XPC by Home-Fix

Learn, make, design

19 Tai Seng AvenueHome-Fix Building #05-01Singapore 534054

Makerspace Coworking space

Space size 20000 m²

Opened in May 2014

Structure type Private company

Explored in July 2017


XPC welcomes makers, tinkerers, hackers and inventors who seek a deeper interest on enriching their skill sets and introducing innovation in Craft, Design & Technology.

Contact

Social networks

Main interests

Community Entrepreneurship Furniture & house Education Design Clothing & accessories Jewellery

This workshop is great for:

Entrepreneurs General public Students Craftsmen Large companies

The closest workshops nearby are:

Interview & guided tour

Meet someone from the team & discover the space by yourself!

Our workshop

Learn more about our space, members, machines & services!

In Singapore, land is scarce: most of Singaporeans don’t have a space, a garage to create, to make. When Mr. Low, Director of Home-Fix, a Singaporean retail company, found out the potential of the maker movement, he decided to play a part to foster that latter.

That’s how 5 years back, he kickstarted XPC as a small department of Home-Fix. His objective? To create different experiences for their customers in their DIY spaces.

According to Mr. Low, in a more and more collaborative economy, there’s no need any more to buy equipment, material or tools to make. Sharing is the key.

Thanks to XPC, makers, tinkerers, inventors and hackers from Singapore can enrich their skill sets through a variety of technology and manual workshops and access a co-working space and cutting-edge machines.

If you step in XPC, you’ll see all sorts of makers specialized in furniture refurbishment, musical instruments creation, DIY kits development or surfboard making.

If you categorize XPC’s users, you’ll find:

  • 60% of enthusiasts and professional craftsmen. Enthusiasts are mingled into the community and enhance their skillset by working on new projects. Professionals work full-time at XPC and use the space and the equipment to run their own business.

  • 30% are hobbyists who use the space on their spare time to develop their project,

  • And 10% are new users who want to start their maker journey by learning how to use the machines through trainings and workshops.

As a corporate makerspace, all Home-Fix employees are free to enter the lab and use it freely. Some work projects can even be led at XPC.

Word-of-mouth is the main communication channel. Thereby, monthly, 50 people step in the lab to use the machines and 80 makers participate to workshops and trainings.

The retention ratio ranges from 20 to 30%. According to Lev, Singaporeans lack of time and as XPC doesn’t operate after 6.30 pm during the week nor on Sunday, it can be a hindrance for the general public.

Most of the Singaporeans come at XPC for woodworking, creation of items for their homes (wardrobes, picture frames, …), and electronics, development of basic prototypes.

Enthusiasts and professionals are most commonly invested in XPC’s day-to-day life. As it’s almost their second home, they take initiatives to maintain and improve the space, teach freely new users if they feel they need help or animate some workshops.

Started 5 years ago as one of Home-Fix’s department, XPC has to deliver monthly financial reports.

For the 1st two years, the model was based on membership and workshops which wasn’t profitable enough.

Then, step by step, they enriched their offer. First with the co-working space, then with learning journeys for corporates and schools, makerspace consultancy, events, storage, DIY kit and wood material retail and a wider diversity of workshops.

Today, 60% of XPC’s revenues come from workshops, 20% from DIY kits retail, 16% from co-working space and 4% from the rest of it.

The main cost come from rental, salaries and utilities.

In the future, XPC plans to broaden its community and get a more sustainable model. To do so, first, the corporate makerspace aims to focus on trainings and products sale (microcontrollers, …). Then, to reach out to communities in Singapore, XPC wants to target more than 100 out of the 150 existing community centers in Singapore by the end of the year. They’ve already provided makerspace consultancy to 60 of them.

Monthly, XPC’s team assesses key figures such as the number of workshops and learning journeys provided, of products sold and the outreach.

Currently, 11 people work full-time at XPC:

• The Director,

• 2 business people in charge of partnerships with corporates, schools and governmental agencies,

• 2 product designers,

• 1 course manager coordinates events and workshops,

• 1 engineer is in charge of the electronics and IT support,

• 2 technical instructors run workshops, prototype and prepare materials,

• 2 teachers manage the curriculum.

A 25-person external team punctually facilitates and train users during workshops and training according to XPC’s needs. It can be enthusiasts or professionals for making workshops or students and previous interns for electronics classes.

Several times a month, XPC offers 6 sorts of ½-day-workshops:

  1. Skills training for general public

  2. DIY workshops for general public (woodworking, glass, metal, …)

  3. Home maintenance workshops to develop skills to take care of the home

  4. Learning journeys to share with companies and schools what is a makerspace

  5. Electronics workshops dedicated to teachers and students contracted by the government and schools

  6. Teambuilding, craft or skill-building workshops dedicated to corporates, including Home-Fix employees. Some trainings are mandatory for those latter.

To develop the community, monthly social gatherings occur at XPC.

XPC set up several partnerships with schools, government and companies. For instance, Star Hub provides free Internet in exchange of a free access to XPC’s facilities and prototyping machines.

Moreover, XPC offers makerspace consultancy services to corporates, schools and community centers.

Currently, XPC has no resource to spend on the documentation. Most of what’s documented deals with workshops (materials required, resources needed, requirement to produce the project) and machine maintenance and use. Everything is shared internally on Google Drive by the course manager.

To enrich trainings and workshops, XPC’s team reads external documentation via Instructables or Make Magazine.

Once in a while, if a maker develops a product that could be interesting to launch into the market, he will be redirected to the retail department to sell his product in Home-Fix’s stores.

That’s what happened for a XPC’s user who had created a backpack for any situation.

In Singapore, land is scarce: most of Singaporeans don’t have a space, a garage to create, to make. When Mr. Low, Director of Home-Fix, a Singaporean retail company, found out the potential of the maker movement, he decided to play a part to foster that latter.

That’s how 5 years back, he kickstarted XPC as a small department of Home-Fix. His objective? To create different experiences for their customers in their DIY spaces.

According to Mr. Low, in a more and more collaborative economy, there’s no need any more to buy equipment, material or tools to make. Sharing is the key.

Thanks to XPC, makers, tinkerers, inventors and hackers from Singapore can enrich their skill sets through a variety of technology and manual workshops and access a co-working space and cutting-edge machines.

If you step in XPC, you’ll see all sorts of makers specialized in furniture refurbishment, musical instruments creation, DIY kits development or surfboard making.

If you categorize XPC’s users, you’ll find:

  • 60% of enthusiasts and professional craftsmen. Enthusiasts are mingled into the community and enhance their skillset by working on new projects. Professionals work full-time at XPC and use the space and the equipment to run their own business.

  • 30% are hobbyists who use the space on their spare time to develop their project,

  • And 10% are new users who want to start their maker journey by learning how to use the machines through trainings and workshops.

As a corporate makerspace, all Home-Fix employees are free to enter the lab and use it freely. Some work projects can even be led at XPC.

Word-of-mouth is the main communication channel. Thereby, monthly, 50 people step in the lab to use the machines and 80 makers participate to workshops and trainings.

The retention ratio ranges from 20 to 30%. According to Lev, Singaporeans lack of time and as XPC doesn’t operate after 6.30 pm during the week nor on Sunday, it can be a hindrance for the general public.

Most of the Singaporeans come at XPC for woodworking, creation of items for their homes (wardrobes, picture frames, …), and electronics, development of basic prototypes.

Enthusiasts and professionals are most commonly invested in XPC’s day-to-day life. As it’s almost their second home, they take initiatives to maintain and improve the space, teach freely new users if they feel they need help or animate some workshops.

Started 5 years ago as one of Home-Fix’s department, XPC has to deliver monthly financial reports.

For the 1st two years, the model was based on membership and workshops which wasn’t profitable enough.

Then, step by step, they enriched their offer. First with the co-working space, then with learning journeys for corporates and schools, makerspace consultancy, events, storage, DIY kit and wood material retail and a wider diversity of workshops.

Today, 60% of XPC’s revenues come from workshops, 20% from DIY kits retail, 16% from co-working space and 4% from the rest of it.

The main cost come from rental, salaries and utilities.

In the future, XPC plans to broaden its community and get a more sustainable model. To do so, first, the corporate makerspace aims to focus on trainings and products sale (microcontrollers, …). Then, to reach out to communities in Singapore, XPC wants to target more than 100 out of the 150 existing community centers in Singapore by the end of the year. They’ve already provided makerspace consultancy to 60 of them.

Monthly, XPC’s team assesses key figures such as the number of workshops and learning journeys provided, of products sold and the outreach.

Currently, 11 people work full-time at XPC:

• The Director,

• 2 business people in charge of partnerships with corporates, schools and governmental agencies,

• 2 product designers,

• 1 course manager coordinates events and workshops,

• 1 engineer is in charge of the electronics and IT support,

• 2 technical instructors run workshops, prototype and prepare materials,

• 2 teachers manage the curriculum.

A 25-person external team punctually facilitates and train users during workshops and training according to XPC’s needs. It can be enthusiasts or professionals for making workshops or students and previous interns for electronics classes.

Several times a month, XPC offers 6 sorts of ½-day-workshops:

  1. Skills training for general public

  2. DIY workshops for general public (woodworking, glass, metal, …)

  3. Home maintenance workshops to develop skills to take care of the home

  4. Learning journeys to share with companies and schools what is a makerspace

  5. Electronics workshops dedicated to teachers and students contracted by the government and schools

  6. Teambuilding, craft or skill-building workshops dedicated to corporates, including Home-Fix employees. Some trainings are mandatory for those latter.

To develop the community, monthly social gatherings occur at XPC.

XPC set up several partnerships with schools, government and companies. For instance, Star Hub provides free Internet in exchange of a free access to XPC’s facilities and prototyping machines.

Moreover, XPC offers makerspace consultancy services to corporates, schools and community centers.

Currently, XPC has no resource to spend on the documentation. Most of what’s documented deals with workshops (materials required, resources needed, requirement to produce the project) and machine maintenance and use. Everything is shared internally on Google Drive by the course manager.

To enrich trainings and workshops, XPC’s team reads external documentation via Instructables or Make Magazine.

Once in a while, if a maker develops a product that could be interesting to launch into the market, he will be redirected to the retail department to sell his product in Home-Fix’s stores.

That’s what happened for a XPC’s user who had created a backpack for any situation.

Technologies & processes available

3D printing CNC milling Electronics Wood working tools Traditional tools

Services offered

Coaching & project mentoring Workshop memberships Classes & workshops Coworking space Makers e-shop Storing facilities

Our best practices

The inspiring things we do here to run our collaborative space

Expansion of the maker movement through community centers

What is it?

XPC provides makerspace consultancy to help community centers to develop their own one in Singapore.

In concrete terms?

One of XPC’s purpose is to expand the maker movement in Singapore. To do so, the team aims to reach out to communities in the country. The corporate lab has already worked with 60 out of the 150 community centers of Singapore to help them to develop their own makerspace. Their target for 2017 is to work with 100 of them.

Why it’s interesting?

Community centers in Singapore aim to gather several communities from different religions, different nationalities, from different customs, around one or several hobbies, activities, topics. Developing makerspaces inside community centers is an excellent way to expand the maker movement and to target a wide variety of people.


Compulsory trainings at XPC for Home-Fix employees

What is it?

Home-Fix employees have compulsory trainings in their corporate lab, XPC.

In concrete terms?

As Home-Fix still remains a traditional company, employees aren’t always encouraged to discover their corporate lab and the new tools and methodologies it provides.

To foster innovation, creativity and curiosity, Home-Fix management decided then to set up compulsory trainings for its employees inside XPC.

Why it’s interesting?

The creation of makerspaces by corporate is still new. It illustrates the willingness of Home-Fix to go further on the innovation and customer experience path. By integrating its employees in the maker movement, Home-Fix aims to broaden their skillset and their capacity to innovate.


Our makers projects

Get inspired by the DIY projects of our team & members

Design hand-made rings

Handmade rings made by a young guy located in the Little Red Dot! Every piece made is unique, hence one of a kind. Have a custom design that you would like to bring to life? Let me know!


Woodworking and furniture refurbishment

What’s the project’s story?

Sulaiman does woodworking since he is a child. For the last 6 years, he decided to retire and dedicate his time to it.

Full-time woodworker at XPC for 4 years, the maker builds different kinds of woodworks (canoe, tables, closets, …) and refurbishes furniture for a Singaporean company.

How do they interact with the workshop?

At XPC, Sulaiman has his own space in the lab and can use the different machines: drills, workbench, and more!

What’s next?

Sulaiman’s next challenge is to start boat building!


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