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A Design Journey

No Thru are revolutionising the security and safety of construction sites for government customers including schools and councils with their new-to-market temporary fencing system. They are currently working with The Melt to take their product international.

Dashworks sat down with James and Cameron from No Thru to discuss the product development journey.

Tell us a bit about the founding idea of No Thru?

Managing Director, James, has been around construction sites his whole life. He recognised that traditional fencing systems were weak and prone to break ins. Always thinking of new ideas and ways to do things, James one day had a ‘lightbulb moment’ and asked himself “What if the unboltable top clamp arrangement was done away with [and instead] as a panel was getting fitted, it would lock into place.” The idea development process began with this simple ‘what if’ statement, which was key to unlocking innovative thinking and increasing creativity when facing design issues.

What was the process to get No Thru to where it is today?

James began the prototyping process, buying Bunnings fences and testing different design alternatives until he had a basic concept that worked. However, he quickly realised that his speciality was not in temporary fencing, and that to avoid mistakes made in logistics and functionality of design, he would need to reach out to experts in the field.

Cameron has been in the temporary fencing business for 7 years and has seen a lot of growth within the industry. When James presented the idea, Cameron saw the merit in it straight away, particularly because he could relate to problems experienced by traditional temporary fences such as theft and vandalism. They quickly became business venture partners.

Product design

James and Cameron both agreed that for the product to stand out from other temporary fencing systems; they would have to build the product from the ground-up. It was important during this product development process that the system was both practical and functional, given various site conditions. As a result, NoThru stands out from competitors with their unique selling points.

No Thru’s anti-climb mesh and interlocking panel design minimises the possibility of site break-ins. The construction site manager can define access points and build the system based on these. Once the gates are established and locked, it is not possible to remove panels, unlike regular fencing systems.

The biggest challenges of product development surrounded the base block in which the fence panels are secured. Early iterations included a steel keyhole bracket that protruded. During testing, the team realised that the base block could not be stacked. The team went away and reiterated the initial product to incorporate a keyhole in the plastic moulding so that they could be easily stacked in a few variations to deal with various site conditions.

Another problem was that the system would not be adaptable to undulations in the ground. This was solved by using oval shaped holes in the base blocks, and self-adjusting sliding hoops instead of a fixed top-clamp. The No Thru system now handles terrain undulations better than a standard temporary fence.

Cameron for WHS reasons also identified that the base block had to be of a certain weight. There were two options; make the block smaller, which would make them less stable or modify the concrete filler to a lighter alternative product. They went with the latter and found waste products called fly ash and bottom ash, residue from coal fired power stations. No Thru’s base blocks are now filled with 80% of this by-product, having significant environmental benefits such as reducing the amount of coal combustion product disposed in landfill.

So, what’s next for No Thru?

No Thru are currently in the process of production, with James the managing director and Cameron being the distributor of the temporary fencing system. The product has 29 claims on the patent and are now working with The Melt to endeavour to take their business international.