There remains considerable anxiety in the vape industry with its short
history due to the continued lack of real regulatory clarity from FDA.
That is likely a work in process; the point is, it is not complete.
Additionally, there is ongoing local regulatory enactment that is
beginning to regulate the manufacture and distribution, as well as the
use, of e-liquid. That is immediate.
While this is happening,
leadership is also undergoing a transition. Some of the early industry
spokespeople have moved on or stepped aside. This creates a perceptible
void as new blood to the game continues to enter the industry, and is
getting up to speed in an evolving, often chaotic business environment
that has become the norm.
Despite these concerns, the industry is
healthy and continues to expand at a rapid pace. E-liquid conferences
and events multiply and abound. One important reason is the
attractiveness of product profit margins realizable as production
scales. Increasingly automated production is beginning to enter the
picture to make this possible.
Three particularly interesting
trends are also occurring; there is a mini-boom of e-liquid clean room
construction; many e-liquid producers are recruiting for quality control
professionals; and there is considerable interest in ISO and GMP certification for the manufacturers. For an industry that unfortunately
gets perceptively lumped in with tobacco and all its problems, this is
an important product transparency and quality step: it will position
e-liquid creators well for the inevitable regulatory mandates that will
follow, as well as omnipresent media opinion, and, of course, the
consumer.
This post was written by Robert Pochadt, InstantGMP Vape Sales Director.