Case Studies

Testimonials

Michael is the only person I have worked with in the last decade who can consistently open the doors with the credibility necessary to do the type of high profile innovation work that we do. Michael's targeted, no-nonsense, straight forward approach to open innovation is refreshing, effective and efficient. Michael's group gets results every time.

Managing Partner, Innovation Consulting Firm
If you need somebody who has access to great ideas and seemingly endless innovation that can help you and your business - then you need to know Mike Fruhling. Besides being the consumate organized & responsive professional, he has an amazing ability to quickly understand what you need and connect you to fantastic innovation to make you even more successful. When Michael heard me talk about a 3 dimensional holographic ("3D") demo that I witnessed, within days (and without my having to request his help), he brought me an even better, more capable 3D firm for consideration that was hands and heads above the one that we had bumped into. This is just one example of where he's connected us to great ideas and services. He's also brought us innovative material solutions and has offered up many ideas for leveraging our corporation's intellectual property. So - to sum up, if you NEED Intellectual Capital or would like to leverage your own - I heartily recommend Mike Fruhling.

Manager, Brand Experience Touchpoint and Product Consultancy Teams at Office Furniture and Technology Company
Michael is great to work with. He is flexible and prepared to do what is needed to get to a good solution. I especially appreciate his honesty and integrity and the fresh view on things that he can bring.

Global Program Head at Global Healthcare Company
Michael is an expert in connecting breakthrough technologies with leading companies. He has a real ability to see emerging opportunities before others, and the connections and relationships to match them with the companies who can benefit from them. I personally respect his tenacity in driving these connections as well.

Consultnt for New Business Creation at the intersection of large corporations and startups
Michael is a true professional in all aspects of business. He has a deep understanding of client needs that are executed with precise, in depth, focused knowledge and an excellent ability to grapple complex techncial problems. He demonstrates an ability to think well "outside the box" to deliver effective results based on customer needs in a variety of market sectors. It was a pleasure to work with him.

Director of Business Development at Technology-Driven Business Solutions Company

Case Studies

Consumer products companies must develop and introduce new products with ever-increasing speed and nimbleness. New product development can pose challenges that require expertise and technologies beyond companies’ internal technical capabilities and available resources.

The following case studies illustrate how our capabilities and expertise lead companies to breakthroughs and successful outcomes, often in ways that they could not initially foresee.

Global OTC Company: Nutrition bar

The Client

Global OTC Company
The Challenge

Our client wanted to formulate an OTC drug active into a nutrition bar and to be able to identify a partner that could manufacture it. This project posed multiple complications:
1. bar formulation would require specialized expertise to ensure proper product aesthetics,
2. the drug material absorbs moisture and would cause the bar to solidify without proper barrier packaging, and
3. nutritional bars don’t typically include OTC drugs and therefore, the facilities used to manufacture them aren’t typically FDA certified.
Approach and Result

Following an extensive industry search, including effective networking, and a detailed interview process, BFS identified partner resources that could fully meet our client’s requirements.

Global CPG Company: Personal Grooming

The Client

Global CPG Company
The Challenge

Our client desired to introduce a battery-powered personal grooming device on rapid timing. This would necessitate identifying a suitable existing retail device, exploring design and aesthetics modification options with the device’s owner that could be made and commercialized within the client’s desired time window.
Approach and Result

It is not always easy to identify the party that controls intellectual property and design rights to a medical device…especially when the manufacturer isn’t the same party as the owner…and one’s client doesn’t choose to (prematurely) reveal their identity to prospective partners. Following a networked search, BFS prequalified partner resources to meet our client’s requirements.

Global CPG Company: Personal Care

The Client

Global CPG Company
The Challenge

Our client needed to access and brand (under their own brand name) spa-quality skin care treatments that would enable them to compete in an attractive market segment they wished to enter. They had no internal expertise in this area and lacked the network to identify suitable partners with the desired capabilities.
Approach and Result

BFS has extensive experience in, and a professional network spanning personal care, including spa treatments. We were able to quickly identify attractive and suitable partners with customizable product and packaging options that met the client’s performance requirements and cost target and could be private-branded and manufactured.

International Trade Group: Textiles

The Client

International Trade Group
The Challenge

Our client wanted to identify new value-added consumer benefits that they could incorporate into their textiles.
Approach and Result

BFS conducted extensive technology search and new concept ideation to identify partners that could contribute significant value-added benefits to their textiles via their proprietary technologies, including: reduced muscle soreness, enhanced moisture management, greater wearer comfort in high humidity/temperature conditions, and others.

Coffee Brewing Machine Company

The Client

Coffee Brewing Machine Company
The Challenge

Our client, a commercial and consumer coffee brewing machine manufacturer desired technology options to reduce the frequency of system cleaning while preventing lime scale and biofouling.
Approach and Result

BFS searched outside of the client’s product category, including marine protective coatings, heat exchanger surface modifications and biomimicry-inspired nano-coatings. We identified a range of attractive technology options for our client to evaluate.

Global CPG Company: New Product Categories

The Client

Global CPG Company
The Challenge

Our client is exploring new categories for their company to enter. Knowing of our diverse experience, they asked us to identify technology candidates from beyond their target category to enable differentiated new products with distinctive benefits.
Approach and Result

BFS has extensive experience and knowledge in a wide array of product categories, ranging from personal care to housewares, OTC consumables to nutrtionals, arts and crafts to food and beverage, and more. In less than 4 weeks, we identified a diverse collection of technologies and products for client’s consideration. The work was so well-received, we have since been engaged multiple times by this same client for similar work.