Figure 1. Kaba is a contraction of the original company name Kassa Bauer, which translates to Bauer Safe. PEAKS: UNVEILING THE MYSTERY In the first installment of this article series, William M. Lynk, CML, CPS, ICML, M.Ed., explains this newly updated product line. W 40 ith the advent of retrofitting most of today’s cylinders, Kaba has created a keying system that not only integrates, but also interkeys products from many of the major lock manufacturers into one, offering both high security and key control in a single product line. Kaba Peaks gives the ability to use only one key to open a variety of interchangeable core products and fixed cylinder products in one system that is both convenient and cost effective. The “peaks,” two small projections near the key bow, operate a patented pin stack. It’s basically simple. However, to many lock- smiths, the intricacies of this unique prod- uct are steeped in the unknown. So, in this article we’ll take a look at how the Kaba Peaks line works comfortably with many KEYNOTES SEPTEMBER 2016 of the SFICs, LFICs and conventional fixed cylinders used predominately within the marketplace, thus unveiling the mystery. Historical Perspective This story doesn’t begin in Connecticut, nor does it start in New England. We must travel overseas to Switzerland and go back to the year 1862, when a lock- smith shop and cash register factory was established on a street in Zurich called Stampfenbackstrasse. The owner and cre- ator was named Franz Bauer (1839-1908) and would be the “key” factor in a com- pany that is now world-renowned and a major player in the field of high security locking devices. Franz developed his skill in safe build- ing (a security area also emerging in the United States at that time) and called his company Kassa Bauer — or, translated into English, Bauer Safe. Today, the name Kaba is a contraction of this legendary be- ginning: Kassa Bauer. Bauer was the type of person who was creative and intuitive enough to determine the market security needs, supply the products and still antici- pate the future. Some call this innovation. His success continued over the years, and the company delved into other areas as well. Fiſty-one years later, Bauer AG also began steel furniture fabrication. But, based on poor geographic and product- related diversification, Bauer was acquired in 1915 by Leo Bodmer, CEO of Brown, Boveri & Cie. Three years later, they ac- quired a knitting mill and transformed the premises into a lock-making factory. It was in 1934 that the fabrication of the KaBa security cylinder (with patent applied for) began; it was a monumental time for Kaba. It was then that the “Kaba WWW.ALOA.ORG
