Category: Technology

Drug Application for Inhalable Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Photo: Respira
Respira Technologies plans to submit an investigational new drug application (IND) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2022 for the world’s first inhalable nicotine-replacement therapy.
“There is a void of innovation in solving the smoking crisis from traditional healthcare companies, and as a result, Big Tobacco is trying to position itself as the solution to the problem they’ve created. At Respira, we believe only our technology can effectively help end the death and disease caused by smoking while simultaneously meeting CDER’s [Center for Drug Evaluation and Research] high standards for both safety and efficacy,” said Mario Danek, CEO and founder of Respira Technologies, in a statement.
“We are very pleased with the productive and collaborative discussion with FDA and have confidence that FDA’s guidance will help us achieve our goal to end the death and disease caused by smoking,” said Danek. “The Pre-IND is just the first of many major milestones Respira will achieve, and we are excited to advance our plans to submit our IND to begin human clinical studies.”
In 2020, the company said it aims to disrupt a $618 billion market dominated by decades-old gums and patches from pharmaceutical companies as well as tobacco companies’ electronic nicotine-delivery devices with a nebulizer that converts nicotine to an aerosol.
Respira’s senior management includes Chief Operating Officer Brian Quigley, who spent 16 years at Altria Group where he was CEO of the smokeless tobacco business from 2012 to 2018.
December 1, 2021
Voopoo Launches Drag Nano2

Photo: Voopoo
Voopoo has launched its new Drag Nano2 internationally.
The product features a striking design and multiple advanced technologies, such as three gears of output and top e-juice filling.
“The Drag Nano 2 is not only the flagship product of Voopoo in the pod category but is also the strategic product of the company for this year, with a leap forward in performance from previous similar products,” said Voopoo CEO Everest, who goes by only one English name, in a statement.
Infinite airflow and adjustable power technologies were originally exclusive to mod products, but after multiple trials Voopoo researchers have successfully applied it to the Nano 2.
Founded in 2017, Voopoo has rapidly grown and is now selling worldwide. Integrating R&D, design, production and brand operations, the company has four flagship products: Drag, Vinci, Argus and V Series.
October 29, 2021
Feelm Recognized for Design

Illustration: Smoore
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 are an international competition for designers whose craftsmanship leads to paradigm shifts.
As the world’s first disposable ultra-slim pod product equipped with a ceramic coil, TA15 marks the opening of a new ceramic era of disposable vapes, according to Smoore. The Feelm atomization coil inside TA15 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 arced surface wraps the inner structure compactly, forming a 7.5 mm thin body. The vertically textured surface makes it comfortable to hold and resists fingerprints. The raised part of TA15 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, which changes color 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 are a part of the Muse Awards Program, which was created by the International Awards Associate (IAA) in 2015. IAA aims to honor, promote and encourage creativity by providing a new standard of excellence for evaluating media design production and distribution.
October 12, 2021
Staying Ahead

Photo: Belt Technologies
In today’s hypercompetitive environment, tobacco companies expect suppliers to enable them to develop attractive products while controlling cost and meeting government regulations. Tobacco Reporter spoke with three suppliers of tobacco-related machinery and asked them what they are doing to help their customers stay ahead of the competition.
Cleaning up nicely: Belt Technologies on the Advantages of Stainless Steel Belts.
The Covid-19 pandemic has left us all more aware than we once were about the necessity of paying attention to, among other things, the cleanliness of surfaces; so, as part of its machinery feature, Tobacco Reporter took the opportunity of engaging in an email exchange with Brian Harbison, managing director of Belt Technologies Europe, about his company’s metal belts and tapes, which have been promoted in part on the basis that metal provides a more hygienic surface than that of other materials.
Tobacco Reporter: Do you think that, in the wake of Covid-19, demand from the tobacco and nicotine industry for Belt Technologies’ metal belts and tapes will increase?
Brian Harbison: We have been helping the tobacco industry in the manufacturing process for more than 20 years. Our PureSteel metal belts do not require lubrication and do not outgas, eliminating the risk of contamination. Also, unlike other belt materials, stainless steel does not fray or generate particulates that could get into the tobacco and contaminate it. There has always been a push to maintain cleanliness in tobacco production and packaging to preserve purity, but I think now more than ever it’s at the top of consumers’ minds due to the pandemic.
I take it that increased demand for such conveyor systems will arise in respect of some of the other industries the company serves, such as the food industry.
Absolutely. The food industry has had to pivot during the pandemic to ensure its processes are as safe and sanitary as possible. Our PureSteel conveyor belts are excellent for cooking, freezing and handling edible products, offering a variety of benefits over belts made from materials, such as plastic or rubber. Metal belts do not require lubrication, so there is no risk of chemicals tainting the food. Additionally, stainless steel is resistant to bacteria, making it easy to clean and in compliance with even the strictest USDA [U.S. Department of Agriculture] requirements.
Has it generally been the case that, when looking at factory conveyor systems, the tobacco and nicotine industry has prioritized cleanliness in the past?
Yes, in the time we have been working with the tobacco industry, hygiene has been a top priority. Since people place tobacco products in their mouths, eliminating the presence of potentially harmful bacteria at all points of contact, from handling raw tobacco to the rolling and packaging process, is paramount.
From the point of view of cleanliness, in what parts of the processes involved in the production of tobacco and nicotine products is it most important to employ metal conveyor systems?
Our belts can really be used to make any part of the process more sanitary. In the primary stage of tobacco processing, which is the bulk handling of raw, unprocessed tobacco, our metal belts ensure the product does not become contaminated with bacteria or other foreign matter. And when it comes to the secondary processing of tobacco, our stainless steel suction bands, used in the production of cigars and cigarettes, are available in a range of sizes and surfaces. The benefit of using a metal belt in this stage is the ability to keep the material that will touch the mouth free of contaminants and bacteria while still processing at top speed.
Cleanliness is not the only characteristic on which Belt Technologies promotes its metal belts. Another, I notice, is durability. Again, this durability, along with metal’s usually good recycling credentials, seems to be currently more important than ever, given the environmental problems we are suffering.
Stainless steel has a low thermal coefficient of expansion, enabling greater resistance to extreme temperatures, and it’s also corrosion resistant and vacuum compatible. Inferior materials, such as plastic, rubber or cloth will warp, burn or fall apart when subjected to the same high temperatures metal belts can withstand, and similarly, will shrink or become brittle in extreme cold while metal belts thrive. Stainless steel has a tensile strength ranging from 180 KPSI to 300 KPSI (thousand pound force per square inch), depending on the alloy and temper of the metal. That means relatively thin and lightweight belts can be designed to handle the stresses of almost any application. The high strength and low weight enable the conveyor’s input horsepower to be directed toward moving the product and not the belt, which boosts efficiency and reduces operating expenses. Simply put, metal belts are stronger and more efficient than the alternatives.
The tobacco industry seems to be evolving. Does Belt Technologies see fewer or more opportunities ahead as the production of tobacco products gives way gradually to lower-risk products, particularly oral products?
We have such a wide variety of products that can be used in various ways; we foresee being able to work in the tobacco industry no matter what pivots they make. Our custom solutions can be fabricated to the customer’s exact specifications, so even if one of our existing belts didn’t fit their needs, we could create one that would.
Would you like to tell me anything else?
Metal belts, timing belts and drive tapes are superior, high-quality options for automated production and robotic facilities. Belt Technologies has been producing custom metal belt conveyor solutions for new and existing conveyor systems for more than five decades. Sophisticated engineering, advanced manufacturing processes and an unlimited variety of configurations and coatings are available to custom design belts to suit any application. –G.G.
Montrade—Reimagining Product Assembly

Photo: Montrade
Some of the most interesting and innovative developments being applied to the machinery that will manufacture the tobacco products of the future, along with their derivatives, are unknown to those of us who are not intimately involved in those developments. This is understandable. The competitive nature of the tobacco and nicotine product business means that, often, manufacturers work confidentially with machinery suppliers to come up with new or redesigned equipment that will allow them to manufacture products capable of standing out in the marketplace.
This has not always been the case. Before filters were added to cigarettes, the differentiation of products was mostly down to their taste, and so the secrecy surrounding manufacture was almost entirely down to tobacco blends. But once filters were added, for a number of reasons, the focus moved from the blend to other things.
I got to thinking about these things during an email exchange with Emanuele Massari, senior sales manager at machinery supplier Montrade, who described how his company had previously reimagined the process of making nonwrapped acetate (NWA) filters, allowing a product design innovation. The invention of the new process, which is covered by a number of Montrade patents, led to the design and development of an innovative machine, the MONO NWA, to manufacture the filter in line with the new process. Montrade’s MONO NWA, Massari said, was still a reference point for the filter market and continued to be the only filter maker capable of producing, at high speed, tubes (hollow acetate tubes) with extra-thin walls of 0.5 mm.
Currently, Montrade, which supplies machines for manufacturing heat-not-burn sticks, from the base rod makers, including the tobacco portion, to the combiners that assemble the final products, says it is partnering with several clients in investigating other new-generation products. “We are working on some very interesting and innovative projects, which are still at a confidential stage,” said Massari.
Meanwhile, over the years and up to the present day, Montrade has directed some of its innovative thinking at the environment. Fifteen years ago, before such thinking went mainstream, it built the first version of its paper crimper, a move that was to pay off commercially as well as environmentally. “We have been recognized by many customers, both multinationals and independents, as the preferred OEM for paper filter equipment, establishing ourselves as the clear leader in this sector,” said Massari. —G.G.
Independent Solutions: Achieving Engineering Goals in the Most Cost-Effective Manner

Photo: TMQS
If a company operates in a fast-moving consumer goods market sector, change is almost certainly part of its DNA because change is an important strand of the competitive thread that binds it to success. And if a company operates in the tobacco sector, change tends to loom even larger because it is driven not only by competitive issues but also by regulatory ones.
The problem is that change can be expensive and there is little point in changing to stay ahead of the competition and regulations if it means you lose money. So how do you engineer the changes you need without breaking the bank?
Tobacco Reporter in August put this question to Norbert Schulz-Nemak, sales manager at TMQS, a German machinery company that takes a flexible approach in helping tobacco manufacturers attain their various goals. Tobacco manufacturers needed to undertake frequent changes in their product portfolios, he wrote in an email exchange, and, in some cases, their existing machinery might not be such that it could be efficiently reconfigured to accommodate these changes, which might require anything from a minor to a major conversion.
“If a manufacturer is faced with a new requirement and asks an OEM [original equipment manufacturer] about the solution, this usually leads to the buying of new machinery that is equipped or specifically designed for such a task,” said Schulz-Nemak. “This helps, but it is certainly an extremely costly exercise.”
Given this, TMQS says it is working with customers to achieve their new goals in the most cost-effective manner possible. “Our solutions are stand-alone and independent of machinery PLCs [programmable logic computers, or industrial computers],” he said. “And they are flexible so that they can be used on each and every type of cigarette and filter maker.”
So what types of changes can be achieved at reasonable cost? Well, one example was where a manufacturer needed to produce cigarettes with high levels of ventilation, said Schulz-Nemak, in which case TMQS could provide a modern, online, high-powered laser capable of achieving the best results, even where there were critical specifications.
Another example was where market-driven or consumer-driven changes required cigarettes to be produced with biodegradable filters. Instead of buying new machinery, a TMQS crimping unit could be placed in front of an existing filter maker. And if special filters, such as hollow filters, were required, existing machinery could be converted.
It was unnecessary, also, to buy new machinery when new plug-wraps with, for instance, glossy or slippery paper, were introduced, because TMQS could optimize the rolling process of such papers to ensure the manufacture of the best quality products.
And while detection equipment for NTRMs (nontobacco-related materials) was available from OEMs only in respect of new-generation machinery, TMQS offered NTRM detection for retrofitting to older cigarette makers.
Meanwhile, more complex changes involving, for instance, new PLCs or weight-control systems, could be integrated into existing machinery, said Schulz-Nemak. Importantly, if a manufacturer wanted to branch out into new product areas, such as those involving tubes or heat-not-burn devices, TMQS could modify existing machinery, thereby bypassing the need to make major investments in new machinery. —G.G.
George Gay is Tobacco Reporter’s European editor, but his territory spans the globe. Based in London, George has covered the tobacco industry since 1982, initially for a U.K.-based publication and since 2004 for Tobacco Reporter. George’s understanding of industry issues, combined with his keen sense of observation and dry wit, have earned him a loyal following among Tobacco Reporter’s readers.

October 1, 2021
Juul2 Launched in the United Kingdom

Photo: steheap
Juul Labs has unveiled its Juul2 device in the U.K.
The device features a more consistent vapor experience, a longer battery life and anti-counterfeit technology.
Launching initially on the Juul.co.uk website on Sept. 30, the Juul2 system has been updated from previous versions with new technology and features based on feedback from smokers.
Among other features, the Juul2 features a more consistent vapor experience, a longer battery life and a smart light system communicating e-liquid level and battery life.
The Juul2 also comes with newly designed tobacco and menthol Juul2 pods (18 mg/mL nicotine strength) and technology to prevent unauthorized use. The device will not work when it detects counterfeit pods.
“We are pleased to launch the next-generation Juul2 in the U.K.,” Juul Labs’ EMEA vice president, Dan Thomson, said in a statement. “A key part of our mission is to transition adult smokers away from cigarettes, the leading cause of preventable death in the world, killing some 90,000 Britons annually.
“We believe the best method to switch adult smokers from combustible cigarettes to a potentially less harmful noncombustible alternative is to provide a product that closely resembles the consistency and experience of smoking. With Juul2, we believe we are taking another step in that direction as we aim to transition even more adult smokers.”
A retail rollout is planned for early 2022, and all U.K. retailers stocking Juul products will continue to uphold the company’s Challenge 25 age verification policy, which includes continued mystery shopping audits.
September 30, 2021
Geekvape Technology Passes TÜV Test

Photo: blende11.photo
Shenzhen Geekvape Technology Co.’s Safe Fast Charge technology has passed the rigorous Technischer Überwachungsverein (TÜV) test, the company announced in press note.
Products equipped with the technology guarantee safe rapid charging via USB-C in 15 minutes and an ultra-long battery life, according to Geekvape. Equipped with two connected batteries in series, Geekvape’s Safe Fast Charge technology achieved 96.43 percent charging current and battery capacity after more than 300 rounds of TÜV charging and discharging tests—outperforming the international standard of 80 percent. The battery component adopts multi-electrode charging and discharging technology, which well balances the temperature and charging efficiency of the batteries and achieves safe fast charge.
“At Geekvape, we adhere only to the most stringent global safety standards. Our Safe Fast Charge technology has been strictly tested by leading independent parties, including the TÜV and FCC. As a result, we can confidently say we have achieved the world’s first fast-charging e-cigarette technology that is truly safe and durable,” said Siner Kong, the product manager of Geekvape.
With a number of different battery brands on the market, the safety, quality and price of each e-cigarette product can vary dramatically. When manufacturers purchase low-cost batteries that have not been vigorously checked and certified, this may lead to safety hazards, particularly when using high-current fast charging technologies.
To ensure the highest level of protection for its consumers, Geekvape only uses its own built-in batteries in its e-cigarette products. Each Geekvape battery cell undergoes tens of thousands of rounds of rigorous tests, including squeezing, short-circuiting, dropping, overshooting, exposure to high temperature and vibration. The cell is then strictly checked from the manufacturer’s side, resulting in a truly safe and revolutionary fast charging experience.
In addition to TÜV tests, Geekvape’s Safe Fast Charge technology has passed IEC61960 and ICE62133 global battery safety regulation standards.
September 27, 2021
ICCPP Launches New Ceramic Core

Photo: ICCPP
ICCPP, the parent company of Voopoo, has launched its first ceramic core technology brand, Gene Tree.
According to ICCPP, the new core addresses shortcomings of existing ceramic core products, which tend to suffer from light taste, sticking powder and burning coils. Such issues, says the company, affect not only the user experience but also pose a threat to consumers’ health.
Developing the new generation of ceramic core products involved more than 1,000 days of technical explorations and scientific experiments. In addition, it took tens of thousands of hours to choose the best solution from more than 2,000 sets of ceramic core material formulations.
ICCPP’s research and development team comprises more than 300 people, including more than 40 holding either doctoral degrees or master’s degrees. In addition to solving the problem of ceramic coils’ powder sticking and dropping, ICCPP managed to turn its R&D results into a solution fit for mass production.
In a blind test among more than 3,000 vapers, participants indicated they favored the taste of Gene Tree over that of competing products.
According to ICCPP, ceramic cores on the market generally have poor “taste reduction.” To compensate, companies traditionally have increased the amount of nicotine—but this isn’t an option for disposable vapor products sold in countries that limit nicotine concentrations.
According to ICCPP, 20 mg of nicotine salt in liquid vaporized with Gene Tree can achieve the same result as 30 mg of nicotine salt used in a competing product. Weighing about 0.07 grams, Gene Tree’s volume is also 50 percent smaller than existing ceramic cores.
ICCPP says the Gene Tree ceramic core is made of environmentally friendly mineral materials.
September 21, 2021
Geekvape to Build Large Industrial Park

Geekvape officials at the signing ceremony for an intelligent manufacturing industrial park in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Photo: PRNewsfoto/Geekvape)
Geekvape will invest CNY10 billion ($1.55 billion) in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) with the support of the Shenzhen Municipal Government.
Over the next two years, the Chinese e-cigarette company plans to build a modern industrial park for intelligent manufacturing that will help customers address their needs for increased production capacity.
Geekvape says it will be the first vapor company to build modular intelligent manufacturing facilities. By leveraging a connected intelligent manufacturing platform, the Internet of Things technology and big data, Geekvape says it will further improve product quality and services.
“Geekvape has always been committed to helping improve human well-being and community development,” said Geekvape CEO Allen Yang in a statement.
“Benefiting from the ideal economic, geographical and business conditions in the GBA, in tandem with the momentum in the intelligent manufacturing sector, we will build on our presence in the area to expand globally. Geekvape will provide our customers across over 70 countries and regions with better products and services enhanced by intelligent manufacturing and innovative technologies.”
August 30, 2021
PMI Launches Bladeless IQOS in Japan

Photo: Kuznietsov Dmitriy
Philip Morris International has launched IQOS Iluma, the brand’s first tobacco-heating system based on induction-heating technology, in Japan.
The device’s Smartcore induction system heats the tobacco from within the new Terea Smartcore Stick. These newly designed sticks are to be used only with IQOS Iluma, which features an auto-start function that detects when the Terea stick is inserted and automatically turns on the device.
According to PMI, the bladeless IQOS devices offer a cleaner way to heat tobacco from the core without burning it. They also provide a more consistent experience and leave no tobacco residue, eliminating the need to clean the device. Additionally, the devices generate no combustion and no smoke. PMI says its market research indicates that IQOS Iluma provides a more pleasurable experience compared to previous IQOS generations.
“IQOS Iluma is our most innovative offering to date and the new flagship in our portfolio of science-backed, smoke-free products. Its breakthrough induction-heating technology heats tobacco from within, without burning, so there’s no smoke, no ash and, like previous IQOS devices, it emits, on average, 95 percent lower levels of harmful chemicals compared with cigarettes,” said Michele Cattoni, vice president of heated-tobacco platforms at PMI, in a statement.
“However, unlike our previous tobacco-heating systems, IQOS Iluma has no blade. That means no tobacco residue or cleaning—ever. With this, and other product features, we aim to address consumer pain points that may have hindered some adult smokers from beginning or maintaining their journey away from cigarettes in the past.”
IQOS Iluma is available in two versions—IQOS Iluma Prime and IQOS Iluma. Both devices use new induction-heating technology but offer different designs. IQOS Iluma Prime and IQOS Iluma are available in Japan for pre-order on IQOS.com beginning Aug. 17, 2021, and for purchase at IQOS stores on Aug. 18, 2021.
As of June 30, 2021, PMI’s smoke-free products are available in 67 markets. The company has stated its ambition to be present in 100 markets with its smoke-free products by 2025. There are more than 20 million users of the IQOS tobacco-heating system globally, and PMI estimates that more than 73 percent (approximately 14.7 million) of these men and women have switched completely to IQOS and stopped smoking with the balance in various stages of switching. PMI’s ambition is that by 2025, at least 40 million PMI cigarette smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke will have switched to smoke-free products. Furthermore, the company’s ambition is that more than half of its net revenues will come from smoke-free products by 2025.
August 17, 2021
The Test of Time

Photo: Vitrocell
Regulations and next-generation products are driving demand for quality-control instrumentation.
By George Gay
It is well known that the arrival of new-generation tobacco and nicotine products has brought with it a need for new testing regimes and instruments. What is perhaps surprising is the smoothness with which these new instruments have fitted into and alongside portfolios of instruments designed with traditional tobacco product manufacture and testing in mind. Ian Tindall, of Cerulean, told me in June that he would struggle to name a product developed by his company during the past few years that did not have its origins or use profile in the new product categories such as vaping devices or heated-tobacco products (HTP). But, he said, this newly developed equipment had added to Cerulean’s range, from which very few pieces of equipment had been “retired.” All the legacy equipment had uses either in the combustible product sector or in the new product sector, and the newly developed equipment often had application in respect of traditional tobacco products. “[W]e have two-way traffic as far as instrumentation is concerned between new and established product use,” Tindall wrote as part of an email exchange.
Eric Favre
All of the instrumentation companies TR spoke with in June, either in email exchanges or during telephone calls, cited the development of next-generation products (NGP) or reduced-risk products (RRP) as being, directly or indirectly, the main driver of demand for tobacco and nicotine sector instruments. Eric Favre, of Sodim, said, for instance, that instrument companies were having to develop equipment to measure additional product parameters linked to the complexity of RRP design. At the same time, he added, the need was increasing for the testing of emissions and the analysis of physical parameters in respect of hemp products.
Meanwhile, Tobias Krebs, of Vitrocell, said that, for his company, one of the main market drivers was the need for various organizations and companies to assess the possible impact on human health of the consumption of tobacco and nicotine products while another driver was the necessity of assessing in vitro data for submission to regulatory authorities.
Chris Crawley
While agreeing that the emergence of NGPs had been a driving force for instrumentation sector demand, Chris Crawley, of Axiom Select, made the point that this demand had required a significant investment in new instruments against a background of little growth. Indeed, he said, demand for traditional tobacco product instruments was flat and focused mainly on the replacement market and after-sales service.
This is not to say the replacement market is not important. Tindall said there was a perennial demand created by the need eventually to replace aging installed equipment and that this need could provide a steady “demand backbone” to an instrumentation business. Another driver, he said, was innovation, which could take different forms. On one hand, there were the sorts of innovations driven by instrument suppliers that might result in improved equipment that was faster, more accurate and easier to use, for instance, but that might otherwise result in solutions that provided for previously unrecognized needs.
On the other hand, there were the collaborative developments driven by the needs created by customer innovations. “The obvious example here is heat-not-burn products that require novel physical measurements of components and finished sticks, and also different methods of generating and capturing aerosols,” he said. “This has spawned new products and product configurations that are increasingly being deployed in factories ’round the world. Often, this demand is company specific and so generally the world does not see those novel instruments, but sometimes the opportunity exists to share these innovation-led products…”

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The Role of Regulation
Ian Benson
There was less agreement when TR asked what part regulations played in increasing or decreasing the need for instrumentation. Ian Benson, of Consultative Solutions, said he thought that regulation would only increase such demand, especially in relation to NGPs. Whereas this sector was not going to follow exactly the pharmaceutical path, traceability was increasing in importance, which meant more on-line measurements being made wherever tobacco was involved. Companies needed to know the exact nature of what they were making, and they needed to be able to recall what they had made, when, and whether it complied with regulations.
Krebs implied that by their very existence, regulators created a need because they were looking to obtain data on new products. And Favre said that regulation always played a significant role in the need for instrumentation and that this role would not decrease. The main role, however, remained that played by quality control, emission testing and scientific studies.
But Crawley said that while it might have been thought that all the tobacco regulations now in place and emerging would have benefited the instrumentation sector, the reality was quite different. For instance, the gathering of traditional tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide data from machine-based routine analytical smoking had actually declined—in some instances, quite significantly. Twenty years ago, some had seen the increased regulatory scrutiny as an opportunity to invest in independent laboratory testing facilities, but that market had still not materialized significantly.
Tindall managed to agree with both camps in saying that regulations could be seen as being a significant driver and as no driver at all. Much of the regulatory landscape around conventional tobacco use had been directed toward restricting use through such policies as taxation and plain packaging, and nothing in this had driven change in inspection and test equipment or a need for greater capacity. And while regulations that had been around for a while, such as those concerned with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s oversight of tobacco, had driven a requirement for increased testing capacity for emissions, that boom had already happened.
However, Tindall added, there were specific regulatory requirements in relation to HTPs that were driving a need for high levels of manufacturing controls and post-manufacture product verification, which seemingly could only increase. Where HTPs contained three, four or five nontobacco elements combined, the integrity and consistency of the final product relied on process control. And this had driven innovation in physical testing that was being carried out by, for instance, the X-ray machine and end form analyzer machines Cerulean released last year. The diversity of HTP designs demanded also that such test equipment was specific to each design.
Looking ahead, Tindall said that potential regulations might well increase the need for instrumentation. The very low nicotine proposals the FDA was considering might impact smoking machines while individual stick marking as proposed in the U.K. and EU single-use plastics legislation could all change the way the industry controlled and measured the products it made.

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Trends
Photo: Sodim
At this point, the question arises as to which tobacco and nicotine sector instruments are currently most in demand. And the answer, of course, largely relates to the specialties of the various instrument suppliers. For Krebs and Vitrocell, the answer was higher throughput exposure systems for the exposure of lung cell cultures and bacteria used in Ames tests because these instruments provided indications about the effects on human health of exposure to various compounds, and information on the relative exposure risks created by combustion and noncombustion products.
In addition, Krebs said that demand was high for dosimetry tools for assessing the composition of aerosols online, such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and time of flight mass spectrometry: tools that were required to assess the influence of compounds on biological systems.
For Favre, instruments for measuring physical parameters and those for measuring specific parameters related to emission testing were always in demand. And he made the point that since testing emissions from traditional cigarettes had a different set of requirements from those of testing emissions from electronic cigarettes, HTPs or hemp cigarettes, instrumentation had to be adapted as the market moved in these new directions. In addition, he said, upcoming regulation, either at a regional or global level, would intensify the need for new measurement solutions.
Tindall, meanwhile, said any equipment to do with HTPs was in demand, given that this was where tobacco company investments in new makers and production lines were being made. Physical testing required a whole range of measurements to be made and, usually, existing instrumentation was not suitable. Demand for smoking machines and vaping machines for e-cigarettes and HTPs had probably peaked with the deadline for FDA premarket tobacco product applications, but this demand for smoking and vaping machines remained strong and would probably continue to do so for a while. However, it was demand from multinationals and independent manufacturers for equipment for testing the smoke and physical characteristics of conventional cigarettes that still made up the backbone of Cerulean’s business.

Photo: Cerulean
Matching Budgets and Needs
Of course, measuring processes, products and the potential effects those products have on health are all vitally important, but the question is, are the instruments necessary to carry out such measurements affordable? The responses here were diverse but tended to suggest what I guess is obvious. A big, rich company can afford instrumentation, whereas a smaller, less well-off one might not be able to do so. Crawley said that tobacco quality control and quality assurance instruments comprised a specialist market segment and, as a result, had always been expensive. “For example,” he said, “even manual digital instruments to measure diameter, pressure-drop and/or dilution cost $20,000–30,000 and are often considered unaffordable by the smaller independent producers. A multi-parameter test station can easily cost $100,000.”
Krebs, too, conceded that it could be expensive for small companies to carry out the sorts of testing for which his company’s instruments were designed. But, he added, the expense was less associated with the investment in such instruments than with that necessary in providing the infrastructure, such as laboratories, personnel and laboratory routines. One way this could be overcome, and often was, was to outsource such work to contract research organizations.
Favre, meanwhile, implied that such instrumentation was generally affordable, but he came at the question from the point of view that the measurements such instruments provided were an essential part of manufacturing processes rather than add-ons or luxuries. Such instruments, he said, were needed to help control quality during the production process and thereby help to ensure compliance with regulations but also to assist with research and development.
Tindall generally agreed with this idea, saying it was a truism that it was easy to measure the cost of quality checking, but the cost of poor or inconsistent quality was only measured eventually in lost sales and opportunities. However, he added that Cerulean was aware that different organizations had different objectives and resources when it came to investing in instrumentation and that it was important to have a product portfolio that reflected this—a continuum of equipment to match budgets and needs.
Tindall also echoed Krebs’ comments in saying that while the entry costs for the analysis of smoking and vaping emissions could be high, the investments necessary were inflated by the infrastructure needed rather than the equipment. And he, too, pointed out that one way around this situation was to take advantage of contract research laboratories.
Upgrades and Refurbishments
Given that there are at least some issues to do with affordability, it has to be asked, too, whether there is a viable secondhand market in tobacco and nicotine sector instruments or whether there is a viable refurbishment business. Well, according to Crawley, for the most part the major instrument manufacturers have never entertained a serious interest in the secondhand instrument market. Managements considered the sector not large enough to warrant serious consideration, he said. It saw no commercial advantage in the sector and concluded that it detracted from potential new instrument sales. However, for enterprising individual businesses, this market gap provided a wonderful opportunity—albeit not a large one—to supply quality services and products for about a third of the normal cost.
I think it need come as no surprise that the sort of instrumentation provided by Vitrocell doesn’t lend itself to the establishment of either secondhand or a refurbishment business. Elsewhere, such businesses do exist, but mainly they provide for internal use. So, Favre said, “secondhand” equipment might be transferred by a supplier from one manufacturing company facility to another while refurbishments were often driven by environmental or sustainability considerations. Refurbishments in the guise of upgrades might be driven by new technical requirements, such as software or controller upgrades, or by new measurement requirements. One particular upgrade might see an instrument designed for use with conventional products converted to one used for HTPs.
Refurbishments and upgrades, meanwhile, have become a fairly major offering from Cerulean—part of its culture. There was a lot of equipment in service around the world, said Tindall, and factories had made significant investments in this equipment. So, during the past two years, Cerulean had been examining how to extend the life of it by providing a range of upgrades intended to modernize equipment. This was in addition to a long-standing refurbishment service for physical test stacks that had generally been taken advantage of when customers cascaded equipment from one plant to another.
George Gay is Tobacco Reporter’s European editor, but his territory spans the globe. Based in London, George has covered the tobacco industry since 1982, initially for a U.K.-based publication and since 2004 for Tobacco Reporter. George’s understanding of industry issues, combined with his keen sense of observation and dry wit, have earned him a loyal following among Tobacco Reporter’s readers.

August 1, 2021