We can only wonder if Thomas Edison is clapping in his grave--in case

he's heard about what Filipino inventor Eric G. Ngo and his partners did

to lighting technology.

Ngo did not re-invent the lightbulb, but he did upgrade conventional

lighting system technology to the needs of the 21st century. For this

accomplishment, he was awarded the Gold Medal for Outstanding Invention

by the United Nations-World Intellectual Property Organization in 2006.

Ngo is among four Filipino inventors--all of them WIPO winners--being

honored in an ongoing exhibit (until the end of July) at the

International Property Office along Buendia Avenue in Makati City. The

exhibit seeks not only to showcase the brilliance, creativity and

resourcefulness of the Filipino Inventor but also to underscore the

economic and social importance of Intellectual Property.

Present day lighting technology began in the late 19th century with

Thomas Edison, Nikolai Tesla and some other less well-known inventors.

Edison was granted a patent for his incandescent lightbulb in 1880 while

experiments on fluorescent light began as early as the 1850s.

History shows that with Edison's success with the incandescent bulb, it

became the first commercially viable electric light giving it a

headstart on fluorescent lighting. It was only in 1939 when, after much

legal wrangling among patent-holders, General Electric finally acquired

its patent for fluorescent lighting.

With GE in the picture, fluorescent lighting was set to become the

dominant and most preferred electric light source for much of the 20th

century.

Essentially, what is the difference between an incandescent bulb and a

fluorescent lamp?

An incandescent bulb lights up when electricity heats up the filament

inside a bulb. The filament resists the heat being applied to it by an

electric current. This resistance causes the filament to glow and emit

light.

Fluorescent light on the other hand is created using a mix of gasses

that react to the electrons being generated by electrodes at the ends of

the fluorescent lamp. These gasses are trapped inside the fluorescent

tube and emit light when electrons travel through the gasses.

Basically, the fluorescent lighting system has two components: the lamp,

the starter and the ballast. The starter, as its name suggests, creates

the initial spark to electrify the cathodes of the fluorescent lamp.

The cathodes release electrons that collide with the atoms of the

gasses. Once the electrons and atoms collide, ions are created. This

ionization process causes the gasses to emit ultra-violet light

UV light, however, is invisible. To make UV light visible, it is first

absorbed by the fluorescent coating (made of various metallic and

phosphor salts) inside the lamp and re-radiated into visible light. This

visible light is what fills the home, room, office or any other

structural interior where the fluorescent lamp is used.

The ballast on the other hand regulates the electric current flowing

through the tube and provides enough voltage to start the lamp.

In 1999, Ngo and his partner (who remains unnamed throughout the

interview-Ngo says his invention is too complex for just one person

to invent, and admits that he has other people helping him) began

tinkering with the conventional lighting system used in homes, offices

and factories.

Ngo and his partners' goal were to create a lighting system that

saves on power consumption and, consequently, also saves on cost. The

very first device they were able to invent was a high-tech starter. This

starter, amazingly, is able to light up even a busted fluorescent lamp.

"When we were able to create a system were we could light up even a

busted fluorescent lamp-even with one or two pins busted-I knew

we were on to something," he said.

Look at the ends of your fluorescent lamp (no, not right now, get back

here) and you will notice two pins at each end. In conventional lighting

systems, these pairs of pins are attached to the slots at the ends of

the lamp's housing. When the circuit is complete, electricity will

flow and the lamp will light up.

A fluorescent lamp gets busted or fails to light up even if just one pin burns out due to overheating or some other damage. Using Ngo's invention, however, even if one pin at one end gets busted, or one pin at each end is busted, the fluorescent lamp still lights up.

"People don't realize it but usually, conventional lighting systems only use up 30% of a fluorescent lamp's capacity. Can you imagine? When your fluorescent light gets busted, you've only used 30% of it. The remaining 70% gets thrown away along with the busted lamp.

"That's like paying 100 hundred pesos but getting back only 30 pesos' worth of your money. With our system, you get to use up 100% of the lamp's capacity. Usually, a new fluorescent lamp lasts for several, say about nine, months.

"With our system, these new fluorescent lamps will last from 5-7 years depending on the quality of the lamps.

"Using our system you can even use old lamps, and re-use even the `busted' ones. Old lamps and those with one or two pins busted can still last up to three years using our system," Ngo explained.

Sounds incredible? It does, until you watch Ngo demonstrate his product, like he did during the IPO exhibit's opening night. Ngo was able to light busted lamps and even new lamps with only two out of four pins attached.

Ngo added that the Nutec system is also environment- friendly, since it results in less fluorescent lamp replacements and therefore, less waste. The gasses inside a fluorescent lamp are also potentially toxic if the lamp is not properly disposed of.

Since the Nutec system uses up 100 percent of a fluorescent lamp's capacity, most of the gasses are also used up, leaving very little toxic materials behind.

MARKETING CHALLENGE

Ngo and his partners weren't into re-inventing lighting technology simply as a hobby, however. Like General Electric almost a century before, they realized the potential revenue that their invention could generate. So they set about forming their own company, New World Technology, Inc., to manufacture, distribute and market their invention. They also put a brand name to their inventions: Nutec. The first product was the Nutec starter and was followed by the Nutec ballast.

Today, the Nutec System, composed of high-tech starter and ballast, is available at a purchase price of 600 pesos--that' s a huge amount compared to the price of an ordinary ballast and starter, that you can pick up at the hardware store for about a hundred pesos.

Still, Ngo maintains that higher initial purchase price pays off in the long term. He said that if you compute how much you save in the five years that you did not buy new fluorescent lamps and the savings in your electric bill, you will realize that in only six months, you've already recovered the amount you paid for the Nutec starter.

At the same time that Ngo was able to complete the first version of his invention, he began selling it. It was a failure, however, when it came to attracting consumers.

"I put up a stall at the mall and hired a sales person to do demonstrations and sell the product. In three months I was only able to sell two units. Can you imagine that? Only two units in three months. And I was paying my sales person 300 pesos a day! So it was a losing venture to try to sell to consumers," he said.

Ngo explained that when it comes to introducing a new product in the market, especially a market dominated by gargantuan multi-nationals like General Electric and Philips, having a new, high-tech, quality product that actually performs as promised is not enough.

"In short, people simply didn't know anything about Nutec. If you're a consumer and you see Nutec, Phillips and General Electric on the shelves, which one would you pick? Most likely you would pick a brand you already know. The brand you are most familiar with is most likely the brand that you will trust.

"So what if my product is better? The ordinary consumer doesn't really care about the technical stuff, about the technological breakthroughs inside Nutec--all he or she cares about is for the lamp to turn on and off. When the lamp works, the consumer will buy it," said Ngo.

This is why Ngo steered away from consumers and began talking to people with a more technical background, who would understand what a revolutionary, cost-effective and environment- friendly product Nutec is.

He started with architects.

"I talked to architects, explained to them the technical stuff and told them about the benefits of using Nutec over conventional and traditional lighting systems. When I convinced them, they made their own recommendations to their clients. That way, Nutec was able to get some sales," said Ngo.

The Filipino inventor didn't stop there. He also began talking to

consultants of various companies, for them to recommend Nutec to their

principals. Results in this approach were mixed.

"It's nice to talk to consultants because they're the ones with the

technical expertise. When we make a presentation, they understand what

we did with the technology, they can study our documentation and see for

themselves that the claims we're making are true," said Ngo.

On the downside, once a consultant is either unconvinced, too busy to

study Nutec or biased toward another bidder, Ngo said the prospect of a

sale becomes remote.

"One consultant asked for copies of our technical papers and product

samples for a six-month test. After six months I came back and he was

never able to try the product, not even once. He was too busy.

"It's also understandable why some consultants would decline

recommending Nutec simply because it's a new product. After all, there's

some risk involved in making a recommendation. When a consultant makes a

recommendation for a product and the product fails, it's the

consultant's job at stake--he'll get fired.

"After all, whether he recommends an old or new product, a consultant

will still get his monthly pay. So it's better for him to be

conservative and stay on the safe side," said Ngo.

Ngo also pointed out another cultural peculiarity in Philippine society

that makes introducing a new brand difficult--he calls these "gray

areas."

"When we make a presentation to a foreign consultant or to a foreign

company, everything is in black-and-white. We make a presentation and

submit our technical documentation. Once the foreigners assess our

product, read our documentation and see how rational, logical, technical

and scientifically sound it is, they approve it.

'In the Philippines, your rational and logical presentation is useless

when you get into 'gray areas'. What are these 'gray areas'? You have

consultants who, for one reason or another, want to favor another

bidder. You have bidders making use of family connections or connections

through friends or kumpares. That' s why the Philippines is a very

challenging market. If you sell successfully here, you can sell

anywhere," said Ngo.

Three years into perfecting and selling Nutec, Ngo and his partners ran

into product technical glitches that all but shut down their business.

The technical problems that began appearing on their products were

serious enough for Ngo and his partners to stop selling Nutec--until,

that is, they could find a way to further improve the products and

eliminate the problems.

It took Ngo and his partners six months to fix the problems. By then

however, the buyers who had been left unsatisfied by the technical

glitches were understandably less enthusiastic about Nutec.

Ngo took the challenge in perspective and he and his team are now

starting over with an upgraded system and with a plan to change their

approach in marketing and re-introducing Nutec.

From July 7-11, Nutec will be showcased in the ASEAN Science and

Technology Fair at the World Trade Center in Pasay City as part of the

effort to focus attention on its improved and upgraded system.

Today, Nutec has returned with upgrades to make sure previous technical

glitches do not occur again. Apart from a Nutec starter, there is

already a Nutec ballast. Ngo's company, New World Technologies, Inc.,

also makes its own fluorescent lamps, pin lights and lamp housings and

fixtures.

Ngo said that the Nutec lighting system consumes 50% less electricity

compared to a conventional or traditional one. The Nutec starter and

Nutec ballast also work together to create quick start for fluorescent

lamps and also correct power fluctuations.

All purchases of Nutec products also come with a two-year warranty on

the Nutec system (starter and ballast). The upgraded Nutec system is

also safer compared to the older version and compared to a conventional

lighting system.

This is because the Nutec system comes with its own fuse--so in case of

power surges, the fuse is there to cut off power automatically and

prevent electrical fires.

Ngo and his partners continue to conduct research on their patented

lighting system technology. To this end, they are also making

arrangements to have the Nutec system tested in laboratories in the

United States in order to pass US product standards.

Ngo also mentioned that his company already sent samples of the Nutec

System to potential buyers in South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia,

Bangladesh, and they are also targeting other markets abroad.

To offices, corporations and factories--which all have huge lighting

requirements, with thousands of lamps and bulbs being used and replaced,

and with a correspondingly massive monthly electric bill--the Nutec System just might be a viable option.

The unfolding story of Nutec is a testament not only to Filipino ingenuity but also gives valuable lessons to all Filipino inventors; lessons in the importance of not simply inventing a product but in making sure one applies and gets a patent; having trustworthy partners; and making the effort market and sell an invention, so that it reaches and benefits the most number of people.