The "SAFE" Industry

Safes of many varieties and for many purposes have been manufactured in one form or another throughout the centuries. Today, these are produced for the financial, government, residential or retail, and commercial markets. The residential and retail markets primarily include jewelry safes, dual fire and burglary safes, burglary chest safes, gun safes, floor safes, wall safes, and vault doors. Sales to the Government often include burglary chest safes, gun safes, depository safes, GSA files and safes, and vault doors. And safes to the commercial and financial industries have burglary safes, fire safes, high security plate, high security composite, depository safes, floor safes, wall safes, under counter safes, bank equipment, custom safes and electronic locks.

Over the years the industry has grown to include many other related manufactured items: security boxes, lockers, bank cabinets, and strong rooms and doors, to name just a few. In addition, many of the safe manufacturing companies have branched off and are now into the electronic access control market, referred to as ELAC in the industry. These items include CCTV systems, turnkey access control systems, access aluminum doors and booths, interlocking systems and time delay panic exit devices.

Safes can also be Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (U.L.) Listed. This is a burglary rating classification. A TL-15 classification signifies a combination-locked safe designed to offer a limited degree of protection against attack by common mechanical and electrical hand tools and any combination of these means for a 15 minute time period. The same holds true for a TL-30 classification, except that it must meet the same standards but for a 30 minute time period and offer a moderate degree of protection.