VIII. MANUFACTURING 



In the colonial period the export trade was the 

 major commercial outlet for tobacco leaf. After 

 the Revolutionary War, small manufacturing 

 plants began to appear, and in 1790, 29 million 

 pounds (13 million kilograms) were used in 

 manufacture. The product was a roll or twist 

 form, from which portions were cut for chewing 

 or smoking, or grated for snuff. Early in the 

 1800's, the manufacture of cigars began to 

 assume importance. Imported Cuban leaf was 

 principally used in their production. However, 

 as domestic cigar leaf types were developed, 

 they were combined with the Cuban imports in 

 cigar manufacture. By 1860, 45 cigar factories 

 were in operation. 



At the outbreak of the Civil War, the manufac- 

 ture of chewing tobacco had reached its peak. 

 The leaf used in this product was a new type being 

 grown in Virginia and North Carolina, and was the 

 forerunner of modern flue-cured types. During 

 the last quarter of the century, the manufacture of 

 fine-cut chewing and smoking came into promi- 

 nence in which leaf of another new type, White 

 Burley, was used. 



The manufacture of cigarettes did not assume 

 importance until 1872 when the first practical 

 making machine was developed. Fifteen years 

 later annual production passed the billion mark, 

 and by 1895 four billion cigarettes were being 

 produced. In 1913 the blended cigarette of 

 American and oriental tobaccos appeared on the 

 market and became immediately popular. The 

 growth of the cigarette industry since that time 

 presents one of the most phenomenal aspects of 

 tobacco history. 



The Cigarette Industry 



Flue-cured and burley are the principal 

 tobaccos used in the manufacture of cigarettes 

 along with Maryland and imported Oriental 

 tobaccos. Great care is used in blending these 

 tobaccos to keep the product consistent in 

 smoking quality and taste. 



After blending, conditioning agents and hu- 

 mectants are applied in order to improve the 

 handling and keeping characteristics of the 

 tobacco. 



Although tobacco used in the manufacture of 

 cigarettes is fully flavored, additional substances 

 are added to most blends to further enhance the 

 smoking flavor and aroma. 



Modern Cigarette-making Machines 



Present day cigarette-making machines em- 

 ploy engineering techniques which allow produc- 

 tion of up to 4,000 cigarettes per minute with the 

 assurance of uniform product quality. 



20 



Cigarette paper is supplied to the cigarette- 

 making machine in large reels. Tobacco is fed to 

 the machine by a pneumatic conveying system 

 and is metered in a uniform stream onto the 

 cigarette paper to form a continuous rod. 



This continuous rod is sealed lengthwise and 

 then cut into the required lengths for the 

 particular brand being produced. In the case of 

 nonfilter cigarettes, these cut cigarettes are 

 placed by the machine into suitable containers for 

 delivery to a packaging system. 



Filter cigarettes are produced in exactly the 

 same manner as regular cigarettes up to the point 

 of cutting the continuous rod into individual 

 lengths. 



Additional machinery is linked directly to the 

 cigarette-making machine to receive the cut 

 lengths of tobacco rod. A measured length of 

 filter material is placed between the two sections 

 of finished cigarettes. A "tipping" paper material, 

 usually either of cork or opaque white appear- 

 ance, is wrapped around the filter, sealing itto the 

 ends of the two cigarettes. This double cigarette, 

 with the filter in the center, is then cut exactly 

 through its middle to form individual filter-tipped 

 cigarettes, which are automatically placed into 

 suitable transfer containers for delivery to a pack- 

 aging system. 



Modern cigarette-making machines are fitted 

 with control units which monitor and automati- 

 cally correct the weight of the tobacco used in the 

 cigarettes produced and also inspect each 

 cigarette for quality defects. Cigarettes which 

 do not meet rigid quality standards are automati- 

 cally rejected. 



The cigarette industry currently employs 

 about 38,000 production workers. Additional 

 thousands are employed in management, ac- 

 counting, sales, and so forth. Around 666 billion 

 cigarettes were manufactured in 1977, mostly for 

 domestic consumption. However, about67 billion 

 were exported to more than 70 foreign countries 

 throughout the world, and another 1 1 billion went 

 to the Armed Forces overseas to ship stores, as 

 shipments to Puerto Rico, and other sources. 

 Consumers spent about $16 billion for the 620 

 billion cigarettes consumed in the United States 

 in 1977. Per-capita consumption for persons 18 

 years and over is about 203 packs annually. The 

 Federal Government receives about $2.5 billion 

 annually from the 8-cents-per-pack excise tax 

 rate, and more than 3 billion dollars is collected 

 yearly among the 50 States, the District of 

 Columbia, and local governments. The State tax 

 rates in 1977 ranged from 2 cents to 21 cents per 

 pack. 



