Entries Tagged 'Key International Business & Market Developments' ↓

Sources close to Filtrona PLC confirmed the closure of Filtrona Venezolana SA – the plant located in Valencia Venezuela specifically to produce carbon dual filters for Cigerrera Bigott SUCS (a wholly owned BAT subsidiary) based in the capital Caracas.

A Filtrona executive visited Brazil to break the news to the regional HQ – Souza Cruz – based in Rio de Janeiro.Their reaction is unknown but it cannot be taken lightly as this leaves Bigott to pick up the pieces left by Filtrona’s withdrawal.

The final straw was most likely Rhodia’s recent sudden closure of their Cellulose Acetate plant also located in Valencia. This meant importing tow from elsewhere and having to deal with foreign exchange requirements within Venezuela, not to mention associated increases in raw material and transportation costs. The plant was probably already operating under marginal profitabilty given the difficult economic situation which has developed in Venezuela.

In these difficult economic times our thoughts and best wishes go out to those affected.

RUYAN AMERICA AND PRIME TIME INTERNATIONAL SIGN AGREEMENT
Ruyan America, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, and Prime Time International Company, Phoenix, AZ, announced that they have executed an “Exclusive Product Development, Brand Marketing and Supply Agreement.” Under the terms of the agreement, Prime Time will become the exclusive North American distributor and marketer of Ruyan America’s digital smoking alternatives and will provide input and direction with respect to Ruyan’s future product development initiatives, to include design, formulation, distribution, branding, labeling and marketing.
Initially, Prime Time will distribute Ruyan’s RAPP® digital, E-mystick®, a battery powered, personal, portable, and disposable vaporizer containing a long-established lobelia based supplement. The product is classified as a non-tobacco smoking alternative. It is not intended to be used for smoking cessation or deterrent. The product is formulated and assembled in the United States, using the finest and purest ingredients available domestically. Prime Time and Ruyan will cooperatively develop other formulations and designs for similar purposes. Ruyan America currently has patents pending for a variety of formulations using its patented designs and delivery systems.
William Bartkowski, President of Ruyan America, Inc., commented, “We are delighted to join forces with Prime Time International to bring our unique products to a broader market through its extensive wholesale and retail network. They have a demonstrated ability to reach segments of the market where consumers of traditional tobacco products are now looking for alternatives that can be used where smoking is now prohibited or limited.”
Jim Emery, President of Prime Time International, stated, “We are partnering with the original pioneer of this technology and with the real innovators of its design and formulation with both its current and future products under development. We anticipate being able to offer our customers the very best in innovation, design and effectiveness in a whole range of easy-to-use, disposable smoking alternatives. We look forward to expanding and extending the designs, formulations and uses for Ruyan’s dynamic and patent-protected products. Prime Time International is committed to bringing open and honest leadership to this exciting new alternative tobacco category. We are committed to being the captain in the category of alternative tobacco products with a broad range of product offerings.”

ABOUT RUYAN AMERICA
Ruyan America, Inc. is a technology based company that currently develops and markets OTC consumer products using patented and patent-applied-for convenient delivery methods. Ruyan America, Inc. is a U.S.-based joint venture partner of Ruyan Holdings Ltd. of Hong Kong.

ABOUT PRIME TIME INTERNATIONAL COMPANY
Prime Time International Company, established in 1993, is an established manufacturer of tobacco and non-tobacco products with an established presence in the US wholesale and retail supply chain serving over 70,000 established retail outlets. Prime Time International is committed to providing its wholesale and retail trade partners with highly profitable products that they will feel confident representing in their establishments. Prime Time International prides itself on its ability to identify market niches and initiate rapid product development to address changing consumer needs and strives to offer only products of consistent quality and excellence.

For inquires or questions regarding this partnership, Ruyan products, or distribution and sales opportunities call Prime Time International at (800) 959-9880.

This Post is informative but I’m sure folks have an opinion on this and have comments to share. So what are your thoughts? Any thoughts that need to be passed on as I know NATO views TobaccoToday?

MINNEAPOLIS — The National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) has announced that it has received a wave of new exhibitor commitments to the 2011 NATO Show, the inaugural trade show for the association. The latest exhibitors to sign up for the NATO Show include A&T Tobacco Imports, Bags of Bags, Bahama Mama Cigars, Beach Cigar Group, Inc./Gurhka Cigars, Cheyenne International, DWC Enterprises, Global Tobacco, Great Midwest Tube & RYO Machines, International Tobacco Partners, Liaison Sales and Marketing, M & R Holdings, National Honey Almond, Rouseco and Tantus Tobacco.

The 2011 NATO Show will be held at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas on April 12-14. The NATO Show will feature educational seminars for retailers, the NATO Annual Awards Dinner, along with evening parties and special show deals.

Jim Colucci, senior vice president sales and marketing for Altadis USA and a member of the NATO Trade Show Committee, said, “Having a great trade show means that retailers find value in attending, and the retailers are telling manufacturers and distributors, this is the show to attend. When that happens, companies can’t wait to sign up. Also, these companies realize NATO has put more resources into fighting legislative battles than ever before, and helping support the trade show means more resources to fight anti-tobacco legislation. That’s a big point of difference between NATO and other shows which will not be using the proceeds to fight tobacco-related legislation.”

The NATO Show has already received commitments to exhibit from more than 30 manufacturers and distributors.

Companies include Nat Sherman, New Image Global, Smokey Mountain Chew, Zander-Greg and K. K. International Corp. Also Arango Cigar Co., Carolina Tobacco, Dom Rey Cigar, Inc./Cusano Cigars, Drew Estate, Harold Levinson Associates, House of Oxford, King Maker Marketing, Renegade Tobacco/House of Windsor, Smoker Friendly International, U.S. Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers and Zippo Lighter Co. And Altadis USA, Swisher International, Swedish Match, Republic Tobacco and National Tobacco Co.

Minneapolis-based NATO is a national retail trade association that focuses exclusively on state and federal tobacco legislative issues and leads the fight for all tobacco interests in the United States.

Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. announced that it filed a patent infringement lawsuit recently in the United States District Court against Astra Tobacco Corporation, Delfort Group and German groups Julius Glatz, GmbH, and LIPtec, GmbH, over alleged infringement of their US patent number 6,725,867 for low ignition propensity cigarette paper.

Astra Tobacco is the sales and marketing company for Delfort group in the US.

Glatz GmbH has also recently launched a LIP paper after considerable speculation they were developing a LIP paper.

SWM apparently intends to defend its LIP intellectual property in the courts if necessary. It will be interesting to see if their patents are robust enough to withstand close scrutiny.

comments welcome………………..

In an historic first for public health, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) of the UK’s National Health Service overwhelming approved tobacco harm reduction as a key component in England’s ten year plan to reduce cigarette smoking by half.  The US FDA should follow the UK’s lead.  The announcement and a news excerpt are below, the press release is attached, and the full report “A Smokefree Future” is at http://www.dh.gov.uk/dr_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_111748.pdf

Interesting development in the UK.

What are your thoughts?

Do you see the FDA following suit?

Even before it opened TabInfo Asia 2009, held in Bangkok Thailand November 11-13, had problems which only became worse.

Originally arranged as a private Tobacco Industry event, the Thai government declared it public shortly before opening. This meant all Thai tobacco restrictions on advertising and tobacco product display (which are stringent) were effective – something the organizers (Tobacco Reporter and Think Event Marketing) thought had been covered.

Caught wrong-footed the organizers rushed to issue statements to exhibitors advising the new restrictions and the penalties for violators. With this back-drop it became unviable to show any tobacco products or advertising without risking fines and / or imprisonment - something not too many exhibitors were willing to risk.

Under goverment pressure the Thai Tobacco Monopoly converted their mega show-case anchor stand into a Welcome to Thailand Center.

Demonstrators gathered outside the site to protest on the first day – kept at bay by last-minute security personnel.

Total attendance was less than 1,000 visitors over three days leaving plenty of time to renew acquaintances with tobacco colleagues and fellow exhibitors from around the world. Opportunities to develop contacts and conduct business evaporated -leaving dismay and cost.

Post exhibition; the original decision to hold a show in Thailand looked flawed. The exhibition hall at the Impact Centre (sic)  was a considerable distance from the centre of Bangkok requiring a commute of 40 minutes each way – assuming traffic cooperated (which it didn’t.) Predictably exhibitors were upset – raising the broader issue of the number of Tobacco exhibitions in close proximity between Tobacco Reporter (TR), World Tobacco (WT) and Tobacco Intenational (TI.)

To illustrate; in 2010 Tobacco International (TI) holds its annual show in Krakow Poland April 15-17. WT plans its show in Hyderabad India April 21/21, TR a networking forum (gtnf) in Bangalore in October – followed by WT Asia in Jakarta October 27-29. 2011 sees a WT show in Munich November 8-10 then TR Prague November 15-18. WT plans another show in Jakarta in November 2012.

The industry can’t keep up. The Tobacco Industry cost structure has changed and the show organizers show no sign of acknowledging this fundamental shift. The signs are all around. Big tobacco withdrew its participation about 10 years ago, followed by the larger machinery suppliers. Shows have shrunk and so has attendance.

The show organizers need to reconsider their events as there is mounting evidence it is unsustainable.

Feel free to add your comments and suggestions…………………………

Click on the link below to let the Food and Drug Administration know what you think about the new Waxman-Kennedy law providing the FDA with regulatory authority over the tobacco industry.

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=09000064809e74eb

This link takes you directly to Regulations.gov and the FDA’s Comment Page on this regulation. You can write whatever you want since a public comment period is indeed open to everyone equally: FDA does not look at who sent the comment only at the comment per se to see if it is useful to them as they plan their regulatory agenda.

As a reader on TobaccoToday, you are only too aware of the US Government’s evolving controls over the tobacco industry through FDA regulation and the role that Altria/Philip Morris USA has played in a process that saw them write this legislation alongside the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. As a reader you are only too aware that the public health community has been divided over the merits of this law and that PM expects to become a major beneficiary given that the law is directed largely at youth initiation not at adult smokers. It raises the bar on Tobacco Harm Reduction so high that Marlboro has little to fear from new products such as eCigarettes effectively enabling the most used cigarette brand to gain from further point of use/sale practices given that advertising is virtually eliminated. Adult smokers, still faced with the “quit or die” mentality that both PM and Tobacco Control encourage, are now less likely to learn that alternative forms of tobacco consumption are less harmful.

After you fill out the comments on Regulations.gov, feel free to copy and paste your comments as a comment to this blog, so your fellow readers at TobaccoToday can follow the progression of comments AND perhaps get inspired to comment themselves.

The World Tobacco Asia – 2009, exhibition and congress was held again in Bali Indonesia at the Westin Nusa Dua – April 22 – 24 2009.

The resort is gorgeous and a great location for the exhibition as the center is within the resort complex. It was well organized and exhibitor participation reasonable – although many said it was small. Another plus is Indonesia’s relaxed smoking policy and regulations: There aren’t any!

Visitor traffic was the usual mixture of suppliers and vendors. Missing were lots of new local faces and contacts as well as any significant showing from the multi-nationals (PMI, JTI and BAT.)

The WT staff did a great job with organization and were rewarded on their UK return with the news the magazine was closing to concentrate on Events only which will be promoted by TJI.

Victim of a declining tobacco market or contracting print media market – or both?

We wish those let go from WT all the best and thank them for their good work and dedication to the Industry.