This thread has been quite an interesting read.
I'm not an old hand on this forum, and I've raised a few hackles myself here and there. That being said, I'd like to plead for a bit of civility here.
Companies do not have a legal requirement to make their dealings transparent--but doing so buys the consumer's trust and respect. If Janty doesn't want to give information about exactly where, by which factories, and by which contractors their products are manufactured, that is their right, in my understanding.
By the same token, if consumers want to inquire, wheedle, or otherwise pester the information out of companies about their products, that is also their right, but the adage holds true: you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.
One of the things I like most about this forum is that consumers and suppliers can exchange information. Ludo (and Shawn, though I don't know what his role is in this), and Cash have been very helpful and friendly in the past, and we can ask them questions and make suggestions--note that analog smokers do not have the same benefit when dealing with the monolithic
tobacco industry.
From web research on e-cigarettes (which seems to be about all I do at work anymore), it seems that we have A) suppliers, like Shawn and Cash, who probably get their stock from a B) middleman like RoyalSmokers, who collect and resell
devices produced by a small number of C) manufacturing companies in Shenzhen. These companies (if indeed the plural is warranted) go by the names of First Union, KangerTech, Smoore, and Sailebao, among others. They may each have different factories, or several of these companies might share a factory--that's how things seem to work.
What I don't understand (and what Ludo has no responsibility to share if he doesn't want to) is how the Janty model works.
Here's my best guess (NOT TO BE TAKEN AS FACT): Janty, being a company based in China, the EU, and the US, works directly with C) the manufacturing companies (most likely using some of the same licensed Ruyan patents and assembly lines), manufacturing effectively the same models as the generics, but possibly with certain changes and/or improvements (more efficient chips, manual switches, etc.) These are then sold through the various supplier arms of Janty, which, given the information available to me, provide excellent customer support. This is not an evil thing to do--note that Janty may be working directly to improve e-cigarette technology, even if the
devices in question are similar. You can buy a Ford Crown Victoria or a Mercury Grand Marquis--it's the same chassis with design and comfort improvements in the latter case.
This is basically my best theory as to how things work. I'd love for Ludo or others to address any inaccuracies here, but again, it's his right not to. Anyone else have any theories? Please stay away from 'evil conspiracy' type allegations.
May cooler and clearer heads prevail. Take a vape break.
-Matt