If necessity is the mother of invention, then you will find in Eubiq (pronounced U-Bik) a somewhat revolutionary answer to the humble power point.

The brainchild of Sarawakian Yong Choon, 59, the founder and chairman of Singapore-based electrical manufacturer Eubiq Pte Ltd, and his chief designer, Ng Joo Kok, 32, the solution is quickly gaining acceptance on the international stage as a new and effective way to power up a home or office safely.

Yong says the name Eubiq was chosen to capture the full scope of what its product stands for.

“The ‘E’ represents electricity, energy and electronics,” he points out, “while ‘ubiq’ is an abbreviation of the word ‘ubiquitous’, drawing on the fact that the problems faced when we plug into today’s power points is a universal one.”

Designed and assembled in Singapore, Yong recounts how he saw the need for a new power output system to overcome issues such as the lack of electrical sockets in a particular part of a room as well as unsightly tangles caused by power cords.

Inspired by the trendy track lighting systems found in art galleries and hotels, his solution was a system that allows for power to be tapped into at any point along a track.

He subsequently roped in the talents of industrial designer Ng to transform the idea into workable design.

Ng recalls: “It was five years ago when we embarked on this project to design a new electrical outlet system, which we hope will be a universal platform for the world.

“Since we launched the product a year ago, we have patented it as a safe system for power delivery.”

He explains that “the product has been tested in Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom and Singapore, and has been approved for use in most parts of the world”.

“We are currently doing a UL (Underwriter Laboratory) test for the UK market.”

With an Eubiq running through a house or office, Ng says occupants can have access to electrical power wherever they want simply by plugging an adaptor or socket into the track.

Besides revolutionising the conventional electrical supply system, it has also been rated as one of the safest power systems in the world.

“The track and its components can’t burn because they have been treated with a compound that self-extinguishes fires,” says Ng, adding that the Ground Sentry Shutter and Sentry Spring Shutter patented technology aids in preventing electric shocks.

“Parents needn’t worry if their child inserts a finger into a live track as they will not be able to touch the live wire,” he says.

“Eubiq has also passed the German 1mm Probe.

“You can poke a metal wire of this diameter at any angle into the track but it won’t come into contact with the live wire.”

Chua Sui Hau of Exaltech Sdn Bhd, the sole Malaysian distributor of Eubiq, says the main selling point of the system is its “freedom to add power points anywhere, and its safety”.

“The child-safe feature has made it a hit in the residential market,” he says, adding that the track can be easily installed as a Do-It-Yourself kit.

“At home, it is suitable for use in kitchens, studies, living rooms and music rooms, while in commercial premises, it has found purpose in test labs, open-plan offices, server rooms, showrooms and display counters.

“Eubiq can also be used in hospitals as it has been designed with dust protection in mind.”

To date, the system has found its way into luxury apartments and homes as well as industrial projects in Malaysia, Singapore, India, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, the Middle East, the Scandic region, United Kingdom and Germany.

Eubiq’s Ng says the future of the system is bright as there are studies showing that urbanites and white collar executives require more power points in today’s electronic world.

“With the advent of PDAs, mobile phones and MP3 players, it has been estimated that each one of us need between eight and 10 power points at any given time,” he says.

“Therefore, a home with a household of four would need about 40 points, but this is something many developers haven’t considered when building their units.”

“With Eubiq, though, there’s no need to hack walls to add more points … occupants just need to add on tracks and buy our proprietary sockets, plugs or adaptors to access power where they want it.

“It also means architects needn’t have to imagine and decide where future occupants want to have their power points!”

- Property Times 18 February 2006 issue -

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