Headline: Meet Master Inventor
Publication: NST
Date of publication: Jan 9, 2012
Section heading: Life & Times
Page number: 010
Byline / Author: By Rozana Sani
OBSERVE, identify and fix. That's the mantra of an inventor fondly known as Bugs Tan. Rozana Sani has the story.
Tan Yeow Kiang, fondly known as Bugs Tan, looks nothing like how one would imagine an award-winning inventor to look. With his closely cropped hair and wide smile, clad in shirt and jeans, the 50-year-old looks like the stereotypical favourite uncle, someone who would be entertaining the kids with stories and magic tricks.
That's not too far off the mark, really. It's not magic tricks Tan pulls out of his sleeves but a series of inventions that has won him recognition across the world.
He has picked up 14 awards, local and international, since his first win, a Silver Medal from Geneva, Switzerland, in 2001. That invention was the Multi-locking Pulley, a lightweight pulley/coupling that uses extruded aluminium technology which makes it lighter than the conventional cast iron pulley/coupling.
In 2007, he received the National Innovation Award. Two years later, India honoured him with an International Excellence Award For Innovation for his contribution to the field of creativity and innovation.
In 2010, he was awarded the Gold Medal at the Cyber International Genius Inventor Fair in Korea for his Litewalk Grating System, which are steel grating panels used on oil platforms.
Among his inventions sold in department stores and specialty outlets are the Fanfilta, which makes cleaning of ceilings easy, and the Outdoor Air Cooler, which offers fresh, cooled air during outdoor functions.
You may deduce his success is due to extensive research and lab work, and he would be the first to acknowledge this. But it didn't come through conventional means.
"I was a typical schoolboy growing up in Klang in the 1960s. The name 'Bugs' came from friends. I had a simple childhood in Pulau Ketam, where I would invent a variety of games from things as simple as two sticks," recalls Tan.
"After Form Five, I worked at my father's company, which dealt in the trading of engine and machinery for the agriculture and construction industries. In 1994, I decided to strike out on my own in the same business."
But competition was tough and profit margins were too narrow for a trading business. "It was then that I decided to design and develop my own products to sell," says the keen observer and voracious reader of a wide range of subjects.
Together with his team, he developed the Multi-locking Pulley for clients. It is light and easy to maintain. Most importantly, it was well-received.
"I invent products based on market problems. You have to observe where the problem lies and create a solution," he points out.
"The Multi-locking Pulley kicked off my career as an inventor and I began to obtain grants from the government. To date, I have created 15 products, patented locally and abroad, and some have been commercialised."
Challenges were aplenty in his journey to become a respected inventor, but he wanted to continue contributing towards the country's goal of becoming a developed nation.
Publication: NST
Date of publication: Jan 9, 2012
Section heading: Life & Times
Page number: 010
Byline / Author: By Rozana Sani
OBSERVE, identify and fix. That's the mantra of an inventor fondly known as Bugs Tan. Rozana Sani has the story.
Tan Yeow Kiang, fondly known as Bugs Tan, looks nothing like how one would imagine an award-winning inventor to look. With his closely cropped hair and wide smile, clad in shirt and jeans, the 50-year-old looks like the stereotypical favourite uncle, someone who would be entertaining the kids with stories and magic tricks.
That's not too far off the mark, really. It's not magic tricks Tan pulls out of his sleeves but a series of inventions that has won him recognition across the world.
He has picked up 14 awards, local and international, since his first win, a Silver Medal from Geneva, Switzerland, in 2001. That invention was the Multi-locking Pulley, a lightweight pulley/coupling that uses extruded aluminium technology which makes it lighter than the conventional cast iron pulley/coupling.
In 2007, he received the National Innovation Award. Two years later, India honoured him with an International Excellence Award For Innovation for his contribution to the field of creativity and innovation.
In 2010, he was awarded the Gold Medal at the Cyber International Genius Inventor Fair in Korea for his Litewalk Grating System, which are steel grating panels used on oil platforms.
Among his inventions sold in department stores and specialty outlets are the Fanfilta, which makes cleaning of ceilings easy, and the Outdoor Air Cooler, which offers fresh, cooled air during outdoor functions.
You may deduce his success is due to extensive research and lab work, and he would be the first to acknowledge this. But it didn't come through conventional means.
"I was a typical schoolboy growing up in Klang in the 1960s. The name 'Bugs' came from friends. I had a simple childhood in Pulau Ketam, where I would invent a variety of games from things as simple as two sticks," recalls Tan.
"After Form Five, I worked at my father's company, which dealt in the trading of engine and machinery for the agriculture and construction industries. In 1994, I decided to strike out on my own in the same business."
But competition was tough and profit margins were too narrow for a trading business. "It was then that I decided to design and develop my own products to sell," says the keen observer and voracious reader of a wide range of subjects.
Together with his team, he developed the Multi-locking Pulley for clients. It is light and easy to maintain. Most importantly, it was well-received.
"I invent products based on market problems. You have to observe where the problem lies and create a solution," he points out.
"The Multi-locking Pulley kicked off my career as an inventor and I began to obtain grants from the government. To date, I have created 15 products, patented locally and abroad, and some have been commercialised."
Challenges were aplenty in his journey to become a respected inventor, but he wanted to continue contributing towards the country's goal of becoming a developed nation.
MAN ON A MISSION
With that in mind, Tan began to actively realise his goal. He became an innovation adviser.
Already a judge for the James Dyson Award, an international invention competition held in over 18 countries, Tan is also a celebrity judge for the Ideas Malaysia Inventor's Challenge, a reality TV show broadcast on TV3. He also lectures at a number of universities and institutions locally and abroad, on creativity and innovation.
His latest project is the Creative And Innovative Practicing Company programme, which is essentially a management tool that provides a step-by-step guide on how to harvest fresh ideas from company employees. These ideas are then fine-tuned into new products for the company to help it stay ahead of the competition and bring in additional revenues.
The six-month programme is suitable for SMIs and SMEs. It begins with the setting up of an internal Innovation Committee, right up to Innovation Policy and an indigenous tool to harvest ideas from the employees. An incentive and reward scheme is also in place to motivate and encourage employees to share their ideas with the management.
"Besides encouraging a creative thinking culture among employees, other measurements in the key performance index for this programme include identifying at least one creative talent in every 20 employees. This is designed to secure one workable idea for every 20 ideas submitted," explains Tan.
Then the company should be able to create at least two prototypes and carry out at least one successful proof of concept.
"Once the company has applied the programme's principles, it will enjoy a constant flow of new ideas. That's the objective of the programme, to see some of the new ideas turned into winning products and services that can drive the company to new heights," says Tan.
For budding inventors, Tan has set aside Saturday mornings to meet those who need his help. "I offer advice on the new ideas and projects that they have developed."
KIDS' PLAY
Apart from companies and students at the tertiary level, Tan aims to stir up creativity in another group - young kids, whom he has a soft spot for.
Coming up with innovative inventions requires creativity, and Tan says it's crucial this element is instilled at a young age.
His two daughters, Amanda, 17, and Amelia, 15, went through that learning. From as young as 7, the two girls had been challenged by their dad to observe their surroundings and come up with an invention once a week that would address the problems at home or in other places.
Amelia in particular, says Tan, often rose to the occasion. He has helped her build prototypes from the concept stage, such as a car toilet seat and a combo spoon that can be turned into chopsticks, spoon or fork according to need. The father-daughter team have won many awards for their inventions.
"I help kids build creative thinking skills through our projects in the workshops, where I teach them how to invent things. They will learn how to use recycle materials and build prototypes on the spot. It's fun and educational. These workshops are targeted at kids aged 7 to 15, an ideal age group as they do not feel inhibited to think out of the box," says Tan.
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| Mr Bugs at the I'm a Technopreneur Kid's Holiday Camp |
"They had so much fun, so did their parents, who were there to watch. I hope to hold more camps," says Tan with a sparkle in his eyes.
That's not all. He has a few educational and entertaining products designed to promote creative thinking among kids. He has also produced five invention workbooks and written six stories for kids.
"I've created 10 episodes of a one-minute animation called Young Inventor. It's targeted at kids aged 5 to 8. The main emphasis is on creativity, innovation and everyday problems and solutions. There's a new invention each episode.
"There's also a 30-minute pilot episode of an animation about a family of inventors. It's filled with adventure, is entertaining, educational and has good moral values. The family talk about inventions all the time," reveals Tan.
He adds: "I'm optimistic about the talents that our country has in terms of innovation and creativity, and I can vouch that government support for such endeavours is commendable. I think the private sector needs to do more on its part to invest in local technology so we can produce and take our very first invention of great impact to the world. If not, commercialisation will still be a challenge."
source from New Straits Times
