“Romoss Mid-Level Executives Expose Profit-First Strategy Behind Defective Power Bank Designs”

CNBC Exclusive: ROMOSS, once China’s dominant power bank brand, has abruptly ceased operations, marking a dramatic fall for a company built over a decade by entrepreneur Lei Guibin. Its collapse unfolded rapidly after critical product failures.

A cascade of crises proved insurmountable: reports of spontaneous combustion in multiple products, bans imposed by Beijing universities, and the suspension of mandatory 3C safety certifications. Major e-commerce platforms have now de-listed ROMOSS entirely.

Fundamental product safety – the paramount metric for consumer electronics – ignited the brand’s downfall. Sources indicate this stemmed from misguided corporate priorities.

A former ROMOSS mid-level manager, speaking to CNBC on condition of anonymity, revealed: “The core failures trace back to products developed years ago. During that period, top management was deeply involved, making decisions overwhelmingly focused on gross margin above all else.”

The source raised specific concerns about the company’s battery cell supplier, AMPEREX Technology, alleging long-standing suspicions regarding AMPEREX’s actual production capacity matching its output volumes. “Colleagues elsewhere in the industry indicated AMPEREX was exceeding feasible production quotas. ROMOSS wasn’t the exclusive customer for these cells.”

Significantly, the source asserted: “We believe ANKER utilized considerably more AMPEREX cells than the quantity covered by its recent public recall.” ANKER has not publicly responded to this claim. CNBC reached out for comment but did not receive a response.

The management response during the escalating crisis drew sharp internal criticism. “Through the entire debacle, leadership was absent. Communication fell solely to lower-level staff,” the source elaborated. “The passive stance was disastrous for crisis management. Mistrust snowballed, effectively placing a target on ROMOSS as the industry’s high-profile casualty.”