FTC Manufacturing Process

MANUFACTURING PROCESS

RECEIVING/TOBACCO GRADING
        -Bundles of raw tobacco leaves are weighed and graded.

SORTING/RECLASSIFICATION
        -Raw tobacco leaves are further segregated and classified according to type and grades. Common types of tobacco are: Virginia, Burley, Oriental, and Native tobacco.

BUTTING/TIPPING
          -Classified bundles of raw tobacco leaves are manually placed into a long conveyor. At the end of the conveyor, the tips of the tobacco leaves are cut.

CONDITIONING
          -Bundled tipped tobacco leaves enter a cylinder where water are steamed and sprayed to reach a required moisture content. After conditioning, the tobacco leaves are loosened up from the bundles.

THRESHING
          -Tobacco leaves are threshed to detach the leaf/lamina from the stem. The lamina and stem are further isolated from each other.

REDRYING
          -Lamina and stem separately pass through driers to bring the moisture content down to the required percentage.

PACKING
          -Redried lamina and stem are separately weighed and machine pressed into wooden hogsheads or carton cases for storage.

TOBACCO PREPARATION
          -Different grades of redried lamina are weighed based on formula.

BLENDING
          -Tobacco lamina enters a cylinder for spraying of steam. It passes another cylinder for spraying of flavors. Then it is blended at the tobacco silo.

CUTTING/DRYING
          -Blended tobacco are cut into desired sizes. It goes into a drier to reach a specific moisture content.

TOP FLAVORING
          -The cut tobacco goes into a cylinder for final flavoring, either menthol or non-menthol.

CIGARETTE MAKING
          -Cigarettes are rolled out and attached with filters in the cigarette-making machine.

PACKING
          -Cigarettes are wrapped with foil, label, cut stamp and polypropylene film to form a pack. Packs of cigarettes are placed in cartons at the high-speed boxer. Then, cartons of cigarettes are placed in shipping cases at the case packer and sealer.