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Medeco raises the bar with residential locks

Medeco raises the bar with residential locks

SALEM, Va. - After years of focusing on the commercial lock market, Medeco has entered the residential market with expectations residential lock sales will surpass its commercial business in 10 years. The residential line launch follows the request of Medeco’s commercial lock customers, who often asked the company if it also offered locks for the residential market. “Until now, when you want to buy locks for your home, you took what your builder gave you or you went down to your mass merchant and asked your $7 an hour clerk what’s best,” said Joey Kingma, director of residential security for Medeco. These locks, he said, are sold through professional locksmiths. Company officials decided to add the residential line last year and launched its first suite of products later in the year. Medeco, which has been in business since 1968 and employs 400 people, is unveiling new additions to its residential lock line this summer, featuring styles such as mortise locks. What sets this line apart from other residential locking products is the quality of the lock, said Kingma. Most residential locks only offer an American National Standards Institute rating, which shows the physical strength of the lock. These locks are UL 437 rated, which means the key for the lock is patented and a corresponding blank key is not available at traditional key cutting stations, such as at a local hardware store. Noel Flynn, director of sales and marketing for Medeco, said he expects the new lock line and its higher ratings will raise awareness among residential lock buyers. “We believe when people do become educated, especially the upscale homeowner, they will turn that into action and put locks on their exterior doors that offer real security,” he said. Company officials believe this is the first offering of a high security lock for the residential market. Kingma said the company will focus on exterior doors, selling its locks through professional locksmiths, and leave interior door hardware to Yale, which is also an Assa Abloy company.

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