FormFill Group was built by two engineers who spent decades inside manufacturing businesses before deciding to own one. Mathew Bowden and Bruce Bairstow founded Alertify together in 2017, and co-founded Engram AI in 2024 — they came from the factory floor and the project office, not from investment banking or private equity.
Mathew and Bruce founded Alertify in 2017, developing industrial IoT monitoring devices in Tewantin, Queensland. Over the following years, Alertify expanded into a full manufacturing consultancy practice — deploying SCADA systems, programming PLCs, commissioning production lines, building AI control algorithms and certifying electrical systems for clients ranging from defence to soft drink manufacturers. Real engineering work, delivered hands-on.
Bruce spent 20 years building and scaling LogiKal — a project management consultancy he co-founded in London in 2002, grew to over 100 consultants across Australia, Asia and the UK, and sold in 2022. His experience is in building businesses, managing complex programmes, and finding the commercial opportunity inside an operational challenge.
In 2025, they decided to take their learnings from building Alertify and Engram — real-world IoT product development and AI tools for industrial applications — and apply them as owners rather than consultants. They secured investor backing to acquire and improve manufacturing businesses between $1M and $10M revenue in South East Queensland. FormFill Group is the result.
Australian plastics manufacturing has hundreds of well-run businesses with strong customers and untapped potential. The businesses that combine operational efficiency with smart technology are pulling away from the field. We know how to deliver that combination — and we're now doing it as owners, not advisors.
We have built IoT products and AI tools for real-world industrial applications — not as a concept, but as working deployed systems. That same experience is now applied directly inside our own manufacturing operations from day one of ownership.
Founders who program PLCs, design control systems and commission equipment. Not a management layer above the operation.
Alertify sensors on every production line. Real-time data, automated alerts and HACCP-ready logging built into operations from the first day of ownership.
Engram AI applied to scheduling, quality and procurement. We apply the same intelligent automation we built for clients to our own business.
Founders invested alongside investors from day one. Same risk, same upside. We build value because it's our business too.
We approach acquisitions as partners. We look for businesses with strong foundations — good customers, good people, good products — where we can make targeted improvements and grow the value together.
Vendors who stay involved during transition are not a problem to manage; they are an asset. We structure our acquisitions to share upside. Where vendor finance is used, we treat it as a vote of confidence and honour it accordingly.
Where founders transition out, we ensure the business they built continues to be run with the same care they brought to it.