Industry Spotlight

Belgium

J. Cortès Cigars has created a new concept of wooden tip cigarillos in three different tastes: natural, vanilla and ginger. These rich and tasteful cigarillos come with a quality Java Besuki wrapper and are available in packs of eight in a an innovating and exclusive box with an easy opening and closing magnetic system.  J. Cortès Wood Tip cigarillos were created especially for the Asian market and are available now.

Switzerland

ROFIN-BAASEL Lasertech presents the new managing director of the Swiss ROFIN subsidiary LASAG AG.
LASAG AG, one of the leading laser manufacturers in micro material processing with headquarters in Thun (Switzerland) will be managed by Andreas Ewald from July 2011 on.
Andreas Ewald, who took responsibility in various positions on an international basis in the laser industry, looks back on many years of experience in management positions and has now taken over his new task as managing director at LASAG AG on 1. July 2011. Ewald is an electrical engineer (HTL) and holds an MBA in industrial engineering.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s tobacco production goal of 170 million kg has failed to materialize, according to figures released by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) at the close of the trading season.
The statistics show total sales of 129.9 million kg at the country’s three auction centers, representing an 11% increase over 2010. Income from sales jumped 4% year-on-year to US$356,582,527.
A “clean-up sale” to be held on September 20 will dispose of any remaining stocks but it is not thought that more than 10 million kg of additional tobacco will be presented, at least 17% under the original estimates.

Canada

After years of inactivity on the legal front, New Brunswick provincial government has announced that its lawsuit against tobacco companies operating in the province may have entered a new stage.
The government says it is determined to make tobacco companies pay for healthcare costs that are generally associated with tobacco use. However, it is common to see governments in various jurisdictions pursue legal action against tobacco companies in order to wrest additional revenue that could be used to compensate for poor fiscal policies and budgetary shortfalls.