Locksmith Ledger contained an editorial decades ago which listed many job procedures long-gone in the past. Locksmiths in the early twentieth century depended on hand tools, experience and inherited skillful craftsmanship at a time before accurate machines and tools were available to simplify procedures.
During the latter part of the twentieth century standardization of lock sizes, increased accuracy in manufacturing and a decrease in the amount of lock manufacturers in business all helped to simplify almost every job procedure. Years from 1970 to 2000 may be looked back on as a very profitable period for locksmiths as tools, products and information became available to replace some of the artisanship once requiredm resulting in locksmithing becoming more of a business and less of a craft.
While many other business occupations may have remained relatively unchanged over the years our locksmith profession has continued to evolve. Occupation examples such as electricians and carpenters may have newer materials to work with but basic tasks of running wire or nailing boards are procedures which have withstood the passage of time.
While other occupations remain static, our security industry is changing before our very eyes. Completely new procedures and tools are required for vehicle key fitting. The public is requesting audit trails and lock operation according to date and time. These procedures and others such as progression, impressioning, masterkeying and key duplication have much less importance when more and more security products depend on electronics instead of pins and springs.
As we enter a new year, one suggested resolution is to take the opportunity to learn as much as possible about where this industry is headed. Every locksmith convention offers some types of classes covering the new fabric of security. Hardware installations of mechanical products will continue to be a major job description for locksmiths but important, good paying jobs will include some type of electronics. Aaron Fish wrote an article in Locksmith Ledger a decade ago. He suggested that locksmiths will either become sub-contractors for integrators, or become integrators themselves. The jury is still out on this one.
