Japan Operators Audit Our Factory: PSE, Giteki, UN38.3

1. Introduction

Recently,a delegation of shared power bank operators from Japan visited the Shenzhen factory of Shenzhen Honeycomb Era Technology Co., Ltd., completing a full-process factory audit covering the injection molding workshop, the automated production line and the aging test room, focused on device quality, capacity/delivery and Japanese market compliance.Shenzhen Honeycomb Era Technology Co., Ltd. owns the industry’s first automated shared power bank production line — currently monthly capacity of 1 million power banks and 100,000 cabinets, with core cells using pure NMC lithium batteries from top suppliers such as ATL, EVE and Ganfeng. Japan is one of the world’s most strictly regulated markets for battery safety, and the client’s core concern was clear:what qualifies this device to sit in Japanese shopping malls, stations and convenience stores?This article records the full factory audit route and summarizes the three key Japanese compliance items — round PSE, Giteki (TELEC) and UN38.3 — for operators and brands planning to enter Japan.

2. Visit Background: Why Japanese Operators Came to Shenzhen for a Factory Audit

Japan’s shared power bank market is still at an early penetration stage, but entry standards for top commercial districts, transport hubs and convenience chains are extremely high; operators generally follow a ’factory audit first, then sampling, then volume’ process. In ourJapan Shared Power Bank Market: Blue-Ocean Opportunity, PSE Compliance and Landing Planwe broke down how the entry barrier lies not in the market itself but incompliance and quality trust.

For Japanese clients, a factory audit must answer four questions in order:Are structural parts made in-house (decides batch consistency and delivery)? Is production-line scale and automation sufficient (decides capacity and stability for volume deployment)? Is whole-unit testing complete (decides failure rate)? Are certifications and documents complete (decides legal shelf placement)?. This visit route was designed around exactly these four questions.

3. Full Factory Audit Record: From Injection Molding Workshop and Automated Line to Aging Test Room

2.1 Stop 1: Injection Molding Workshop — In-House Enclosures Are the Starting Point of Quality

The audit began in the injection molding workshop. The cabinet and power bank enclosure structural parts of Shenzhen Honeycomb Era Technology Co., Ltd. aremold-made and injection-molded in-house: mold development, injection molding, silk-screen printing and spraying — all three core processes run on our own lines. The client compared seam fit, print clarity and coating adhesion across batches on site —in-house production means batch consistency: cabinet bay tolerances, door-opening feel and enclosure seam precision directly determine assembly quality and long-term durability.

2.2 Stop 2: The Industry’s First Automated Shared Power Bank Line — Hard Guarantees of Capacity and Consistency

The most-asked-about part of the audit wasthe industry’s first automated shared power bank production line. Core processes — cell sorting, assembly and testing — are done by automated equipment, eliminating human assembly variance: from unit No.1 to volume delivery, everything runs on the same takt-stable, fully traceable line.Cells:the line uses pure NMC lithium batteries from top suppliers such as ATL, EVE and Ganfeng, with incoming capacity and internal-resistance sampling by batch;Capacity:the factory currently hasmonthly capacity of 1 million power banks and 100,000 cabinetsin scaled delivery capability — for operators planning large-scale deployment in Japan, peak-season restocking and volume orders both have clear production-scheduling guarantees.

2.3 Stop 3: Whole-Unit Aging and 100% Outgoing Inspection — 48 Hours of Aging per Cabinet

After assembly comes aging testing. The client focused on three things:SMT placement and mainboard testing(every mainboard is powered up to test the borrow-return flow and communication module),whole-unit aging(every cabinet completes long-duration powered aging before shipping, simulating high-frequency borrow-return scenarios), and100% outgoing inspection(nothing ships without passing). The automated line ensures ’built fast and built steady’; aging and inspection ensure ’screened strictly’ — together these two gates determine the failure-rate performance of devices entering the Japanese market.

2.4 Stop 4: Test Room — Safety Protection Tests and Fire Demonstration

The test room was the finale of the audit. The client watched two demonstrations:Protection function tests — overcharge and over-temperature protection triggered and verified one by one; enclosures and internal structural parts use flame-retardant materials;Fire suppression demonstration — when a thermal anomaly triggers, extinguishing agent is injected directly into the affected bay, preventing the fire from spreading to adjacent bays. For Japanese operators planning to place devices in malls, stations and street locations, these are hard metrics that can be written directly into procurement standards.

Audit summary:The four points Japanese clients rated highest were — batch consistency from in-house enclosures and structural parts,the industry’s first automated production linebringing capacity and quality stability (1 million power banks and 100,000 cabinets monthly, core cells from ATL, EVE, Ganfeng and other top suppliers), the outgoing standard of 100% inspection plus aging tests, and the demonstrability of safety protection and fire suppression. Together these four points answer the question of what qualifies the device for Japanese channels.

4. Three Japanese Compliance Items: Round PSE, Giteki and UN38.3

In the final hour of the audit, both sides held a dedicated session on Japanese market compliance. These three ’tickets’ are unavoidable for shared power bank devices entering Japan; we have compiled them into a checklist:

For details on round PSE and METI notification, refer directly toMETI’s official explanation(see references [1][2] at the end); for Giteki certification, followthe MIC’s Giteki mark Q&A[3].Shenzhen Honeycomb Era Technology Co., Ltd. provides the UN38.3 report and a full set of transport documents by default at shipment, and supports clients with sample preparation and technical documentation for destination-country certifications such as PSE and Giteki — certification cycles typically need 2-3 months of lead-time planning; choosing a source manufacturer that supports the filing directly eliminates trial-and-error time.

5. Product Demo and OEM/ODM Customization Talks

In the second half of the visit, the client tried in the showroom the8-bay shared power bank cabinet (tall helmet edition), 12-bay cabinet and M80H fast-charge power bank — three flagship models — and confirmed Japan-market customization needs item by item:

• Appearance customization: enclosure colors, LOGO silk printing and body films matched to brand VI;
• Hardware configuration: power bank capacity and fast-charge specs selected per Japanese channel pricing strategy; cabinet bay count planned by location density;
• System localization: cabinet screens and mini-program interfaces in Japanese, with Japanese operations reports in the backend;
• Payment integration: reserved interfaces for Japanese local payment and credit-card acquiring, working with either the client’s own system or the Honeycomb Era backend;
• Compliance documents: PSE, Giteki and UN38.3 sample and technical documentation support, provided with orders.

End-to-end ODM/white-label service coverssoftware-hardware R&D, appearance and structure customization, multi-language system UI and mass-production delivery, with cabinets shipped to100+ countries; the industry’s first automated production line also reserves ample scheduling capacity for volume deployment in Japan — for first-time entrants to the Japanese market, there are mature precedents for the complete chain from sampling and certification to volume shipment.

6. Closing Thoughts: A Japan Partnership That Starts with a Factory Audit

For Japanese clients, a factory audit is not just a step in the procurement process — it isthe starting point of long-term supply trust — the devices enter demanding channels, and the operator’s brand reputation is behind them.Shenzhen Honeycomb Era Technology Co., Ltd.will take this visit as an opportunity to provide Japan-market clients with full support from certification assistance and custom sampling to volume delivery. For the opportunities and barriers of the Japanese market, we recommend the Japan Shared Power Bank Market feature at the end of this article.

7. Recommended Reading

1. Japan Shared Power Bank Market: Blue-Ocean Opportunity, PSE Compliance and Landing Plan

2. Vietnamese Power Bank Startup Visits Honeycomb Era: Chinese Smart Manufacturing for Southeast Asia

3. Honeycomb Era New Shared Power Banks at Hong Kong Electronics Fair 2026

4. 12-Slot Power Bank Sharing Station

8. FAQ

Do power banks exported to Japan need PSE certification?

Yes. Since February 1, 2019, Japan’s METI has officially brought portable lithium-ion batteries (power banks) with energy density above 400Wh/L under round PSE control of the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act; cells must be tested to J62133(H28) (JIS C 8712:2015) and marked with the round PSE logo, and Japanese importers must file a business notification with METI using the conformity report. Uncertified products face delisting and penalties in Japan.

What certification do Bluetooth/4G modules in shared power bank cabinets need?

Giteki certification under Japan’s Radio Act (technical standards conformity certification, commonly TELEC/Giteki). Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 4G and other actively transmitting modules in cabinets must be certified and display the Giteki mark; unmarked devices violate the Radio Act. Mass-production models usually take the construction-type design certification route, with one approval covering volume production.

What should be noted when shipping devices and batteries to Japan?

Lithium batteries and devices containing them must ship with a UN38.3 test summary; air freight also requires packaging, labels and transport documents per IATA DGR; large items like cabinets shipped by sea must also carry battery documents. Honeycomb Era provides the UN38.3 report and full transport documents by default, supporting client customs clearance.

What is Honeycomb Era’s production capacity? Can it support volume deployment in Japan?

The factory owns the industry’s first automated shared power bank production line, with current monthly capacity of 1 million power banks and 100,000 cabinets; core cells are pure NMC lithium batteries from top suppliers such as ATL, EVE and Ganfeng, with batch sampling on incoming materials. The automated line guarantees batch consistency and delivery stability, and with PSE, Giteki and UN38.3 documentation support, it can sustain the restocking rhythm from pilot deployment to scaled operations in Japan.

Does Honeycomb Era support OEM/ODM customization? What is the MOQ?

Yes. Customization covers enclosure colors and LOGO printing, power bank capacity and fast-charge specs, cabinet bay count and appearance, multi-language system interfaces (including Japanese), and backend/payment integration. MOQ and sampling lead time vary by model and configuration — contact us for a specific plan and quote.

Can I book a factory audit visit to the Honeycomb Era plant in Shenzhen?

Welcome. The factory is at Room 401, Building 61, Longwangmiao Industrial Zone, East Baishixia Community, Fuyong Street, Bao’an District, Shenzhen. You can tour the injection molding workshop, the industry’s first automated shared power bank line, the aging test room and the product showroom. For sample testing or customization talks, please book in advance — contact Mr. Wei at +86 159 1998 0051.