Evolv has named Lou Ritter of the American E-Liquid Manufacturing Standards Association as the chair for the new Vape and Vapor products U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG).
A designer and manufacturer of electronics used in e-cigarette devices, Evolv was the only applicant for the TAG administrator role, according to the company.
It’s official. The Vapor Technology Association (VTA) will bring manufacturers, wholesalers, small business owners and entrepreneurs in the vapor industry a fresh perspective on the industry and the policies that impact it. The organization
on states its mission is to serve as the advocate for leaders in the vapor community who not only continue to develop new technologies for the benefit of public health, but also promote small businesses and job growth, responsible public policies and regulations, and a high standard of safety within the industry.
According to today’s press announcement, VTA’s board will include Ron Tully of Next Generation Labs, Brittani Cushman of Intrepid Brands, Sanjiv Desai of VMR Products, Patricia Kovacevic of Nicopure Labs, Arnaud Dumas de Rauly of FIVAPE and George Cassels-Smith of Tobacco Technology Inc.
“The growth of the vapor technology industry provides an opportunity for new jobs in communities across the country while promoting a safer alternative to traditional tobacco products,” said Tony Abboud, VTA’s National Legislative Director. “Through our advocacy efforts, VTA and its members will pursue strong industry standards and responsible regulations that protect children and ensure the safety of consumers while aggressively pushing back on any misleading information about our products.”
The VTA release states that its “members have worked diligently with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle in support of safeguards for children, including child-resistant packaging and laws preventing sales to minors. And while the U.S. federal government is falling behind the rest of the world in the development of product standards, VTA and its members are ahead of the curve, promoting responsible regulations and strict safety standards here in the United States and abroad.”
Joshua Kimmel has resigned as an officer and member of Breathe eCig Corp.’s board of directors.
Seth M. Shaw has been appointed to the positions of chairman of the board and interim chief executive officer and chief financial officer effective immediately.
Kimmel will remain as a consultant and will continue to assist the company in several important capacities. In addition, Shaw expects to appoint a minimum of two new board members during January and February.
Fontem Ventures, owner of the Blu e-cigarette brand, and Ballantyne Brands, a U.S.-based distributor and owner of the Mistic and Haus brands of personal vaporizers and e-liquids, today announced they have reached a settlement agreement that resolves ongoing litigation in the U.S.
The settlement ends another of eight patent infringement cases originally brought by Fontem Ventures and Fontem Holdings in March 2014 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California in relation to e-vapor technology.
Under the terms of the settlement, Fontem Ventures has granted Ballantyne Brands a non-exclusive royalty-bearing global license under the patents asserted in the litigation and certain other e-vapor technology related patents.
The remaining settlement terms are confidential.
Japan Tobacco said today that it would launch the next generation of its Ploom ‘tobacco vapor’ device, Ploom TECH, and three types of ‘MEVIUS for Ploom TECH’ tobacco capsules.
All products would be available in Japan from early March through nearly 900 stores in Fukuoka City and nationwide via a dedicated online store operated by the company’s subsidiary, JT Creative Service.
‘In December 2013, JT introduced Japan’s first tobacco vapor product, Ploom,’ JT said in a note posted on its website. ‘Ploom TECH represents the next breakthrough product from the Ploom brand, which now delivers an even smoother tobacco taste and can be used instantly.
‘Ploom TECH is a new way of enjoying tobacco by placing a tailor-made tobacco capsule filled with granulated tobacco leaves into a device, composed of a battery and cartridge. Vapor is generated from the liquid in the cartridge and passes through the tobacco capsule. With this innovative technology, JT has created a clear tobacco taste without ash or smoke.’
For the tobacco capsule, JT has developed MEVIUS for Ploom TECH, which uses the name of Japan’s best-selling cigarette brand. ‘This capsule provides a smooth taste,’ the press note said. ‘To allow the consumers to choose according to their preferences, a line-up of three new products – one regular and two menthol types – has been created.
‘JT has also given thorough consideration to the ease of use of these products. Ploom TECH is activated merely by inhaling, making it possible to enjoy the experience immediately and at any time. Stick-shaped, lightweight and compact, Ploom TECH is also easy to hold and carry.
‘Since there is no combustion, Ploom TECH tobacco vapor does not produce tobacco smoke smell or ash, making it a new way to enjoy tobacco that helps to avoid annoying those nearby. This is JT’s latest offering toward realizing a society where smokers and non-smokers can coexist harmoniously.’
The launch in Japan is said to mark the start of a roll-out of Ploom TECH globally. ‘By offering a wide range of choices to meet changing consumers’ preferences and satisfaction, JT is aiming to be the global leader in the emerging products category,’ the press note said.
What to expect in 2016
By Dmitry Churakov
The year is just getting started and it’s a good time to focus on what key trends we should be on the lookout for in vaping hardware. I would venture to say that this year will not bring us any radical breakthroughs. Technology has been steadily evolving, but sadly I don’t see us being on a verge of a game-changing device. It’s not for a lack of innovation and vision of hardware developers, or funding available to bring those inventions to market. It’s more about the pace of development being hampered by worldwide regulatory uncertainty. Having said that, let’s take a look at will be driving the current “pragmatic evolution” in the near future.
The first driver are the smokers. Those who stick to traditional tobacco for one reason or another. They might have tried e-cigarettes but chose to go back to smoking because the e-cigs didn’t seem like a viable alternative. Either because the smokers considered them too complicated, unsafe, or because vaping simply didn’t give them the same level of satisfaction.
Let’s not forget that the e-cigarette as we know it today is what it is because of those former smokers that stuck around, and played an active role in molding the current products. Those smokers are now vapers, and the myriad products on the market, and most of their cousins coming out in 2016, are made to serve the vapers’ needs.
Yet, there is nothing on the market for smokers—the key audience for our industry. Many manufacturers have noticed it, and are slowly beginning to release products that have many of the sophisticated features of modern vaping devices, yet are easier in utility, far more accessible in distribution, and are more affordable for beginners.
Another important trend to follow is the new chapter in development of closed systems. It will be crucial facilitator for both attracting the next generation of vapers, as well as yet another trend we must pay attention to—new methods of vaporizing (to be discussed soon). Cooking a basic dinner is simple, and buying basic ingredients for it is cheap. Yet the market for precooked meals is steadily growing. Because consumers typically choose convenience above all. The same principle is true for our segment. Once the vape shops, gas stations, supermarkets, and local 7-11s will be stocked with the next generation of e-juice capsules, disposable and rechargeable devices, and new forms and formats or liquid refills it will radically alter the consumer dynamic.
Coming back to the new methods of vaporizing—nothing about it will drastically change in the coming year, yet it’s still an important trend to follow, and I will soon explain why. What we will see are new materials for heating elements, and significant enhancements in the heating performance. It will be driven by the need to make the products safer, with better controls of heating and vaporization. It goes goes hand in hand with the attention manufacturers are now paying to the ways end-users interact with their devices. We will be seeing a lot of reimagining of the current familiar features. They will be coming out in new forms and new combinations. Yet the time is not yet ripe for disruptive changes. In part this is due to the fact that there is little evolution in liquid technologies, and this will stall the market for radically new vaporizing systems.
The reason why all of this is important, is because this very stagnation will force the market to focus on the most important trend—development of a universal, or cross-platform, utility. Hardware without a rigid conformity to either heat-not-burn, dry herb, vape, or e-liquid. As I said before—more convenient and simple the hardware will drive the demand, which will increase distribution. Let’s not forget that the retail success is the key benchmark of our technological advancement.
Dmitry Churakov is CEO of Wingle Group, a China-based research and development consulting service geared toward the e-cigarette and adjacent technologies and manufacturing processes. He is also a co-founder of Calumet Advisors, an international strategic consulting company dedicated to the e-cigarette segment.
Two regulatory experts with Chemular, a consulting firm based in Michigan, USA, will be teaching a webinar on Europe’s pending vapor regulations.
Titled How NOT to get locked out of Europe, the webinar will take place Jan. 26 at 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. Participants will learn how to comply with the revised European Union Tobacco Products Directive (TPD)—which also covers e-cigarettes—and continue selling e-liquids in the Europe.
May 20 is the deadline for complying with the TPD. Every flavor in every nicotine level must be registered by that date or sales will be banned.
This webinar will explain the hallmarks of the EU TPD and what e-liquid companies must do to register and continue selling products in Europe.
The webinar will be taught by Dennis Moore and Robert Burton.
Moore has extensive experience helping companies comply with directives from the FDA, TPD and other regulatory agencies. A former FDA investigator, Moore is also expert in the quality standards set by the TPD and the International Standards Organization.
Burton was head of global corporate and regulatory affairs for White Cloud. He also headed up public health and scientific affairs for British American Tobacco. Burton has spent over 20 years in key scientific and leadership roles for pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca and SmithKline Beecham.
Sponsored by Nicobrand Reach-approved liquid nicotine and Alternative Ingredients, the webinar is free to anyone who pre-registers. It will be recorded and available for replay.
To claim your spot, please register here.
Hawaiian Airlines says an e-cigarette illegally put in a checked bag may have caused smoke and an emergency landing.
The cargo-smoke indicator in the cockpit lit up during a flight from Honolulu t
o Maui on Tuesday, an airline spokesman said Friday. The captain turned on the plane’s fire-suppression system, declared an emergency and landed quickly at the Maui Airport.
After the plane landed, fire crews found two pieces of checked luggage that seemed to have fire dama
ge caused by an e-cigarette in one of the bags, he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration bans electronic cigarettes from checked luggage, although they are allowed in carry-on bags.
An airline spokesman said that Maui police were investigating.
R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. (RAI) has filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeking to dismiss a class-action lawsuit filed by California resident Jerod Harris, reports the Winston-Salem Journal.
Harris claims that the company violated the State’s Unfair Competition Law and the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act by failing to warn consumers that Vuse carries a potential carcinogen risk from exposure to formaldehyde and acetaldehyde.
The company noted that the plaintiff “does not allege with any specificity that consumer exposure to either chemical exceeds no-significant-risk-level thresholds established for those chemicals.”
The U.S. House of Representatives on Jan.11 passed the Senate-approved Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2015, which would require child-resistant packaging for liquid nicotine refills sold in the country, consistent with Consumer Product Safety Commission standards.
Advocates contend the legislation is urgently needed because of the growing number of poisoning cases involving liquid nicotine, which jumped from 271 cases in 2011 to 3,783 in 2014, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
The Bill has been sent to President Barack Obama.