The light runs for three days on less than 1p

An innovative multifunctional emergency light is about to go on sale following a meeting at the Spring 2007 Hong Kong Electronics Fair between a UK inventor and leading household appliances company Home-tek International Limited.

The new Safe-T-Light is the brain child of Chris Haines who appeared on the BBC tv programme Dragon's Den to secure funding to get the product on the market.

In April last year he attended the Hong Kong Electronics Fair where he met Home-tek managing director Jamie Lennox and agreed a deal for the exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute the nightlight and torch.

The Safe-T-Light, which plugs into a 13 amp socket, has a rechargeable LED torch that switches on automatically if the electricity fails at the night. During a power cut the light automatically switches to its internal rechargeable battery and provides emergency lighting for up to 20 hours. The light can be removed and used as an emergency torch. In everyday use the Safe-T-Light provided non intrusive lighting during darkness, and can be used as a child's nightlight. The Safe-T-Light remains plugged into a socket but has itself got a built in socket so other electrical devices can still plug in.

The device is particularly useful for small businesses, hotels, children's nurseries and residential homes since fire safety regulations require emergency lighting.
Jamie Lennox says that initially he was not sure about the product because it was outside Home-tek's usual product range of small domestic appliances.

"However, I also had my two commercial executives with me - Frank Fox and Robin Sawyer - so I asked them to take a look at the product and let me know what they thought. They both returned to tell me to get hold of the product at "all costs" as it was a sure-fire winner!

"My pitch to Chris was very simple - I suggested that he was an inventor who was trying to be a sales and marketing man and that he should concentrate on inventing whilst letting Home-tek do what we're good at - launching, selling and marketing innovative electrical products.

"It was a very easy meeting as Chris and I had a good understanding of what we both wanted and we also had an instant rapport. I then introduced Chris to my Hong Kong business partner - Oscar Chow - so that we could discuss how to tool and manufacture the product in our factory based in Zhongshan.

"The tooling was finished in record time (35 days) and the product is now about to be launched and sold in the UK. A European version will be launched within the next few months and we intend to make this a worldwide product."

Home-tek International Ltd is a subsidiary of Yasuda International Limited which is based in Hong Kong with extensive manufacturing facilities in the Chinese mainland's Pearl River Delta.