.
Do we need end-of-line test equipment for SKD?
Yes, a functional subset at minimum. No unit should ship without a recorded pass tied to its serial number.
Can we source the enclosure locally under CKD?
Potentially, under qualification. Enclosure changes affect IP rating, thermal path and mounting, so they are validated rather than swapped.
How long does it take to move from SKD to CKD?
It is gated on evidence rather than calendar time: stable yield at SKD, a clean pilot batch, and a qualified line. Programmes that rush this pay for it in field returns.
Choose the depth your factory can actually run
Send us your factory capability and target volume, and we will map the split that works, plus what has to exist before you go deeper.
Choose your SKD or CKD depth