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This week, Pete Sahani, CEO of The Blinc Group, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why the company won't just rely on paperwork, and visits suppliers regularly to test raw materials.
The Blinc Group is a manufacturer and distributor of vape hardware known in the industry for launching innovative, compliant products.
The company was founded by Arnaud Dumas de Rauly, an engineer by trade who now sits on the board of standards organization ASTM International and other regulation bodies in Europe. He instilled a vigilance at the company to ensure the compliance of raw materials Blinc uses to make vape hardware.
Pete Sahani came to Blinc first as a COO and he was charged with making some operational changes. Last December, the company's board appointed Sahani as CEO and while it has been a good ride so far, it has come with a lot of responsibility that has Sahani working more than he ever has before.
Since taking over the helm, Sahani has focused on constantly launching new products. The company takes a fast-fashion-inspired approach to product design that has already seen five successful product introductions in 2024.
Though the company is working harder to launch new products, Sahani remains steadfast in Blinc's commitment to compliance, focusing on controlling the entire upstream supply chain. Sahani says Blinc can't simply rely on paperwork; it needs boots on the ground, testing raw materials on a regular basis to make sure they meet the company's standards. The staff is also constantly validating the manufacturing process, which includes a team of engineers that stand on the production line to validate processes in real time. Sahani says the commitment to quality and compliance has been a differentiator for the company — it has also significantly dropped production's nonconformance rate from 1% to 0.02%.
Sahani admits that the industry has a problem with vape hardware e-waste and no one wants to talk about it. In response, Blinc is making products that have a "recycle ready" design that can be easily dismantled and recycled — you can't just recycle a disposable vape, because some regulators classify it as hazardous waste.
Sahani also realizes that capital has been hard to come by for cannabis operators, so the company launched Blinc On Demand, a new managed inventory program in which the client doesn't need to pay up front costs, only as product is delivered.
Jump around:
- An unexpectedly mature industry. (1:24)
- Becoming CEO of The Blinc Group. (3:51)
- Sourcing materials and controlling the entire upstream supply chain. (4:53)
- Why Blinc took control of its supply chain. (6:23)
- What consumers are looking for in new vape hardware. (8:17)
- What are recycle-ready vape products? (9:17)
- The problem with vape hardware e-waste. (10:53)
- Opportunities for dispensaries to offer e-waste recycling programs. (12:05)
- Preventing underage vape consumption. (13:57)
- Blinc's fast fashion-inspired design strategy. (16:33)
- Evolving vape consumer tastes. (19:46)
- Cannabis research for the greater good. (20:34)
- The Blinc On Demand managed inventory program. (24:16)
- Predictions for federal legalization. (28:43)
- Excitement over the California market. (30:16)
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at [email protected].
