Smoore’s flagship brand, Feelm, has received a gold award in the product design category of 2021 Muse Design Awards for its ultra-slim disposable vape with ceramic coil, TA15. Feelm is the only brand winning a 2021 Muse Design Award in the atomization field. The Muse Design Awards is an international competition for designers whose craftsmanship leads to paradigm shifts.
As the world’s first disposable ultra-slim pod product equipped with ceramic coil, TA 15 marks the opening of a new ceramic era of disposable vapes, according to Smoore. The Feelm atomization coil inside TA 15 guarantees low power consumption, a stronger vapor and a stable vaping experience. Despite its ultra-slim body, TA15 offers over 300 puffs.
Moreover, TA15 adopts an anti-condensation structure to control the dynamic condition of e-liquid, minimizing leakage and offering a premium user experience.
The slightly arc surface wraps the inner structure compactly forming a 7.5 mm thinnest body. The vertically textured surface makes it comfortable to hold and resists fingerprints. The raised part of TA 15 prevents the mouthpiece from contact with desks and other surfaces for hygiene. It also features a concealed air inlet.
Meanwhile, the highlighted “pixel block” is actually a metal sticker, whose color is changed with flavors and supports customization.
By virtue of unique design and innovation technology, this product has effectively solved the industry’s pain point of leakage without a silicone plug, according to Smoore. Thanks to a breakthrough in materials and structural science, there’s no burnt taste, offering more delicate vapor and purer taste.
“I always put users first and attempt to deeply understand and explore their potential needs,” said Qing Ling, ID Designer of TA15, in a statement. “Driven by design thinking, we combine practicability and minimalism, highlighting the performance of our ceramic coil while making other parts as thin as possible.”
The Muse Design Awards is a part of the Muse Awards Program, which was created by the International Awards Associate (IAA) in 2015. IAA’s aims to honor, promote and encourage creativity by providing a new standard of excellence for evaluating media design production and distribution.
During its UK Media Day at Silverstone Circuit, held yesterday, Shenzhen Smoore Technology Co. announced that its flagship atomization brand, FEELM, is reinforcing its commitment to innovations in atomization technology. The company stated that its atomization coil is the key to the vape product performance and vaping experience.
Credit: FEELM
“Our Group has also made satisfying inroads in the research and development of medical and healthcare vaping products, with more than 1,000 scientists and experts from different backgrounds,” said Smoore’s Chief Scientist Dr. Shi Zhiqiang.
FEELM coil technology features instant and highly efficient atomization, which produces a smooth and pure taste, authentic flavor and high nicotine delivery efficiency, according to FEELM. In 2019, FEELM launched its “FEELM Inside” global authentication trademark. The trademark serves as a symbol of an excellent vaping experience. Today, the “FEELM inside” symbol is on the closed system pods of many of the market-leading vapor brands around the world, such as RELX, NJOY, HAKA, HEXA, and VAPO.
“With the global launch of FEELM in 2016, FEELM has a significant impact on the research and manufacturing of closed vaping products, changing the global vaping industry landscape. The ‘FEELM inside’ symbol today is widely recognized by our partners and consumers as a certification of our commitment to quality, authenticity and high-quality vaping experience,” said Zhiqiang Shi. “Our Group has also made satisfying inroads in the research and development of medical and healthcare vaping products, with more than 1,000 scientists and experts from different backgrounds.”
FEELM alos announced it had opened the industry’s first fully automated closed-pod production line in 2019, realizing zero-staff inspection of product quality. To date, the productivity of a single line can produce 7,200 standard pods per hour, and the annual production capacity of FEELM now surpasses three billion pieces.
As the world’s largest vaping device manufacturer in terms of revenue, Smoore has accounted for 18.9 percent of the total global market share in 2020, according to Frost & Sullivan.
Smoore International Holdings is the only vaping technology company to make the Forbes 2021 Global 2000 list. The list ranks the world’s largest 2000 public companies. Smoore’s placement on the list confirms the legitimacy of the entire industry as a fast-growing and better alternative to cigarettes, with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.1% from 2021 to 2028, according to Grandview Research.
Recognition on the list is a reflection of the company’s performance throughout 2020 and growth in market share from 16.5 percent in 2019 to 18.9 percent. The parent company to the Vaporesso brand, Smoore has over 1000 technology patents and more employees in R&D than sales, leading the vaping industry since 2009, according to a press release.
“These cutting-edge innovations are then worked into marketable products by Smoore’s sub-brands including Vaporesso, FEELM Lab and CCELL to be distributed around the world,” the release states. “Also, Smoore is proactively promoting atomization technology to other industries around the world. Vaporesso has been setting new industry standards and further driving innovation in this emerging industry with many more to come.”
Taking a snapshot of the world of business, the Forbes Global 2000 list measures companies using four equally weighted metrics: assets, market value, sales, and profits. Under Smoore, Vaporesso is committed to helping its vast network of international partners abroad and, driven by a strong sense of social responsibility, launched a series of campaigns aimed at helping those most affected, according to the release.
“Under the umbrella of Vaporesso Care, these campaigns helped affected communities in Indonesia where Vaporesso donated over 70 million rupiah and France where Vaporesso worked with local partners to distribute food to needy people over Christmas,” according to the release.
Vapers say taste matters. According to a survey conducted by Frost & Sullivan, among 3,000 Chinese vapor consumers, taste was a key factor in choosing an e-cigarette. The top three indexes in flavor were the overall sensation of taste (66 percent), aroma (61 percent) and the amount of vapor (50 percent).
In late-December, FEELM, a heating technology brand, introduced the industry’s first Taste Evaluation Model. The model allows FEELM researchers the ability to describe the taste of atomization scientifically. Composed of four dimensions, flavor, strength, note and vapor, and 51 specific indexes, the model establishes a system to evaluate the human senses of mouth, tongue, nose and throat.
FEELM Taste Evaluation Model
Frank Han, CEO of FEELM, said the company’s devotion to continuously improving the taste of e-cigarettes originated from a client’s concern. “How’s the taste of California strawberries at 6am? What’s the difference between it and that of refrigerated ones?” he said the client asked. “Could FEELM ceramic coils bring back the taste of California strawberry at 6am with flavored e-liquid?”
Inspired by the client, FEELM team members conducted numerous studies with the goal of developing a scientific system to properly evaluate and provide the perfect flavor. “As you can imagine, analyzing and delivering such an abstract concept as taste will [take] anyone tons of effort,” Han said.
In order to help with challenging endeavor, FEELM’s parent company, Smoore Technology, set up several research institutes both in China and other locations around the world (Smoore does not produce any e-liquid). More than 700 Smoore technical experts that have received more than 2,000 international patents began building a world-leading atomization platform, according to the release. Now, over 75 percent of those researchers are focused on understanding and improving taste through atomization. Smoore also established relationships with other research institutions such as Tongji University, Tsinghua University and Princeton University.
FEELM CEO Frank Han
“This institute will focus on the background study and harm reduction from new perspectives such as bio-medicine and artificial intelligence,” the release states. “To further study the science behind atomization, FEELM has also established a professional taste evaluation team, and built a Taste Evaluation Lab complied with the national standard and could hold seven tasters at a time.”
The process for evaluating a flavor is precise. Before picking up a vaping device, each taster washes and sanitize their hands and then chews a slice of lemon or yellow peach to clean the palate. Testers than drink boiled water to freshen up the mouth and smell coffee beans, according to a FEELM representative.
Reporter in FEELM Taste Lab
“It is not until the light and the exhaust fan in the booth are turned on that the taster begins tasting. While tasting, a recorded form with all detailed criteria is prepared for scoring and taking notes,” the representative said. “Afterwards, the same vaping device will be handed over to chromatography, electron microscope as well as reliability labs to analyze its e-liquid ingredients, coil and safety … a diagnostic report will be produced based on both human and machine criteria. FEELM is then able to figure out the deficiencies in the vaping experience and work out precise solutions.”
FEELM research lab
The FEELM Taste Scientific Institute is made up of more than 10 labs, including Cell Lab, Taste Evaluation Lab, Element Analysis Lab, Chromatography Lab, and Electron Microscope Lab. The company says its labs can produce 50 physical tests, more than 200 chemical tests, six microbiological test items, three genetic toxicology tests, three categories of clinical abuse tests, as well as three categories of human factor testing.
“Besides scientific research, great taste cannot be separated from production. Smoore has established a rigorous production safety standard, which is even stricter than the TPD in the EU and AFNOR in France,” the representative said. The production protocols are also more stringent than what is required by the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) process for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), covering 50 individual tests.”
FEELM also developed the first fully automated pod production line in the vapor industry. Its production capacity is 6,000 pieces per hour, boosting efficiency five times over manual production. Automated production guarantees the stability and consistency of quality.
“Taste is a meaningful word,” said Han. “Great taste relies on the scientific system of fundamental research, the persistent improvement of product development and manufacturing, strict quality control, and a devoted focus towards science and ingenuity.”
Smoore International Holdings becomes the first vapor company to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
By Timothy S. Donahue
It was only a matter of time. It took more than a decade, but China finally has its first billion-dollar vapor company. Smoore International Holdings, parent to Shenzhen Smoore Technology, which houses Vaporesso, Feelm and several other house brands, is also the first vapor company to be listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (HK6969). Smoore is now the most valuable vapor company on the planet.
On July 10, its first day of open trading, Smoore’s stock rose by nearly 150 percent above its initial public offering price of hkd12.40 ($1.60). Closing at hkd31, the success places Smoore’s valuation at hkd178 billion, or nearly $23 billion, according to Forbes. By comparison, Altria Group in January reduced the value of its investment in Juul Labs to around $12 billion, almost 70 percent less than the $38 billion that Altria assigned to the company when it bought Juul in December 2018.
Smoore had locked in 10 cornerstone investors, which accounted for $340 million of the total raising, according to its prospectus. The largest of those investors were Huaneng Trust, which took $80 million worth of stock, and Prime Capital, which took $50 million. A prospectus is filed when a company is considering offering stocks, bonds and mutual funds.
Smoore’s stock surge also created two new billionaires. Chairman and CEO Chen Zhiping, 44, held a stake worth nearly $8 billion; shares held by executive director Xiong Shaoming, 49, were worth $1.2 billion at the stocks’ close on its opening day, according to Forbes.
“As the global leader in offering vaping technology solutions, Smoore’s mission is to build the world’s leading vaping technology platform to bolster the innovation and development of vaping technology with a wide range of applications,” a Smoore spokesperson told Vapor Voice. “In the next three to four years, Smoore plans to invest more in improving production capacity and upgrading equipment, including setting up new manufacturing facilities and a research institute of group level as well as installing automated production lines and IT equipment.”
Chen first became involved in the manufacturing of vapor devices and research and development of vapor technology when he joined Shenzhen Simoer Technology Co. as minority shareholder in 2007. He then gradually increased his shareholding to 85 percent.
Chen soon established Smoore in September 2009 through an entrustment arrangement as a platform to provide research and development of vapor and heating technology services together with manufacturing and in-house sales and marketing functions under ODM (original design manufacturer) and OEM (original equipment manu- facturer) business models, according to the prospectus.
Smoore’s Chairman and CEO Chen Zhiping
Since then, business has been principally conducted through Smoore and has been growing with a diversified product port-folio and an expanding international footprint. To streamline operations, Chen deregistered Simoer in November 2012 and directed resources to Smoore for its business development and expansion, according to the prospectus.
According to Frost & Sullivan, a business consulting firm, Smoore is the world’s largest vapor device manufac-turer in terms of revenue, accounting for 16.5 percent of the global market in 2019. “In the past 14 years, we have been firmly grounded to focus on advanced R&D technol-ogy, strong manufacturing capacity, wide-spectrum product portfolio and diverse customer base. We are glad about what we have achieved and will take this as a new start,” said the spokesperson.
Smoore earned cny2.1 billion ($300 million) in 2019 on sales that increased to cny7.6 billion from cny3.4 billion in 2018. About a fifth of its revenue comes from the U.S. and nearly half from mainland China and Hong Kong, according to Forbes.
In its prospectus, Smoore labels itself as a “global leader in offering vaping technology solutions, including manufactur-ing vaping devices and vaping components for heat-not-burn (HnB) products on an ODM basis, with advanced R&D technology, strong manufacturing capacity, wide-spectrum product portfolio and diverse customer base.”
Smoore operates two principal business segments: the corporate client-oriented business and the retail client-oriented business. Corporate business includes the research, design and manufacturing of closed system vapor devices and vapor components for several large international tobacco companies as well as some smaller independent vapor companies.
In the retail arena, Smoore performs research, design, manufactur-ing and the sale of self-branded, open system vapor devices for retail clients. Some of Smoore’s corporate clients include Japan Tobacco, British American Tobacco, Reynolds Asia Pacific, Relx and Njoy, according to the prospectus.
Smoore also has several of its own brands, including Vaporesso and Feelm. “All of our self-branded [devices] are open system vaping devices,” the prospectus states. “We sell our self-branded [devices] to distributors for resale to end consumers subsequently. We did not operate any retail stores or online platforms for the sale of our self-branded [devices] directly to end consumers.” The company also manufactures vapor components (cartridges and batteries) for HnB products.
As its most prestigious brand, Vaporesso has inherited Smoore’s “spirit and incorporated it into its own mission to be ‘Beyond the Ordinary,’” according to the spokesperson. “Vaporesso’s business has spread to more than 60 countries and regions around the world and has established a substantial brand influence in Europe, America and emerging markets. Vaporesso’s products—such as Veco, Zero, Luxe and the Gen family—cover the full range of open system vapes and fulfill the various needs of vapers.”
Smoore takes pride in its R&D capabilities. The company is one of the most innovative in the vapor industry, according to the prospectus. As of this writing, Smoore has applied for more than 1,600 patents in China and abroad, of which more than 700 patents have been granted.
The company’s process of launching and producing new products starts with extensive research on market demands and figuring out if the product could be successful in the market. “Upon the project’s internal approval, our R&D team will proceed to design the new product,” the prospectus states.
“After completing the design of the new product, we will manufacture the mold, evaluate the sample, file technical documents and conduct trial verification.” The last step of a product launch and production process is the mass production of the new product at Smoore’s production facilities.
The company’s public listing opens new opportunities. “After being listed on the Hong Kong stock market, Smoore is prob-ably going to be able to invest more in the R&D and application of heating technology, for instance, in the medical atomization arena,” said the spokesperson. “Meanwhile, we are able to better serve our clients and provide a better life for our employees. As a leader in this field, Smoore is also able to play a more important role in shaping the industry and the whole of society.”
In the vapor industry, staying innovative is key to a com-pany’s success. The prospectus states that Smoore’s R&D capabilities are critical to the growth and preservation of its market-leading position globally. The company uses its R&D platform to market some of its key technologies and expand its brand awareness.
“We not only focus on scientific research but also its practical application to our products,” the prospectus states. “Our R&D development path has gradually evolved along with the industry trends and the enhancement in our R&D capabilities—from product application to prod-uct structure and further to core vaping technology.”
Credit: Vaporesso
Smoore’s R&D capabilities have made a major impact on the vapor industry. In 2016, the company launched its second-generation heating technology, Feelm, which com-bines metal films with ceramic conductors to “achieve improvements in material and structural science,” according to the Feelm website. “Feelm has been adopted widely by many of our corporate clients and exported to the U.S., South Korea, Germany, France, Belgium, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries.”
Proof of Smoore’s R&D success is that the company has earned several accolades. In 2019, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration awarded Smoore the China Patent Excellence Award for its patent relating to the manufacturing technique and application of porous ceramic. The award is one of China’s most prestigious awards for patents
Also in 2019, Smoore received the Laboratory Accreditation Certificate from the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment for the safety and quality of its laboratories. “The scope of the accreditation encompasses our laboratories’ ability to conduct chemical analysis, physical performance testing and product quality testing, among others,” the prospectus states. “Our ability to build up our own technology brands serves as an entry barrier to other competitors and also helps maintain our leading position in the vaping industry.”
Earlier this year, Smoore was awarded the iF Design Award by iF International Forum Design for its disposable paper e-cigarette design. “Our disposable paper e-cigarette uses eco-friendly paper material instead of plastic and sig-nificantly improves its degradability,” a press release stated at the time.
Moving forward, Smoore must still overcome several regula-tory hurdles. “For example, our closed system vaping devices and open system vaping devices marketed in the U.S. are sub-ject to premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) require-ments, and a large portion of our closed system vaping devices sold in the U.S. are subject to flavor bans in several states,” the prospectus states.
“Moreover, Hong Kong may, in the future, enact law to prohibit the import, manufacture, sale, distribution and advertisement of vaping products. All of the changes in the regulatory landscape may materially and adversely affect our business and financial performance, including revenue, gross profit and profit margin as well as future growth.”
However, Smoore’s outlook still looks promising. The global vapor market is large and competitive. According to Frost & Sullivan, there are more than 1,200 vapor device manufacturers globally. Though the top five players accounted for 30.5 percent of the entire market share in terms of revenue, the top 10 players accounted for less than half of the entire market share in terms of revenue in 2019, and most vapor device manufacturers are small-sized to medium-sized enterprises.
The global market for vapor devices is expected to grow by more than 20 percent annually to $22.7 billion in 2024 from $6.7 billion in 2019, according to Frost & Sullivan. This represents an increase of more than 116 percent and is expected to continue increasing in the future. V
The VFolk is using quality materials and innovative design to try to stand out in a crowded market.
By Timothy S. Donahue
Pod systems are popular. They are so prevalent that nearly every vapor industry hardware manufacturer and brand has a pod system on the market. It isn’t easy to stand out in such a crowded field. However, that is exactly what Sunny Lee set out to do with her VFolk Pro closed pod system.
“As a global company, we are working on providing a healthier alternative for 1 billion smokers,” said Lee, who started the company in 2016 and now serves as its CEO. “Every day, we go to work hoping to do two things: share great flavor with our friends and make the world a little better.”
VFolk began in the U.S. with a focus on producing hightech vapor products. VFolk has increased in size by 30 percent year-over-year and has offices and/or factories in the U.S., U.K. and China. The company has grown from only Lee to a staff of 58 today.
Lee hired several designers from the U.S. and the U.K. in an attempt to find a device that would help the everyday smoker switch from combustible cigarettes. She brought on team members that served as executives, senior product engineers and scientists from some of the most successful technology companies on the planet, including Philips, Schneider, Facebook, WhatsApp, Google, YouTube, Sonos, IBM, Oracle and Lenovo.
Lee challenged her team to design the best possible pod device that overcame many of the issues other pod devices haven’t been able to fully overcome. These challenges included not providing enough flavor and pods leaking liquid. The design they found that worked best in tests was an elongated spherical stick that was the same length as a traditional cigarette, according to Lee.
“It also needed to be about as wide and thick as an average-sized adult index finger while being easy to carry and use,” said Lee. The first test the team faced was finding a coil atomizer that provided a better vape and more flavor than other pod devices on the market. The VFolk engineers settled on the Feelm coil produced by Smoore in China. Smoore is one of the oldest heating technology companies in the world.
Designed primarily for prefilled pod systems, the Feelm atomizer uses no cotton or wicking material and has a large surface area that comes in contact with the e-liquid. The Feelm atomizer uses a ceramic base that has a flat, medical-grade stainless steel metal film material on top of it. The circuit is also on the top, and it works very well, especially with prefilled pods, because of the increased surface area, which allows for a better vaping experience, according to Lee.
“Feelm is also a very efficient coil. It uses up to 20 percent less battery life, which can be a huge benefit to closed-pod systems,” says Lee. “Right now, Feelm coils set the standard for atomization technology in the vape industry. As we know, the most important part of a quality vape is atomization. We choose Feelm coils because we wanted to use the highest quality products. The VFolk pod uses the world’s most advanced trapezoidal funnel-shaped honeycomb ceramic core, which costs much more than a general ceramic core. Atomizing to 0.01 mm and evenly heating tens of thousands of honeycomb holes helps to maximize the conversion rate, which ensures VFolk’s consistently smooth, mellow and continuous taste.”
By using such advanced ceramic atomizing technology alongside a battery with a 350 mAh capacity, the VFolk easily lasts through a full day of heavy use, according to Lee. “You can fully charge it through USB in less than 60 minutes. A 1.2 mL pod can last the average vaper approximately 2–3 days,” she says. “The 5 percent nicotine concentration is strong enough to satisfy smokers with a strong habit but light enough to keep infrequent smokers away from throat irritation.”
The second major challenge for the VFolk team was minimizing leakage. There is an adage in vaping: Everything leaks eventually. It has been an industry issue since the very beginning. Closed pod leakage is very hard to fix, harder even than fixing leaks on an open tank system. The pod connection must fit right with the battery while still allowing the vapor to come from the top. The VFolk team knew they needed a pod that could outperform the other pod systems on the market alongside having the lowest leakage rates available.
“VFolk uses an advanced double-sealed design to separate the pod and atomizer,” says Lee. “There will be no e-juice leakage with this device even when the device is violently swung, tilted or placed on different surfaces. The VFolk pods also use an advanced magnetic lock technology to secure pods into place. The process is intuitive and user-friendly.”
In order to further stand out from the crowd, Lee wanted to offer customers variety in how their pod looks. Currently, the VFolk comes in eight different color coats, including classic black, space gray, navy blue, scarlet ruby, live coral, champagne gold, pine green and lavender violet. She says the VFolk is also available in several markets.
“VFolk products are not only just for selling in China but also for the worldwide market. For the EU, we are a TPD2 registered brand,” she says. “In the U.S., we were on the market before Aug. 8, 2016 and are preparing to file for a premarket tobacco [product] application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Our products passed CE, RoHS [and] FCC certification, [and] we also have more certification plans for other major markets.”
VFolk offers seven pod flavors that include tobacco, mint, mango, cucumber, mung bean, lychee and coffee. “Users can choose tobacco and mint flavors to satisfy the craving of traditional tobacco products and mimic how they taste. They can also try something special like fruit or a coffee flavor to bring that extra kick into your day,” says Lee, adding that there may be more flavors coming in the future. “VFolk will launch products according to customers’ requirements periodically. For example, we are looking at launching new flavors, a new refillable pod, 0 mg nicotine e-liquid pods, and even functional e-liquid pods such as a collagen pod, a vitamin C pod or a melatonin Pod … etc.” The company is also considering pods for cannabidiol and THC oils.
Moving forward, Lee says she understands that closed pod systems are quick and convenient, but e-liquid choices are limited. Open systems, however, allow vapers to use any e-liquid they want. Having the ability to choose between the best of both worlds is another way that VFolk plans on helping smokers make the switch from combustible cigarettes. That is why VFolk is launching a refillable pod in its next-generation system.
“Our next generation will see a major improvement in flavor production and cartridge capacity. We will also offer a new system that is both refillable and a closed system,” says Lee, adding that if you want a VFolk, it depends on where you are located. “For some countries, which already have VFolk distributors, we will hand over the distributor contact to a client. If you come from a blank market, we will support you with product and keep moving the business between us,” she says. “The vapor industry is getting bigger and bigger, and it’s only just beginning. We believe VFolk is unquestionably a shining star in the industry.”
