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PART 1 -  HOW IT BEGAN

Flink has established itself globally as a hub of creative innovation and a dependable manufacturer of high-quality consumer goods in the industrial, medical, and sports sectors.

What were the initial steps?

Curdegn Bandli and Remo Frei, bonded since school through shared mountain excursions, embarked on different academic journeys: Curdegn pursued Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zurich, while Remo studied Industrial Design at the School of Applied Arts.
 

Convinced that engineers and designers should collaborate from the outset, they, along with David Jenny, united for their final thesis at ETH.
 

With a vision for an ergonomically optimized battery-operated tool system, inspired by Remo's father Ruedi, a construction foreman with hands-on experience, they not only persuaded ETH and ZHDK of their integrated approach but also clinched the Dyson Student Award.

2004 INTEGRAL
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Curdegn and Remo prepare for their ISPO presentation with strong support from family and friends.
 

The backpack system resonates with the current trends, allowing the young developers to engage in deep discussions with project managers, CEOs, and designers from top outdoor brands like Deuter, Mammut, Arcteryx, Ortovox, Salewa, and Millet.
 

However, the initial enthusiasm gradually diminishes in subsequent conversations. It turns out that the innovative backpack system diverges too much from established solutions, leading brands to see significant challenges and risks in developing a market-ready product from this idea.

2004 INTEGRAL
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT