FormFlow

FormFlow was founded on the development of an innovative metal forming process for bending corrugated iron which had never before been possible.

The bend alone is aesthetically beautiful and architecturally interesting but the value comes in applying the idea.

Using it to join sheets in cladding applications (roof and wall) is the most obvious commercial. The benefits expand to include functional things – no gaps means better Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) Rating, insulation and less opportunities for dirt and debris to accumulate.

The most exciting aspect of the technology is the potential to turn the cladding into an important structural element.  Load bearing bends (wall corners and roof peaks) potentially allow for minimal supporting structure.

FormFlow’s structural panel concept takes this to a new level with a very large range of applications and a clear pathway to high volume production.

Rightstrategy, fresh from the Strategyzer Workshop in London were keen to apply their Business Model and Value Proposition learning in a real live environment.

We met up with Matt Dingle of FormFlow to share what we had learnt.  Matt was equally as keen for us to conduct a workshop with his team and stakeholders from Deakin University and local industry.

We jointly planned a workshop session together making sure that all aspects were properly planned and prepared ahead of time to make good use of the resources and expertise being made available.

The Business Model template allowed the teams to think about the key activities and resources of the FormFlow business, the cost structure and potential revenue streams, as well as the key partners required, the product value proposition, customer segments, and possible channels to market.

During the workshop, the teams were separated into four different groups and were asked to develop what they thought the ideal business model should look like.  The group outcomes were shared with the whole team leading to even higher levels of enhancement of the proposed FormFlow business model.

Having established the ‘ideal’ business model, focus was then applied to developing a value proposition for the various potential customers identified including, a large Australian Corporate organisation, Architects, Builders, and End Users.  The activity was repeated ensuring that we considered the full extent of opportunities from each potential customers’ standpoint.

To do this, we considered each customer’s current situation, their product needs and the tasks that they needed to perform.  We looked at how their situation, needs, and tasks might be impacting them particularly identifying any ‘pain’ points and ways in which the FormFlow product value proposition could alleviate customer pain making FormFlow even more attractive.  We also explored how the FormFlow value proposition created potential ‘gains’ for the customer and how these gains could be leveraged for mutual benefit.

In the end, we had mapped a number of different business models and value propositions. We were able to easily see and agree what products needed to be developed (and which ones didn’t), and what approaches needed to be taken to enhance the value proposition for each of the customer applications.

The business model and value proposition outcomes became central to the FormFlow strategy and has helped them in establishing an optimum business model where they have remained the ‘Developers’ of the product and where the product is being produced by strategic partners with the right capabilities and channels to a volume market.

Today FormFlow has developed into a multi-million-dollar business providing employment for people in the Geelong region and offering an alternative, modern looking, high quality and affordable product to the housing market both here in Australia and Overseas.