Kalispell locksmith blends old and new technology

As Anytime Lock and Safe owner Dan Schmauch knows, the commercial security industry today straddles old-school techniques and the progress of new technology.

Today’s safes and locks are right on par with the locking-technology found in a car, with some specializations extending beyond that. Safes are now capable of texting the user when its sensors can feel the safe being moved or rumbled around; they can transmit messages from the last key used to the next key to be plugged into the lock and keys can actually be set to work only during certain times of day.

Welcome to the world of safe-and-lock security, where Dan Schmauch, the owner of Anytime Lock and Safe, sees the industry carrying the early technologies of traditional lock cylinders, while simultaneously implementing the features of today’s advancements.

“Locksmithing is interesting. It’s hands-on and it’s old-school,” Schmauch said. “I’d say it’s one of the only ‘smiths’ left.”

In fact, Schmauch said his great “Uncle Jimmy” Schmauch was once a blacksmith working out of the old blacksmith building in Kalispell that today houses the Desoto Grill.

Anytime Lock and Safe began in the 1950s as Fletcher’s Key Shop and changed hands several times over the next couple of decades. Eventually an owner who focused on firearms added safes to the store’s product line.

Schmauch and his wife Kathy purchased the lock and safe company in December and have quickly built up its inventory and reputation with traditional and new age products. Schmauch, a former employee of Semitool and Applied Materials, said his technical background has helped solve the mystery of technology and applications of new safes.

“The locksmithing we’re doing today and the industry we’re in is getting a lot more high-tech and electronic,” he said.

Schmauch said today’s spectrum of available products essentially means that different customers can have a more specific security system to fit their needs. A short-term rental owner, he said, would need a different lock system than a long-term rental owner, or a mom-and-pop style motel, or even a large chain hotel.

But, Schmauch said, most safes and security systems still have a traditional safety net in case batteries go dead or electronics get fried.

“Even at the core of stuff you still have the lock cylinder,” he said. “The old stuff doesn’t go away.”

Anytime Lock and Safe is currently working on projects throughout the Flathead Valley, but also extends its work around the region. Schmauch said the company has done business in an area that stretches to the Idaho and Canadian borders, from East Glacier down toward the Missoula area.

Schmauch said part of the reason why Anytime’s service area is so large is because the locksmith industry is a shrinking one, with several older locksmiths approaching retirement and few younger smiths approaching the business. Automation and the ever-present technology factor is another reason for the fallout.

“There’s a lot of locksmiths in Eastern Montana retiring,” he said. “Home stores are only doing basic stuff and what used to require manpower is automated now. But that [automation] increases the skill level. It’s a skilled industry.”

Anytime Lock and Safe now has five full-time employees and a few part-time workers. Schmauch said keeping his employees trained is part of his business plan to maintain a robust business.

“There’s a lot of new and creative products in this industry of security and protecting people,” he said. “Our goal is to get better and making things available and effective for more people out there.”