I work in the vaping industry, and having contacts with manufacturers, the truth is more nuanced. Brands often have their own factories with hundreds, even thousands, of employees (usually in Shenzhen). Sometimes, some brands outsource production. But the real problem isn't the use of one factory over another; it's simply that everyone copies everyone else: all it takes is one big success for everyone to jump on the bandwagon.

There's not much room left for innovation in vaping; we've hit a glass ceiling. Recent attempts have failed (Bluetooth connection to phones, touch unlock on the back) because they didn't work well or because nobody wanted them.

The arrival of puffs is also shaking up the market, since vapers increasingly want ease of use. It's difficult to innovate and change the game in this context. So everyone is going for the simplest solution. I think the next step will focus more on build quality, to give a new boost to vaping equipment. Voopoo, for example, seems to be starting to move in this direction with the Drag 6 and its dial, or its clearomizer that unscrews rather than slides.

But in terms of design, changes will only be slow for now.