| Key milestone | Status |
|
Production (core components) - Aluminium tops - PC base - PC plate |
Production numbers have been collated and finalised. Core components have been ordered. In progress. |
|
Pudding keycaps |
COMPLETE Pudding keycaps are at our warehouse. |
|
PCBs (Solderable & Hot-Swap) |
Complete and at our machining supplier awaiting packaging with HIBIKI units. |
|
Packaging (Internal/External) |
Complete External packaging - done. Internal (carry case) - in production. |
|
Additional parts (Screws, feet, plate foam, Poron pads, screw driver) |
Complete Screws: Complete Poron Pads: In production Feet: TBA Screw driver: Complete |
4 Jan 2023:
The aluminium tops have started milling, and the bases have started tooling.
7 Feb 2023:
Our manufacturer has advised that the aluminium tops are due to complete CNC milling this month. The tops are booked for anodising/e-coating in March.
The polycarbonate bases are currently underway. Our manufacturer is testing the materials, with tooling booked for March.
The current ETA for manufacturing completion is early June 2023. This ETA does not include inbound shipping & QC at our warehouse in Melbourne, Australia.
We're excited to share the packaging design with you in the coming weeks.
At this stage, everything is on track for August 2023.
13 March 2023
Pudding keycaps have been completed, and have been dispatched to our warehouse. Orders that have not been combined with a HIBIKI will be dispatched shortly after being recieved.
30 March 2023
Pudding keycaps are at our warehouse, and individual orders will begin shipping in the coming days. Orders combined with HIBIKI or other pre-order products will be fulfilled together.
The HIBIKI tops are finishing CNC this week and will be bead-blasted before they are e-coated or anodised (depending on the colour). The Polycarbonate bases are tooling - and the next step is hand mirror polishing.
The polycarbonate plates are also completing CNC and will be bead-blasted in the coming weeks.
The PCB's will be ordered shortly. Various packing and components will be ordered over the coming weeks.
At this stage, our target completion date of August 2023 remains.
Images from our manufacturer:
15 April 2023
PCB order has been placed, completion ETA is 6 weeks.
2 July 2023
We have several important updates to share as we pass the 6-month mark for the HIBIKI Pre-order.
Aluminium Tops
We have some good news and some not-so-good news regarding the aluminium tops for HIBIKI.
The good news is that the CHOC and SNOW BOY tops have completed production and passed initial QC (done by our manufacturer).
The not-so-good news is that the VERY HIBI and OFFICE BEIGE aluminium tops need to be remade entirely. Unfortunately, after two rounds of anodising, these colours were still unsatisfactory. After stripping back the coatings a third time, the aluminium was left in an unacceptable condition - see the images below for pitting.
Therefore, we’ve called to remake these tops entirely, which means that the production time for these two colours will increase by roughly two months (August > October 2023).
To help address this, we’re going to split the shipment when the CHOC and SNOW BOY units are complete. This means we can begin QC’ing the CHOC and SNOW BOY HIBIKI units - while the other two colours finish up.
QCing and packing all four colours is several weeks of work, so this shouldn’t significantly impact delivery times.
Polycarbonate bases
All polycarbonate bases are complete and are with our manufacturer to be shipped with the main components.
PCBs
All PCBs are complete and are with our manufacturer to be shipped with the main components.
HIBI Driver
All HIBI Drivers have been completed and are at our Melbourne warehouse.
Carry Case
Our external HIBIKI carry case has completed production and is with our manufacturer to be shipped with the main components.
Packaging
External packaging is complete and will be shipped to our Melbourne warehouse shortly.
To recap:
- HIBIKI units in CHOC and SNOW BOY remain on track for August.
- HIBIKI units in VERY HIBI and OFFICE BEIGE are now on track for October.
We sincerely apologise to our VERY HIBI and OFFICE BEIGE customers for this unexpected delay. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to deliver beyond your expectations.
We’re working on a special gift to be included with all pre-orders as a token of our gratitude.
ETA is currently August to October 2023.
For specific queries, please email contact@hibi.mx referencing your order number.
* HIBIKI will be packed by our overseas manufacturer, before being shipped to Australia for QC and fulfilment. Therefore, the production of components with shorter production times will be coordinated to align with this timeline.
4 August 2023
HIBIKI units are being packed and palletised, and will be shipped to Melbourne shortly.
At this stage we're expecting the units to arrive in Melbourne in mid/late-September.
The next update will be when the shipment arrives and clears customs.
We're close.
7 September 2023
The first batch of our production run has been packed. We've also booked and paid for sea freight next week.
We made the decision to split the order so that we can begin QC'ing and shipping customer orders sooner, while waiting on the balance of our production order to be packed and shipped.
This decision was made for a few reasons:
- Batch 1 contains the majority of pre-order units and shipping those out is our priority
- Batch 2 contains mostly extra stock, which can wait.
- The small amount of pre-orders within batch 2 were all extra allocations sold after the pre-order close. These orders have therefore not been waiting as long as pre-order customers.
- It will take several weeks to QC and pack once the shipment arrives (we're a small team) and by the time this is done, batch 2 will have arrived.
- Batch 1 contains other components and items needed in the preparation of shipping all orders.
Batch one is on the way to Australia!
15 October 2023
The ship containing batch 1 has moored in Sydney, Australia. We're hoping it clears customs and delivers to our warehouse in Melbourne quickly.
Batch 2, which contains extras (units sold after GB close and manufacturing extras), will be packed and prepared for shipping to Australia shortly.
Once we have the first batch in hand, we will be back with more news/updates. Depending on Australian customs and delivery times, this may take 1-2 weeks.
1 November 2023
Batch 1 has cleared customs and is on the way to our warehouse.
Next steps for batch 1:
- QC units (ETA 2-3 weeks)
- Begin packing and fulfilling orders (end of November)
Batch 2 is complete and awaiting sea freight, which has been booked for week 2 of November. We expect a similar timeline to batch 1 as far as delivery, and are optimistic that it will arrive at our warehouse in early December.
Batch 2 contains a small quantity of pre-orders (mostly those sold after the GB window) so we expect to fulfil HIBIKI in two phases.
Once HIBIKI pre-orders have been fulfilled - we will list a small quantity of extras on our website. If you have joined the waitlist, you will be notified when stock goes live. These keyboards will be approximately USD $100 more than the pre-order price, to both reflect the investment in stock and acknowledge those who trusted us with a pre-order.
IF YOU HAVE MOVED: Please email us with your new address and quote your order number.
A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE FROM KATE
As we near the fulfilment of HIBIKI, I want to thank you all for your support.
This past year, the keyboard market has experience enough turbulence to last a lifetime.
Your trust, especially during a time when everyone is understandably weary of pre-orders/group buys, has been a constant driving force for me throughout the past year.
The trust you place on me as a vendor is precious, as is your patience whilst I complete this project.
Please bear in mind that unlike other vendors, and online business you're likely used to, HIBI Design does not have employees - and I rely on the support of friends and family.
What this means:
- I quality control, pack and ship every single order. From folding packaging boxes to printing labels.
- It will take me a few weeks to get through this process with each batch.
I truly cannot wait for everyone to receive their order and share their builds.