PROJECT MEMBER

PROJECT STORY

01.Background

Our goal was to develop a new HTP which delivers rich tastes and flavors, and induces more significant sensation in the throat.

The liquid in a cartridge is converted to vapor in devices for HTP. The generated vapor is passed through a tobacco capsule to create tobacco vapor for enjoyment by our consumers. A cigarette is lit by a lighter at high temperature and smoke is generated. On the other hand, HTP are heated at low temperatures instead, so one characteristic of these products is a difficulty in releasing components for tastes and flavors.

Therefore, the key points in developing HTP include how to enrich their tastes and flavors, and to induce a significant sensation in the throat. Attempts to improve tastes and flavors had been continually investigated by the JT Group from several decades ago when it began basic science research on HTP, while carrying out many different approaches.

This project was launched to further advance this past research, with the mission of achieving the development of Ploom TECH+, which can provide an even better user experience, as quickly as possible. The key issues focused on by the members were, of course, how to enrich tastes and flavors, and to induce more significant sensation in the throat. In order to resolve these issues, it was necessary to make further improvements to the cartridges, which would fully characterize the features of flavor and taste as well as determine their level of richness. It was also very important to make the device performance better, which would greatly affect the amount of tobacco vapor. The goal of the project was to deliver new HTP to consumers as quickly as possible. So, the members of this project had to develop it to exceed the conventional HTP which had been released by JT before Ploom TECH+, within a highly limited period of time.

02.Approach

What is required to enrich tastes and flavors, and to induce a significant sensation in the throat?

From the perspective of device development, what is required to enrich tastes and flavors, and to induce more significant sensation in the throat? One factor is the amount of vapor. In order to increase the amount of tobacco vapor which contains tobacco leaf-derived components, it is necessary to raise the temperature. To do this, a suitable capacity of electric power must be supplied to a heater. Increasing the amount of vapor while keeping the same number of puffs* requires a small increase in battery capacity. In other words, the size of the battery must become accordingly larger. The decision to enlarge the battery was a difficult one to make because one development theme of Ploom TECH+ was a reduction in size to improve its usability.
Every effort was made to eliminate any unnecessary space while keeping the battery size increase to its required minimum, in order to achieve as efficient a layout as possible within the available volume of the product. Coordination and cooperation were received from other departments with specialized personnel, and attempts in design, prototyping, and evaluation were made many times while seeking out the best possible configuration.
Also, ensuring a consistent amount of vapor and puffs* required an increase in the amount of liquid encapsulated in the cartridge. Just as with the battery, the cartridge was modified to fit within the product volume, by making it thinner and cylindrical in shape. After repeated trial attempts, the ideal balance was found and Ploom TECH+ reached completion.
*Puff: The act of inhaling. The number of puffs may vary depending on how you use the device or its usage conditions.

03.Results

The experience gained during this project became valuable knowledge for the entire JT Group.

The JT Group is currently pursuing development in the field of devices for infused tobacco capsules like Ploom TECH+. With the success of the Ploom TECH+ device development project, the R&D Group has accumulated further knowledge unique to the JT Group. In actuality, our new “Ploom TECH+ with” product, whose sales area was expanded in February 2021 to include all of Japan, uses the same cartridge as the Ploom TECH+ developed in this project. By completing independent platforms for the JT Group like this one, it will be possible to shorten development periods and deliver new and better products to consumers more quickly. This project succeeded in developing just such an example with its highly-versatile cartridges.
Also, many of the project members have stated that they learned many things and gained new awareness themselves.
“By proceeding with work while also interacting with research and development personnel from various departments who had a wide range of specialized expertise, I was able to expand the scope of my own knowledge. Since we were able to build relationships between development personnel, I feel that we will be able to work with greater accuracy and speed from here on in development as well as product maintenance.”
The valuable experience acquired by this project in completing an original JT Group product with proven versatility has provided further experience for the entire JT Group. It is certain that this will be a powerful foundation for future new product development.