manufacturing Archives - Page 4 of 4

15Feb2022

Hannah Rubery Case Studies, E-Liquid, Manufacturing Feb 15, 2022Feb 28, 2022

E-Liquid Brand Case Study: Dripp

What is Dripp?

Dripp offers a range of shortfill E-Liquids in a variety of flavours. These nicotine-free E-Liquids are perfect for Sub Ohm vaping due to their 70VG/30PG consistency. As a brand, Dripp love to create summer-infused vapes that are refreshing and full of flavour. Something that’s evident in their fruit flavour combos and brightly coloured packaging.

At this time, Dripp offers an original range of fruity flavours and ice versions that pack a chilly punch. These refreshing shortfills are dripping with flavour and are perfect for vaping as they are, or by adding your own nicotine shots.

Dripp is known for their fun combo flavours you might not find anywhere else such as Lemon Berry Ice, Blue Raz, Pnkman and Hznbrg.

Dripp is available to buy via My Vapery.

The benefit of shortfills

Shortfills were the industry’s answer to TPD regulations restricting nicotine-containing E-Liquids to only 10ml. For many vapers, especially those who vape regularly, a bottle of 10ml doesn’t last long. Vapers regularly had to carry many bottles at one time to be able to top up their tanks.

The creation of shortfills aimed to solve this problem. These nicotine-free E-Liquids are available in several sizes, usually 50ml and 100ml, but they are packaged in bottles that are slightly oversized. By allowing space in the bottles, it allows for nicotine shots to be added thereby creating a much larger amount of E-Liquid that is both cost-effective and easier for vapers. Shortfills also allow for the creation of even more complex flavours and variations within the VG/PG ratio.

Shortfills also lend themselves to smokers looking to control their nicotine intake. By being able to add your own nicotine, vapers can limit the amount of nicotine they vape. This makes this type of product perfect for those looking to quit nicotine or enjoy Sub Ohm vaping and don’t want to accidentally inhale too much nicotine.

Who manufactures Dripp?

Xyfil is primarily an E-liquid manufacturer and E-Liquid supplier dedicated to producing premium E-Juice flavour concentrates for our external and in-house brands. As one of the leading vape E-liquid manufacturers in Europe, we manufacture for hundreds of global brands including Dripp. As our brands and external partners evolve and expand their ranges, we continue to deliver new flavours and new experiences tailored to the respective brands.

What Xyfil can do for you

As one of the leading UK E-Liquid, CBD and personal care manufacturers, we support brands worldwide as they develop. We provide end-to-end white label manufacturing services, helping you develop your brand at every stage from flavour development to the design and production of your liquids. We offer TPD E-liquid compliance, regulatory compliance and E-Liquid analysis so that you can have confidence in the quality and safety of your products.

Whether you are looking to create the next big shortfill range or use our award-winning Nicotine Salts to take your brand to the next level, we can help.

Contact us now to see how we can help you take the vape market by storm.

8Feb2022

Hannah Rubery 1 Comment Compliance, E-Liquid, Manufacturing, Packaging, Production, Regulations Feb 8, 2022Feb 28, 2022

Compliance in the UAE – All you need to know

E-Cigarettes and E-Liquids only became legal for selling in the UAE as of April 2019. Up until that point sales of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) were illegal. ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology) standards were introduced to regulate all nicotine-containing components used in E-Cigarettes, refill packages, E-Liquids and tobacco products. In the UAE, all products must go through the MoIAT (Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology) before being sold on the market.

If you are looking to sell in the UAE and middle east market, there are many regulations to consider, all of which we can help you with.

What are the ESMA regulations?

Many of the regulations are similar to that of the UK and EU. The law regulates the safety of all components as both electrical equipment and containing hazardous substances. These regulations are in place to establish the utmost safety and quality of all E-Cigarette and E-Liquid products in the UAE.

There are many factors that are restricted due to the regulations that impact the design of products to be sold in the UAE, the manufacture and marketing of said products. These include:

maximum nicotine concentration is capped at 20mg/ml
maximum tank capacity is no more than 10ml
maximum capacity of refill packages is no more than 50ml
must display all health warnings in Arabic and English stating: “Contains nicotine which causes severe addiction, increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Nicotine is harmful to the health of pregnant and nursing women, and people suffering from chronic pulmonary diseases such as asthma and pulmonary embolism.” This must cover at least 50% of the main display area. English to appear on the lower front, Arabic on the lower back.
must also display a health warning in Arabic and English: “This product may pose a health hazard when inhaled, swallowed or gets in contact with the skin.”
must not contain a variety of harmful ingredients & additives including cinnamic compounds

What you need to know before manufacture/import

Before any E-Cigarettes or E-Liquids can be imported, manufactured or placed on the market, all products must be approved by the ESMA documentation. These satisfy the needs for:

reports of safety tests
list of full ingredients and quantities including statement specifying reason for including each ingredient
results of toxicology reports
data on nicotine doses and absorption
acknowledgement of manufacture/importer responsibility for quality and safety
descriptions for use
ISO 9001 certification for the manufacturing site
stability studies supporting product’s shelf life
lab reports including information on nicotine concentration, quality & safety, post-marketing and post-consumption analyses and electrical safety
risk assessment studies

Each item, whether E-Liquid or E-Cigarette, requires ECAS certification to ensure all of these needs are met. This is not only a lengthy process but can be quite costly to navigate with several stages for each certification and complete the appropriate paperwork. This is where Xyfil comes in.

How we can help you hit the Middle East market

“Our in-house team of compliance experts are able to perform the necessary toxicology tests and full reports required by ESMA. More critically, we are able to gather all necessary data into the format required by the MoIAT. With popular brands we manufacture like Pod Salt fast becoming one of the most popular brands in the UAE, we’re here to help bring even more premium brands to the Middle East.”
Pradip, Compliance, Xyfil.

Since the changes in 2019 that allowed for the selling of E-Cigarettes and E-Liquids in the UAE, we have been successfully manufacturing and selling products in the Middle East. With a valid UAE Industry/Trade License, we are licensed to manufacture products for UAE within the UK.

Currently, we are looking at establishing on-the-ground manufacturing facilities within the UAE to further increase our productivity. Demand for E-Liquids in the Middle East has only continued to grow and we are there to keep up with the demand. If you are looking to take your brand to the UAE, get in contact with us to see how we can help you.

As a Toll Manufacturer with ISO 9001 accreditation, we are skilled with over 10 years of experience in manufacturing, production, R&D, logistics, compliance and more. Whether you are looking to take an existing product and turn it into one for sale within the UAE, or looking to manufacture a whole new product range, we at Xyfil can help you through any and all stages.

Get to know us more and meet the team over on LinkedIn.

23Nov2021

Hannah Rubery E-Liquid, Manufacturing, Xyfil Updates Nov 23, 2021Feb 28, 2022

The Importance of Market Research

Why is market research so important?

For your products and services to be well-received by consumers, you must know who your target consumers are and what it is they are looking for. Market research helps provide you with this essential information from your competitors and existing products. No one wants to launch a product that simply gets swept away by other similar ones. Finding your niche or targeting consumers un-fulfilled needs is key to success.

Those who already have existing products and services may already have a wealth of information that can help to understand consumers. In turn, they reveal key aspects relevant to launching a new product or service. Assessing key trends and anticipating the market are just one of the elements of market research. If there’s a gap in the market, then you want to be the first to know about it. Even for those already established, keeping in touch with the customers’ needs as well as market trends can give you an edge over your competitors.

Where do you begin – How to plan market research

It all begins with a plan. Knowing what you are trying to accomplish and what information you will need for your product/service launch is a great start. There are things you can do yourself such as speaking with potential customers or performing your own analysis of your topic. Of course, there are also ways to outsource your market research that helps to offer an outside opinion that’s truly unbiased, allowing you to gather rich qualitative and quantitative data.

By completing effective market research, you can hope to develop new and effective marketing strategies. Solve your business’ biggest challenges, investigate expansion opportunities, and identify how to tap into these opportunities. In this effort, we reached out to deal with Groundswell Innovation, a goal-driven company with 12 years of experience in helping companies make a return on investment.

Our work with Groundswell Innovation

Groundswell Innovation is a Northern Powerhouse Partner and being based in Preston, alongside a proven track record of success with previous clients, helped us to choose them as a means for market research. Having worked alongside other manufacturing businesses and well-known companies such as Visa Europe, BT Openreach and the Public Sector, we were confident in their abilities.

We were fortunate enough to work alongside Groundswell Innovation to help us understand and achieve our goal for an upcoming product*.

The exceptional team helped to provide us with rich qualitative data (conducting 12 interviews with Mobility Healthcare Professionals) and quantitative research conducted by two students from Lancaster University – a great partnership that not only benefits local companies but local students.

The research exceeded our expectations and was well executed within the tight deadline.

“I think it's crucial to work with a company like Groundswell who understand what your objective is, because they will work to reach (and exceed) your expectations and execute the deliverables on time... And any work that they do will be fully backed up and fully researched.”
Nikita, Production Manager at Xyfil.

The questions we wanted answering through market research were:

How best can we commercialise our new product?
Is there a clear space for it on the market?
How do we create a clear and credible ‘go to market’ plan?

And we were not disappointed by the evidence-based strategy provided by Groundswell Innovation. By helping us to define the key messages of the product and providing competitor’s analysis plus feedback, we’ve been able to take a decisive step forward with the future of this new product.

Here at Xyfil, we pride ourselves in also being able to help our customers through their journey in the market. With our 10+ years of experience in the market, alongside valuable insights gained from working with partners like Groundswell Innovation, you can rest assured that we will take your brand from concept to reality and all the way to market.

*Please note, the product cannot be named due to its commercially confidential nature.

Get to know us more and meet the team over on LinkedIn.

17Nov2021

Hannah Rubery CBD, E-Liquid, Manufacturing, Production Nov 17, 2021Feb 28, 2022

How Can E-Liquid Manufacture be Eco-Friendly?

Eco-friendly, kind on the wallet, and better for your health - it’s not hard to see why the vaping market has seen such continued success against the tobacco industry. For those looking to learn more about becoming an eco-friendly E-Liquid manufacturer, and maybe develop your first eco-friendly products, we’ve put together a few starting points to get on the right track.

Source and Distribute Local to Save The Planet

We all know shipping products across the globe with hundreds of air miles is harsh on the environment. Whilst many vape or E-Liquid products are shipped and sold internationally, becoming a local manufacturer or selling locally help keep your E-Liquids in good stock without the long journey.

At Xyfil, our head offices and production site are based in Preston, UK. We’re proud to produce and sell to the national market and support the UK industry. However, our manufacturing facilities have also developed across Dubai, UAE, Europe, North America, and the Middle East - so wherever you are in the world, a Xyfil E-Liquid can be on your doorstep with minimal environmental costs.

Dispose of disposables

It’s no surprise that disposable vape devices have boomed in popularity both with customers and manufacturers. Cheap to make and easy for consumers to get to grips with, they allow brands to reach new customers and promote new flavours. But at what price?

Disposable vapes contain lithium-ion batteries which are usually designed to be used at least 300 times, with the average being around 500 – that’s 500 puffs per device. However, regardless of whether there is life left in these disposable devices once the E-Liquid runs out, they become virtually useless and are thrown away, often only hours after first being used. That’s hundreds upon hundreds of batteries being manufactured, transported around the world, and then discarded. These devices are not even recyclable due to the battery and nicotine in the device making them anything but environmentally friendly.

Of course, these trends live and die by the consumers so it’s not surprising that brands have raced to bring out their own disposable devices. Pod devices seem to be making a return, and these kits offer a much more environmentally friendly alternative, whilst remaining simple for new vapers. Many pod kits offer refillable cartridges that only need replacing once the coil burns out, rather than replacing the whole device.

We offer a variety of E-Liquid product types from 10ml TPD compliant E-Liquids to shortfills in 60ml and 120ml. Our manufacturing services include freebase nicotine as well as our premium nicotine salt, combined with our award-winning flavour blends, at Xyfil we can help you create your E-Liquid brand or take it further.

Is Your E-Liquid Sustainable?

We’ve never been more aware of the importance of understanding where our products come from and the mark they make on our planet. Making sure the E-Liquid products we produce use ingredients sourced mindfully and sustainably is one of the best steps to becoming an eco-friendly manufacturer.

At Xyfil, the CBD used for our CBD vape liquids is 100% organic and sustainably sourced from traceable farms in Colorado, USA. We also maintain full traceability for all our products, including sample collections on raw materials and full tracking throughout the product development life cycles. This way we can be sure of every step of the process. So, we know our E-Liquids are eco-friendly, sustainable, and consistent.

Develop Your Eco-Friendly E-Liquid Range Today

Hopefully, our starting points have got you thinking about how to make your vape devices and E-Liquids more eco-friendly and, perhaps, some new ideas for developing your next eco-friendly product. Whether that’s an addition to an existing range, or your first tentative step into the market, our team can help you create something conscious, sustainable, and profitable. Get in touch today to find out more!

10Nov2021

Hannah Rubery E-Liquid, Manufacturing, Xyfil Updates Nov 10, 2021Feb 28, 2022

The Future of E-Liquid Manufacture After Brexit

While Brexit may have shaken up many businesses and worried others about its implications, the vaping industry is one that we feel could benefit from this sudden shift. It certainly came as a surprise from some when much of the country voted to go ahead with Brexit. Immediately concerns were raised about how the UK would handle the change. From trade deals to an economic crisis, everything was on the table and the pandemic didn’t help. But there may be a silver lining for those in the vaping industry.

Pre-Brexit industry

The UK is currently regulated under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), the equivalent of the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). These regulations cover:

Bottles of nicotine-containing E-Liquids containing no more than 10ml
Disposable E-Cigarettes and single use cartridges or tanks must not exceed 2ml in volume
E-Liquids must not include harmful ingredients that pose a risk to health in a heated or unheated form
Nicotine strength in nicotine-containing products is restricted to a maximum of 20mg/ml
All nicotine-containing E-Liquids must be first passed by the MHRA before they can be sold

There are also strict rules around the packaging and labelling of these products to ensure that they are not aimed at young people and children, and clear warnings that the product contains nicotine. In the UK in particular, our regulations also include that these products cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 18.

Post-Brexit industry

With the newfound freedom there will undoubtedly be reviews on many of the UK’s laws and regulations that were previously imposed by members of the EU. As the UK has always been a staunch supporter of vaping as a safer alternative to smoking, with the means of aiding smoking cessation, it is very likely that these regulations could be amended.

With an ambitious target of making the UK smoke-free by 2030, it’s certainly in the UK government’s best interests to take another look at the rules and regulations that could potentially be hampering some from making the change.

Although of course, the vape market is not the only thing to be hit by Brexit. There have been many issues, not just due to Brexit, with imports and exports of goods. Between Brexit and COVID-19, it’s hard to say for certain which contributed more to the prevailing issues. As trade agreements fall into place, the issues will be ironed out in time.

This year, manufacturers are seeing the need to drive inefficiency and delays from their supply chains by deploying highly flexible ecosystems that let them handle disruption. It’s an unfortunate fact that while things are still stabilising, we may have to get used to disruption in the long-term. Establishing a resilient supply chain is quickly becoming a necessity for manufacture.

At Xyfil we had established risk management systems before the pandemic, to ensure flexibility with our suppliers. We created backups for our suppliers and backups for those. These prior plans really showed in our ability to remain open without a single day of manufacturing lost because of our extensive strategies. Making sure that your supply chain remains running is but one of the ways to keep your manufacturing business devoid of disruption.

The Possibilities of the Future

Talks are soon to go ahead regarding the way vaping is treated by governments, and although the EU may be bending to the will of the WHO (World Health Organisation) and their aggressive stance against vaping, the UK is in a great position to make impactful changes.

For vapers and businesses, making changes to the tank size, amount of E-Liquid, nicotine strength levels and restrictions on advertising could have a massive impact in the UK. By making changes to these things, it would allow brands to create more diverse ranges of products, tailored even more towards those looking to quit smoking.

Often, 20mg/ml is not enough for smokers to make the change as they don’t get the strong nicotine hit, they need. This ends up ultimately turning them back towards smoking. Similarly, by being able to properly advertise vaping products, businesses would be able to reach more people than before and be able to proactively help smokers make the change to a less harmful alternative.

What do you think? Has Brexit impacted your business for better or for worse? Keep posted with us for any new developments in the E-Liquid and CBD industry.

1Nov2021

Hannah Rubery E-Liquid, Manufacturing, Production Nov 1, 2021Feb 28, 2022

What is ISO 9001 Accreditation?

Those looking at manufacturing companies for producing products may have come across the term already. Having heard mentions of ISO accreditations you may be wondering just what it means. Is this certification as important as it sounds?

At Xyfil we are proud to have been ISO 9001 accredited. Read on as we explain why you should look for companies with ISO 9001 accreditation.

Who are the ISO?

These management system standards were created by the International Organization for Standardization, and the name simplified to work across all languages as ISO (derived from the Greek term ‘isos’, meaning equal). An independent, non-governmental, international organisation, ISO seek to bring together experts to share knowledge, develop, support, innovate and provide support companies for global challenges.

What is ISO 9001?

The ISO 9001 sets out the criteria for a quality management system and is a certified standard. There are over a million companies and organisations across the world certified to the ISO 9001 standard.

But what exactly is it? This standard is based on several management principles used to ensure quality. These include: a strong customer focus, motivation, and involvement of top management, plus processes for continual improvement.

ISO 9001 accreditation ensures that companies provide customers with consistent, good quality products and services. As a manufacturing company, we at Xyfil are proud of our ISO 9001 accreditation as it shows we are consistently pushing to provide our customers with only the very best.

What are the benefits of ISO 9001?

Benefits of ISO 9001 accreditation include being able to manage our employees and processes in a more efficient way, increasing productivity.

With our ability to produce 2.5 million products a month, we maintain impeccable quality and ensure the safety of our products. We have implemented rigorous methods of traceability and accountability to cover every aspect of our work to give peace of mind to our customers.

Throughout the entire manufacturing process from the moment, we begin with your product, we apply meticulous attention to detail. We are able to track each step with batch testing from flavour development, production, packaging and more, up until the product leaves our door.

Risk assessment is also a key benefit to our accreditation. In the manufacturing business risk assessment, especially where supply lines are needed, are essential. Being able to continue producing products and meeting customer demand no matter the sudden changes outside of our control, is one of our strong suits.

The pandemic has shown that many businesses struggled with supply lines in the unprecedented effects brought on by it. During the pandemic, we remained open without a single day of manufacturing lost because of our extensive strategies. We continued manufacturing and producing products for our customers by putting in place protocols to keep our staff safe and ensure the highest quality of production continued. This risk management allowed us to navigate alternatives to solve issues that arose from the pandemic by having prior plans for them just in case of this eventuality.

What does this mean from us?

Xyfil is accredited with the ISO 9001 which means that we have been independently certified to be operating according to International Standards. These standards should be what all manufacturers strive to achieve, and by being able to certify that you have reached these standards, offers you security and confidence in the handling of your products by these manufacturers. If you would like to speak with us regarding your upcoming products, let us know here. We offer services such as manufacturing, white label and compliance – whether you’re looking to go the whole journey with us or just require help with one aspect of your product’s journey, we’re here to help.