VAPE PRODUCT SHORTAGES:

Jun 09, 2020

VAPE PRODUCT SHORTAGES:

What this means for the world in Vape Technology

Many Chinese factories are still closed, and there is widespread fear that vaping hardware will not be shipped to the U.S. until as late as April.

Here at Omari-O our production is underway, and we are making sure that our products make it into the hands of our reviewers and suppliers now. Our supply chain will begin as this is our Grand Opening per say and we are looking forward to providing the entire world with our products here in the very near future. That being stated we were able to look up an article from a sister site name VICE. They were able to speak to a representative by the name of Charles Harris. He is a owner of a North Carolina USA based disposable vape company called NicFit Go. He orders his products from Shenzhen, China. Charles Harris was getting worried. He thought the Chinese companies that manufacture vapes would be back up and running, which would mean his own disposable vape company would be OK. But as he looked out at the empty streets of Shenzhen from his apartment on Wednesday morning, it was clear the effects of the deadly coronavirus were far from over.

Around this time of year, he often travels to Shenzhen, where he has a second home. The city, which connects Hong Kong to China's mainland, is commonly referred to as the "vaping capital of the world." But the coronavirus had transformed into an epidemic, and few people were returning to work, on government orders.

When Harris spoke with VICE, it was becoming increasingly clear that the coronavirus, or COVID-19, would have a global impact on various facets of the economy. But its economic ramifications could be particularly damaging for those who work in the vape industry.

About 90 percent of the world's vaping and e-cigarette hardware is produced in Shenzhen, in close to 1,000 factories. If the Chinese government keeps many of its citizens away from work for much longer, there could soon be a significant delay on shipments of vaping products, if not an outright shortage.

In mid-February, one senior account manager for the wholesale vape supplier VaporBeast, Scott Alwine, told his customers to anticipate the worst. "We are expecting a major national shortage on coils and hardware starting toward the end of [February] and running through March," Alwine wrote in an email to customers.
"Possibly a good portion of April. We encourage you to stock up now to ensure you will have products for your customers."

Since Harris touched down in China, only more reports have surfaced about Chinese plants of all sorts remaining closed. Companies need government permits to reopen, and doing so requires adhering to stringent safety measures. "If you look at any of the wholesale accounts online, you can tell that they're running out of everything," Harris said.

"The entire supply chain will be disrupted," said Dimitris Agrafiotis, a consultant for vape manufacturers who frequently visits Shenzhen. "It'll certainly hurt the industry as a whole. It's all built on technology and the next new thing. If production is delayed, so is the evolution of these products."

Harris said that some vape manufacturers have already started to consider other alternatives.
"I've heard people talking about opening up factories in Mexico," he said.
For U.S. vape companies, the coronavirus outbreak comes at a particularly inopportune time too.
Other players in the vaping business point out that the circumstances in China simply distract from more pressing obstacles closer to home.

All

VAPE PRODUCT SHORTAGES:

VAPE PRODUCT SHORTAGES:

What this means for the world in Vape Technology

Many Chinese factories are still closed, and there is widespread fear that vaping hardware will not be shipped to the U.S. until as late as April.