Impact case study database

FormFormForm Ltd (FFF) focuses on the development of novel silicone-based chemistries for the design of tough adhesive composites. These are intended as mouldable adhesive glues for mending objects. Its main product, Sugru® (figure 1), was first developed in 2009 based on formulation work that was carried out by Queen Mary researchers.

Sugru resembles modelling clay but sticks to most surfaces and dries to a tough, rubbery finish. It is flexible, waterproof, shock-resistant, electrically insulating and temperature-resistant up to 180°C and down to -50°C. It allows single users to personalise, fix and modify objects, devices or goods. The product is sold as a single component and does not need to be activated by the addition of a catalyst.

Sugru’s commercial success

Figure 1: Sugru Mouldable Glue. Copyright [2020] by Sugru.com.

Since 2013, Sugru has been sold in over 300 B&Q stores in the UK & Ireland and since 2015 in over 2,000 Target Stores in the USA [5.1]. Furthermore, Sugru sells its products in retail outlets in Europe, US, and Canada. Today Sugru is being used by customers from 175 countries worldwide and is widely available, including on Amazon (other retailers include Massmart in South Africa and Leroy Merlin in France). More than 80 percent of its sales are online.

In collaboration with Queen Mary, FFF has developed a new range of family friendly formulations of Sugru, which were launched in 2018. By 2019, Sugru had been used to fix 20,000,000 objects, which means significantly fewer objects were sent to a landfill [5.2].

Acquisition of FFF by Tesa CE

In 2018, FFF was acquired by Tesa CE, for GBP7,600,000, which has facilitated increased presence in ‘bricks and mortar’ stores across mainland Europe. Production, research and development related to Sugru has remained in London [5.3]. The benefits of the acquisition to both companies are summarised below:

Sugru’s position in the market place

Sugru’s competitors and how they compare against Sugru are listed in the table below:

Sugru has a number of applications in fixing, modifying and improving objects

Sugru comes in a variety of colours and can be used for fixing or personalising a variety of everyday objects due to its ability to stick to most surfaces. Sugru user David Constantine said: “Knowing I can buy something without worrying about adapting it to my needs is a boon. I’m always trying to adapt things and can now design and do it at home, rather than take it somewhere to be modified” [5.2].

Sugru has also been used for some more bespoke and creative applications as detailed in the case studies below:

Bespoke game controllers

Figure 2: Game controller designed by Ben Heck, in partnership with FFF for Vivek Gohil. Copyright [2019] by Oxgadgets.

American computer engineer Ben Heck, in partnership with FFF, has created a bespoke game controller, imaged in figure 2, designed for people with muscular dystrophy. Ben specifically designed this controller for the British gaming vlogger Vivek Gohil. Sugru holds all the components of the controller together and gives it its unique shape. The weakened joystick springs allow for effortless movement and there are conductive touchpoints below the joysticks that replicate buttons. There is also an adjustable stand that makes the controller weightless for longer sessions [5.4].

Landscape gardening [5.2]

Award winning landscape gardener Peter Donegan has used Sugru in displays at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, RHS Cardiff, and at the Irish WW1 centenary peace garden at Chateau de Peronne, France. He used it to ensure that objects (eg light objects that can be easily blown away, picture frames that cannot be easily screwed to walls if the walls are thin board that will not take a screw) within displays are fixed in a way that “doesn’t detract from their appearance,” but provides him with confidence that “they will survive wind and judges and so will look good when it matters.” He said that Sugru gives him “peace of mind” as he tries “to eliminate all the variables I don’t have control of. Even a 1% chance something will fall or move is too much.” Peter had previously used products like blu-tac that was not strong enough. Sugru also benefits from being readily removed when required.

Figure 3: Sugru being used make a harness for pet tortoises’ trackers to locate lost pets. Reprinted from DIY Sugru Tortoise Tracker, Petdiys. Copyright by Sugru.com [5.5].

From bespoke game controllers to tracking tortoises (figure 3), Sugru is a versatile and durable product that is valued for its reliability by its creative customers and proponents.

Repair spaces [5.2]

FFF supports a number of volunteer-led initiatives in the repair space. They provide ‘positive waste,’ which is Sugru close to its sell by date, but is still usable. This is donated free of charge to events such as:

• Weekend Repair Shops : A 2017 event that was run in conjunction with Raeburn Design, a company that uses surplus fabrics and garments to create new clothing, luggage and accessories.

• The Restart Project : A social enterprise encouraging the repair of consumer products, in particular electronics. The organisation helps to repair objects, runs workshops on DIY skills and campaigns against ‘planned obsolescence’

• The Repair Café: With over 2000 meetings globally, the Repair Café provides free spaces where tools and materials are made available to help users make any repairs they need to.

As a result of FFF’s work in the repair space, Sugru has now developed a significant online community of enthusiasts, with a web community of over 2,000,000 makers and DIY enthusiasts, and 21,000 Twitter followers, along with the popular #mysugrufix hashtag.