Meet Mr. Bugs Tan, the Master Inventor

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.

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.

Mr Bugs at the I'm a Technopreneur Kid's Holiday Camp

In the last school holidays, Tan did a successful series of creativity and innovation camps for kids called I'm A Technopreneur. It was held in locations such as the National Science Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Sibu. The kids had to form a company and conceptualise a novel product. Then they had to build it using materials available, bought using play money. They also had to pitch their ideas to their peers and Tan.

"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

Congratulations Bluesignage for the Launching of BlueICE!

Bluesignage Sdn. Bhd., one of our incubatees in IIC has successfully launched BlueICE last Thursday. Thanks to Bluesignage, their partner Konsortium Transnasional Berhad (KTB) and great team in TPM, the event was a roaring success!

Our hall in Resource Centre was filled to the brim and there was massive coverage in major newspapers on Friday. We could not have been more proud of Mr Por and his team.

Congratulations from us in IIC!



Newspaper clipping from Berita Harian, Ekonomi section on Friday, 13th January 2012
From left: YM Tengku Hasmadi, MD KTB, Mr Por Yew Guan, MD of Bluesignage and Y.Bhg. Dato Hj Mohd Azman, CEO / President of Technology Park Malaysia

Other coverage:

Tech Central

Bernama

Business Times

Kosmo

Harian Metro

The Sun Daily

Malaysian Digest

Utusan Harian

My LaunchPad

Sjiehan.com

Five Worst Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Pitching Angel Investors

 By Jason Fell 

An effective elevator pitch can be crucial for entrepreneurs trying to secure funding from angel investors. The goal of the pitch -- written or delivered face-to-face -- is to briefly share the "who, what, where, when, why and how" of your business, while piquing an investor's interest. The tricky part is cramming all of that into one explanation that, hypothetically, should be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride.

"The pitch has to grab me quickly," says Paul Silva, manager of Springfield, Mass.-based angel group River Valley Investors. "For instance, with written pitch applications, we read the first few sentences and then toss half to two thirds of them away."

The best pitches, he says, describe the market the business is in, explain what problem it solves and demonstrate a track record. The worst ones fail for countless reasons.

Here are five of the worst elevator-pitch mistakes entrepreneurs make -- and how to avoid them.

Mistake No. 1: You don't explain what problem your business solves.
Some entrepreneurs spend too much time talking about how his or her product or service works and not enough time explaining what problem it solves, says William C. De Temple, founder of investor group Maximize Angel Investments Orlando Inc. "People buy solutions to problems," he says. "Don't tell me about how your lawn fertilizer works. Tell me about my lawn."

The Fix: Share why customers will buy your product or service.
"If you don't understand or can't explain what problem you're solving and why customers want to give you money, then we're probably never going to want to invest in your company," says Kyle Harris, a managing director at New York City-based angel fund Liquidity Works. Harris poses three questions to startups that you should be able to answer in your business: Who's your best customer? How much money do they make from buying your product? And, how much money will you make from selling it?


Mistake No. 2: You offer too many facts and numbers.
Entrepreneurs often use statistics to help explain their business. While some figures -- such as your sales and revenue -- are important to establish a track record, don't go overboard, Silva warns. Leave out the "step-by-step numerical proof of your market size," he says. "Be compelling. Save the reams of facts for later."

The Fix: Tell a story.
To capture an investor's full attention, explain your business by telling a story. Silva suggests using personal examples about how your service or product has solved a problem in your own life. Or, put the investor into your story. "If you're selling a product for people who are blind, don't start off talking about the difficulties blind people face. Instead, say something like, 'Imagine if you or a loved one were to go blind tomorrow…'" Silva says.

Mistake No. 3: You tout sales forecasts.
Early-stage sales projections often don't carry weight with investors because they aren't supported by actual sales history, De Temple says. As businesses grow, revenue streams, prices and even entire markets can change, rendering preliminary forecasts useless.

The Fix: Focus on the benefit your business offers customers.
To help make up for the fact that you might not have a long sales record, De Temple says, it’s better to explain the benefits the business will provide customers and how the company is different from the competition.
"Answering services companies have been around for centuries, but if yours, for example, uses technology to deliver messages immediately without the client having to call in and pick up messages, that solves a problem and has potential to create excellent revenue and profit," he says. "That's what's attractive to investors."



Mistake No. 4: You're too attached to your business plan.
For some investors, it's a red flag when entrepreneurs aren't willing to work outside the protocol outlined in their business plans, Harris says. "Say for instance you have a device that monitors electricity and, according to your business plan, you sell that device to customers for a fixed price," he says. "But when a customer wants to lease the device instead of owning it, and you tell them you can't do that, that might be a problem for an investor."
 
The Fix: Embrace new revenue opportunities.
If there's a new way to consider packaging or selling a service, a "true entrepreneur," Harris says, will seize the opportunity to make money. "Being flexible and willing to accommodate customers when they want your service in a slightly different way than you already offer is good," he says. "The goal should be to make your product as sellable as possible."


Mistake No. 5: You discuss ownership stakes.
While it might seem natural to explain how much ownership you're willing to offer investors, don't do it in the initial pitch, warns Silva. "It is like the sticker price on a car," he says. "If it's too high, you don't even talk to the salesman. You just walk off the lot."

The Fix: Save it for the follow-up.
Details about who gets what after an investment generally come up after an investor has finished researching your company. If an investor asks about ownership terms early on, Silva recommends you simply say you're "flexible." "Remember, your goal in the pitch is to build a relationship with the investor," he says. "Get them to fall in love with your idea."

Source: Entrepreneur