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  • VMR vaporizers under OCB brand

    ocb vaporizerVMR Products, a leading e-cigarette manufacturer, has partnered with Republic Technologies International (RTI), a global distributor of rolling papers and smoking accessories, to create a new line of advanced vaporizers for the EU market. The new vaporizers will be developed by VMR and distributed by RTI under the OCB brand.

    OCB is well established in the EU’s roll-your-own and make-your-own tobacco markets, with a strong presence in France, Spain, Germany and Austria.

    Following the success of VMR’s recently launched V2 Pro vaporizer, the new line of OCB-branded devices will be designed for the emerging large vapor device category. Models will be able to vaporize e-liquid, loose leaf tobacco and essential oils.

    VMR and RTI expect the multi-medium devices to be one of the most disruptive innovations to enter the vaporizer category in the EU.

    The partnership marries VMR’s technology with RTI’s distribution network, which reaches more than 800,000 locations across Europe. The OCB vaporizer line will be gradually rolled out across that network over the next year, with 1 million devices expected to be sold by 2016.

    “By partnering with RTI, we can quickly scale across the EU, bringing European consumers the first-rate technology and experience that VMR is known for,” said Jan Verleur, CEO and co-founder of VMR. “Abroad, we’ve seen consumers demand larger, open system devices that are naturally more customizable and powerful than their closed-system counterparts. We’re eager to meet that growing demand with RTI’s expansive distribution network and the OCB brand.”

    The new OCB vaporizers will feature several industry innovations, such as a one-piece aluminum body with drop-in cartridges to eliminate the breakage and leakage that plague traditional large-scale devices.

    The cartridges will couple to the vaporizers magnetically—rather than with threading—and will be “smart,” automatically controlling temperature. The vaporizers will also feature a breakthrough magnetic charger that permits usage of the devices while plugged into a power source.

    “We’re combining VMR’s excellence in product design and manufacturing with RTI’s record of popular, world-class products in the roll-your-own and make-your-own markets,” says Santiago Sanchez, managing director of RTI. “Through the partnership, we can provide OCB customers who want high-performing vaporizers with a proven winner at both retail and online.”

    The new line of OCB Premium Vaporizers was launched at the Inter-tabak trade exhibition in Germany, in September, and has already aroused great interest.

     

  • Trademark dispute e-liquids destroyed

    Japan Tobacco International has halted its legal proceedings against Healthier Smoker (HS) after HS’ liquidator agreed to destroy all products and materials within its control that infringe JTI’s property rights, reports The Irish Times.

    Darren Flanagan, an accountant with DMFN Chartered Accountants, was appointed liquidator of HS on August 29 shortly before JTI was due to begin legal proceedings seeking to stop HS allegedly breaching JTI’s trademarks.

    JTI manufactures, among other brands, Silk Cut, Mayfair, Camel and Benson & Hedges cigarettes, while HS made liquids used in e-cigarettes under names including Purple Silk, Calm Desert Brand, Kamel Blend and Myfair E-juice.

    In the High Court on Tuesday, HS’ liquidator said he had destroyed all offending stock in his possession and was working to reclaim and destroy stock in retail outlets.

    Flanagan told The Irish Times he was in talks with a third party to sell it the assets of HS.

  • Little e-cigarette use among U.K.’s young

    New data from the UK’s Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) indicates that while electronic cigarette use by young people increased between 2013 and 2014, only 1.8 percent of children are regular users.

    And it shows that 90 percent of regular or occasional users are young people who were already smokers or ex-smokers.

    Meanwhile, 91 percent of young people have not tried an electronic cigarette, and this is despite the fact that more than 80 percent of young people are aware of electronic cigarettes (up from under 70 percent in 2013)

    The ASH Smokefree Youth survey, which was conducted by YouGov, analysed by Public Health England and presented at a Public Health England Conference on Wednesday, questioned more than 2,000 11-18 year olds in 2013 and a further 2,000 in 2014 about their smoking and vaping behaviour.

    It found also that 98 percent of young people who had never smoked had never tried an electronic cigarette.

    The full story is at: http://www.ash.org.uk/:new-survey-finds-regular-use-of-electronic-cigarettes-by-children-still-rare.

  • Purilum opens e-liquid facility

    Purilum officially opened its new e-liquid development, manufacturing and fulfillment center on Sept. 17. The state-of-the-art facility, located Greenville, North Carolina, USA, includes multiple ISO 8 class 100,000 clean-room environments, segregated nicotine and non-nicotine mixing rooms, and fully-automated bottle filling and assembly and cartomizer/clearomizer filling and assembly.

    “The company was founded on the principles of using the purest ingredients and the latest technological advancements to deliver premium e-liquids and a consistent and reliable consumer experience,” says Purilum President Bianca Iodice. “This new facility will allow us to achieve these core principles as well as meet the capacity demands of this growing industry.”

    In the flavor development lab, Purilum’s flavorists leverage their 60 years of combined experience and technical knowledge to ensure the highest standards of quality and taste. Flavorists work hands-on with each formulation, developing and refining e-liquids that deliver unique tastes, rich vapors, and satisfying aromas. In addition to creating original flavors for customers, Purilum can consistently reproduce proprietary blends that match brand requirements.

    All ingredients are reviewed for suitability for inclusion by an independent toxicologist. Incoming raw materials enter a segregated quarantine room and are tested for purity. Once the purity testing is complete, flavorings, nicotine, and USP-grade propylene glycol and vegetable glycol are delivered to their respective clean storage rooms where they are kept until needed for flavor development and mixing. E-liquid mixing and batching take place in segregated nicotine and non-nicotine clean-room environment mixing rooms. These separate ISO 8 class 100,000 clean rooms prevent cross-contamination, maintaining the company’s commitment to purity throughout the production process.

    Purilum is particularly proud of its fully-automated e-liquid bottling and cartomizer/clearomizer filling machines. Bottles are filled using precision-metering pumps, and are then capped, labeled and safety-shrink wrapped. Cartomizers or clearomizers are precision filled, assembled and then resistance tested for smooth operation prior to exiting the machines. All products are laser printed with a unique production code, identifying the batch and lot number of each product to ensure full traceability from finished product back to all ingredients used. This process allows for a level of consistency and reliability in the customer experience that the next generation of e-liquid customers demand.

     

  • LOGIC is top seller in convenience stores

    LOGIC Technology reported on Monday that it had maintained its leading unit share position in sales of electronic cigarettes through US convenience stores in August.

    In citing results from Nielsen’s C-Track Database, it said too that it had continued to maintain a strong hold on the number two position for dollar sales. ‘Currently, LOGIC leads the category in total US unit share at 23.3 percent, the company said in a press note issued through PRNewswire.

    ‘In total US dollar share, LOGIC holds a close second at 22.7 percent.

    ‘Despite major tobacco companies introducing new electronic devices to the marketplace nationally, LOGIC continues to elevate its sales in unit and dollar share.’

    Reynolds American, with a 22.1 percent share, was in second place in convenience store unit sales of electronic cigarettes nation-wide in August, while Lorillard was in third spot, with 21.2 per cent.

    Lorillard, with 30.5 percent, maintained its number one position in respect of dollar sales in convenience stores nation-wide in August, while LOGIC was second, Reynolds, with 15.5 percent, was third, and Philip Morris was fourth, with 11.7 percent.

  • Mistic starts sourcing liquids in U.S.

    purilum-smallMistic has begun sourcing its e-liquids from Purilum in Greenville, North Carolina, USA. Purilum develops and manufactures high-quality e-liquids and provides high-speed, fully automated bottling and cartomizer filling and assembly. The company will fill and assemble the Mistic brand of cartridges, as well as bottle and fill of Mistic’s Haus e-juices.

    Earlier this year, Mistic announced its decision to move production from China to the U.S.

    “We take pride in the fact that our e-liquids are produced in the United States,” said John Wiesehan Jr., CEO of Mistic. “With the transition of our production to Purilum’s state-of-the-art facility in North Carolina complete, Mistic and Haus are now two of the first American e-cig brands to be fully assembled and packaged in the U.S. on a national scale. This strategic move further strengthens our world-class supply chain management operations by cost savings and improved quality control.”

    Already filling Mistic cartomizers, Purilum will continue to manufacture and fill bottles of Mistic’s Haus e-liquids. Each Haus e-liquid is individually shrink-wrapped and available in 10 ml tamper- and child-proof, slow-drip bottles. Like Haus, all of Mistic’s cartomizers are prefilled with the company’s proprietary Purilum-produced U.S.-made e-liquids. Each Mistic cartridge is individually capped at both ends, and available in three-, five- and 10-pack refills that are vacuum-sealed in tamper-proof blister packs, and encased in an outer packaging with a heat-sealed plastic wrapping.

    “Purilum is proud to partner with Mistic, an innovator in the vapor category,” said Bianca Iodice, president of Purilum. “Our 60-plus combined years of flavoring and manufacturing expertise, in addition to our state-of-the-art production capabilities, pair perfectly with Mistic’s commitment to leadership and corporate responsibility, and will further help both organizations elevate the standard of quality for the manufacturing and assembly of electronic cigarettes and vapor products.”

    Mistic will continue to import batteries, chargers, and other raw materials from China, while e-liquid production, product assembly, packaging, and the filling of all e-liquids, will be performed in Purilum’s U.S. manufacturing facility in North Carolina.

    “It is important for our retailers and adult consumers to know that we are committed to the quality and integrity of our e-cig and vapor products,” added Wiesehan. “While moving our production to the U.S. further exemplifies our category leadership, it also is imperative that the retail industry continues its efforts to sell these products in age-restricted environments, such as our continued support of the ‘We Card’ program, which provides education and training on various local, state and federal rules and regulations.”

  • Regulatory authorization for nicotine inhaler

    The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted a product license for general sale to Kind Consumer’s Voke nicotine inhaler. The company will now submit a variation to the license to support full-scale commercialization by its commercial partner, Nicoventures.

    “We are pleased to announce that the Voke Inhaler has been licensed in the U.K. as a medicinal product after a detailed review process by the MHRA,” says Chris Moyses, chief medical officer, Kind Consumer.

    “It is a great achievement for the team to have successfully navigated the process to marketing authorization during which we have satisfied all questions raised by the MHRA. The technology contains no electronics, heat or combustion and will rival e-cigarettes and nicotine-replacement therapies when launched.”

    Voke is licensed for use to relieve and/or prevent craving and nicotine-withdrawal symptoms associated with tobacco dependence. It is indicated to aid smokers wishing to quit or reduce prior to quitting, to assist smokers who are unwilling or unable to smoke, and as a safer alternative to smoking for smokers and those around them.

    The marketing authorization application comprised pharmaceutical, non-clinical and clinical data on the Voke Inhaler, including a clinical pharmacokinetic study comparing the Voke Inhaler with a commercially available pharmaceutical product. In addition, the Voke Inhaler includes a CE-marked medical device.

    “It took over a decade to design and develop Voke, combining strict pharmaceutical safety standards while retaining the real consumer experience of the product,” says Alex Hearn, chief product officer, inventor of the technology and founder of Kind Consumer. “This invention, promises to make a real difference in offering smokers a safer alternative to smoking.”

    “Achieving the first authorization for the Voke Inhaler as a licensed medicine is a major milestone for the company,” says Kind Consumer CEO Paul Triniman. “The Voke Inhaler will be commercialized by Nicoventures Ltd., now engaged in ensuring that automated manufacturing capacity will be in place, as well as the marketing plans to bring this advance in nicotine technology to smokers.”

  • Queensland to ban public vaping

    The Australian state of Queensland is set to outlaw the use of electronic cigarettes in those public places where tobacco smoking is already banned, according to story by Jonathan Pearlman for The Telegraph.

    And it is set to further equate electronic and tobacco cigarettes by banning advertising of the former and banning their sales to young people.

    The new regulations are due to come into force from the start of next year.

    Australia bans the sale of electronic cigarettes that deliver nicotine.

  • Mistic expands recycling program

    E-cigarette manufacturer Mistic is expanding its recycling program, offering adult vapers free Mistic starter kits and five-pack cartridge refills when they send the company any brand of 50 or more empty cartridges to be recycled.

    “Mistic is committed to supporting our customers and protecting the environment throughout the entire product life cycle, from purchase through to retirement,” says John Wiesehan Jr., CEO of Mistic. “Now we are making it even easier for Mistic customers as well as all vapers to responsibly and affordably recycle their used cartridges.

    “E-cigs have become a truly significant alternative for millions of former smokers everywhere,” adds Wiesehan. “Trillions of cigarette butts are discarded annually and nearly 850,000 tons of it wind up in our lakes and oceans.  It’s humbling to know we are improving people’s lives with e-cigs while helping the environment as well.”

  • Blackcat E-cigs expands into Europe

    Bxpression of Long Beach, California, USA, is expanding into Europe, with offices in Prague and Paris. Blackcat Europe will make its debut at the Inter-Tabac tradeshow in Dortmund, Germany, on Sept. 19-21. The company will exhibit in hall 5, booth number 5.D10

    Anatole Soulier serve as director of sales and marketing for Blackcat Europe.

    “We are very excited with our expansion into the European market with our Blackcat E-cig products,” says CEO Mark Leafstedt. “The European market is expanding at a very rapid pace and together with the Blackcat Europe team, headed by Anatole, we intend to bring our products to this part of the world very quickly.”

    “I am very pleased to be a part of the blackcat team and together with my team plan to expand it throughout Europe,” said Soulier.

    Blackcat Europe will carry the full line of blackcat products, including disposable e-cigarettes and e-cigars, vaporizers, mods and accessories.

    For more information, visit www.blackcatecig.com