VMR 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.