· By Eric Rubin ·

· By Eric Rubin ·

Origin Vape / Last Updated April 2019

Kangertech's Chinese name is 康尔科技, which transliterates to "It is for your health." 康 means health, and 尔 means for you.

As one of the first manufacturers in the electronic cigarette industry, it really was the early days when Kanger first opened their doors on April 28, 2007.

Looking back, the first product that Kanger made wasn't under the Kangertech brand name. Before getting involved in the R&D process themselves, Kanger made OEM devices for other companies. The cig-a-likes of yesterday were prone to malfunctions and unsatisfactory performance, but things have definitely changed since then. According to Jessie, "from a small workshop...for small quantity local order(s), [Kanger] slowly expand(ed) and concentrate(d) in research and development."

Today, Kanger operates a behemoth corporation with over 2,500 employees and 30 engineers on staff. Their remarkable success owes itself to innovation and reliability. Jessie, a five-year veteran of Kanger's sales department, mentioned that "by trial and error, together with a team of engineers, Kangertech develop(ed) our own brand name..."

Their EVOD line of products brought Kanger to the forefront of the vaping industry. This pen-style, ego-threaded battery, complemented the tank of the same name. These little vape devices are still sold today, and are known for reliability and precision engineering. Years later, the two still look great together, and sales of both products have not yet declined despite further technological advances of the industry. Although the EVOD product line brought Kanger the most fame, other best-sellers, such as the Aerotank and the Subtank series have been Kanger's biggest sellers to date, but are no longer in production.

In eight years, the company went from a small workshop to a giant factory. This growth was fueled by a unique combination of interdepartmental communication and emphasis of consumer feedback. What makes Kangertech special is the head of the company. As acting chairman and lead designer of products, Mr. Danny Zhu, traverses the sea of customer feedback and makes their wishes come true.

Danny Zhu wears many hats in the company and helps streamline operations across all company departments.

There are a wide variety of tools at Kanger's disposal to find inspiration and see what the market is missing. New product ideas emerge from customer feedback, social media, and the engineering departments. Every revision of a product takes into account user response and feedback.

Personally involved in every project is Mr. Zhu, the lead designer, chairman, and manager of operations. Regarding the development and release of new products, Jessie says it takes "from three months to half a year," for a product to go from idea to market. Unlike other, more fast-paced electronic cigarette manufacturers, Kanger doesn't hurry.

"Kangertech [doesn't] concern [itself] with this..." Jessie reflects. "We...achieve the best advantage of the customer."

It takes time for a new idea to develop into a great product, and their goal is to make sure the customer is happy. That means more time for quality control, and more lead time for development.

Their whole operation works cohesively because their belief is singular. The end user is always at the top of the chain. All the departments communicate with each other, work together and enjoy each other’s company.

There is little internal friction between departments. Some employees vape too. Our interviewee in 2015, Jessie, vaped on a Subox kit with a 0.5 OCC coil. Her favorite wattage? 25 watts.

The company's motto is "Innovate, Overcome, Contribute, and Everybody Wins." The top-down hierarchy so typical in Western companies is not found here.

Everybody in the company from engineering down to maintenance has a say in matters.

According to Jessie, "Everybody has the chance to express their ideal." They don't believe in having the best of anything, there is always room for improvement in the company.

Jessie also makes mention that future projects that are on the horizon are "items which [are] more safe to use, such as leak proof [tanks]."

Currently, the European Union and the United States are the largest markets for Kanger's products. These two geographical zones are responsible for the most sales. Kanger sees the writing on the wall with regard to impending legislation here in the states.

In fact, they consider regulation the biggest challenge the entire vape industry is facing. They are keeping an eye on legal developments and will strive to tailor products as needed. With regards to a growing domestic interest in electronic cigarette and rising popularity of vaping, Kanger's response to this trend is interesting. For the domestic market alone, Jessie says, "we keep spending [a] certain percentage of our revenue in R&D."

The future looks great for this company, 2,500 strong and growing. Divorced from the typical pressures of the industry, Kanger is not worried about how fast they can bring a product to market. Their focus on the end user means they will keep putting the customer first, and generate rigorously engineered, quality products.