Korea Philip Morris' Yangsan Factory Recognized as an 'Internationally Accredited Testing Laboratory'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Korea Philip Morris announced on the 31st that its Yangsan factory, located in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do, has been recognized by the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS) as an internationally accredited testing institution for heated tobacco products. The Yangsan factory is the only dedicated production base for IQOS tobacco sticks in the Asia-Pacific region.

KOLAS is an organization under the National Institute of Technology and Standards that oversees the establishment of national standard systems, operation of industrial standardization systems, safety of manufactured goods, and cooperation and exchange with national or international organizations related to standardization.

The Quality Control Research Institute at Korea Philip Morris’s Yangsan factory underwent an audit in the first half of this year for expanding the scope of international accreditation by KOLAS in the "physical property testing" category, which measures physical characteristics such as weight, length, and thickness of HEETS products. Following the final review by the KOLAS Accreditation Committee, the Yangsan factory was recently recognized as an internationally accredited testing institution for the "physical property testing" category as well.

In 2019, the Yangsan factory was the first in Korea to receive international accreditation from KOLAS for aerosol and chemical substance measurement of heated tobacco products. With this latest accreditation, the scientific data generated in the Yangsan factory’s laboratory is considered to have reached a higher level of reliability.

The Quality Control Research Institute at the Yangsan factory is responsible for quality inspection of all heated tobacco products produced at the factory as an internationally accredited testing institution. It analyzes aerosol components generated from HEETS, inspects the tobacco leaf components used in HEETS manufacturing, and examines the physical properties of HEETS. Products can only be shipped if they meet the internal standards set by Philip Morris International (PMI).

Baek Young-jae, CEO of Korea Philip Morris, said, "We are very pleased that the Korea Philip Morris Yangsan factory, which plays an important role in realizing a smoke-free future, has been recognized by KOLAS as an internationally accredited testing institution. We will continue to provide high-quality products to adult consumers who have no other alternatives and intend to continue smoking, and we will devote all of Yangsan factory’s capabilities to research and production of heated tobacco products for adult smokers."

Meanwhile, the Yangsan factory began tobacco production in Korea in 2002 after obtaining the first tobacco manufacturing license from a global tobacco company in Korea. Since then, it has directly produced products such as Marlboro and Parliament. In 2018, under the vision of a "smoke-free future," the factory made approximately 300 billion KRW in facility investments to produce dedicated IQOS tobacco sticks (HEETS) and started mass production of HEETS.