Renowned safe maker now calls Yakima home, tools up to expand market

By ED STOVER

YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Even a safecracker buys his safes, says Ulrich Graffunder. "Hecame and looked at the safe and he said, 'Oh, you guys are making ittoo hard for us,'" said Graffunder, describing the former crook fromSeattle who, impressed with the safes manufactured by Graffunder Safe& Vault Inc., bought one for himself.

Indeed, Graffunder, who recently moved his company to Yakima fromLaGrande, Ore., has never heard of anyone cracking a Graffunder safe.

"We've been in business since 1968, and we don't know of anyonewho has had a loss from a burglary," he said. "If there has been, wehaven't heard of it."

A visit to the Graffunder plant at 2920 River Road reveals why.

The safes designed and manufactured by Graffunder and his son,Ralph, are heavy-duty, high-quality, finely tooled machines. He saysonly two other companies nationally, American Security and Brown SafeManufacturing, make products that are comparable in this segment ofthe market.

"It would be like buying a Mercedes, then comparing it to a Fordor Chevy or Kia," says company vice president Dave Giussi, watching acrew of workmen carefully fit together two boxes, one inside theother, made of heavy-gauge steel plate. The narrow void between thetwo will be filled with concrete and vermiculite for fireproofing.

"It always comes down to what you want to protect," addsGraffunder. "What's it worth to you? If you own a picture that'shundreds of years old, you don't want to put it in a tin can."

That's what Graffunder calls the sheet-metal boxes, or "homesecurity containers," that most people buy: "They're tin cans withdoors -- not in the same category as far as our industry isconcerned," he says.

As evidence, he displays pictures of Graffunder safes that havecome through devastating fires, their exteriors scorched black, butopen the door and, voil, the contents -- in this case, guns -- areunscathed. The company's Web site at www.graffundersafes.com hasother pictures and testimonials as well.

"A lot of people get sticker shock when they see our safes," saidGiussi, "but it's not any different than when you're buying insurance-- it depends on what you're locking up, what you want to protect."

Adds Graffunder: "You don't buy a $15,000 safe to lock up $1,000.We'll ask the question: 'How much cash do you keep in your safe overthe weekend?' Sometimes they won't say. But we have guidelines. Wesell them the type of safe they need to get the insurance coveragethey need.

"There's more to it than one size fits all," he said.

Actually, Graffunder makes 19 different sizes and styles of safes,plus a variety of vaults and vault doors. These are designed for bothcommercial and residential use, and are rated according to standardsestablished by the ISO, or International Organization of Standards.

For example, the minimum rating is a B-rated safe, which isconsidered adequate for protecting contents valued up to $10,000. Forcontents worth $1 million and up, Graffunder recommends a J-ratedsafe, vault or vault door. In between B and J are ratings of C($10,000-$50,000), E ($50,000-$200,000), F ($200,000-$500,000), H($500,000-$750,000), and I ($750,000-$1 million).

The safe in Graffunder's office is a B-rated safe, but at 5 feettall by 4 feet wide by 18 inches deep, it is still a heavy-dutyaffair weighing upwards of 1,600 pounds. A cheaper sheet-metal homesecurity container that size would weigh maybe 500 pounds, saysGraffunder.

"We're not into making those cheap light-gauge things, not atall," he says, adding that the pricetags for Graffunder safes rangefrom a low of $863 up to $11,000, but the company's custom-made safesand vaults can sell for as much as $30,000 and weigh upwards of 4,700pounds.

'We design our safes to keep out the professionals -- you alwayshave to stay one step ahead of the crooks," says Graffunder,explaining that challenge, plus the offer of a job, is what got himinto safe-building in the first place.

That was in 1958. Just 21 and newly arrived in San Francisco fromhis native Prussia, that part of pre-World War II Germany that is nowPoland, he went to work for the Mosler Safe Co. Now 70, Graffundersays experience has taught him no safe is entirely safe: "What can bemade by man can be destroyed by man. If I build something, a man canunbuild it."

For instance, he was once challenged by a European company to opena particular safe. "It took me two and a half days, but I got itopen. That why we never say a safe can't be opened. Given the timeand the know-how, there's always a way to do it."

A good safe buys that time. That's why there's different ratings."No crook can stick around five or six hours," says Graffunder, whosays the most effective combination is a good safe and a good alarmsystem.

Graffunder moved his company to Yakima because he is poised for amajor expansion. He also took in a new partner, Giussi, a Yakimaresident and former owner of the Paint & Equipment Supply Co., whichalso has outlets in Oregon and Idaho.

"We moved to Yakima because of the labor force. We couldn't findthe trained people (in LaGrande). This is more technicallychallenging than just welding something together. Also, we can buysteel from suppliers in Seattle, Portland, Spokane, Yakima and theTri-Cities."

Giussi said the local crew has grown to 10 -- seven full time andthree part time -- since work got under way last November in a 13,000square-foot leased facility on River Road. That crew is now producingat the rate of one safe per day (it takes an average of 26 man-hoursto complete a safe, depending on its size).

"Our goal is 10 a day," he said, adding that currently thecompany's safes are purchased before they're even built. The crewwill grow as new people are trained. Giussi figures he will berunning two shifts and leasing more workspace by this summer.Eventually, the company will purchase property and build its ownfacility, he said.

Until now, Graffunder has focused on direct sales to clients inthe West, mostly through the Web site and word-of-mouth. That willchange. "We're trying to set up a (nationwide) dealer distributionnetwork," says Graffunder. "We want to build up our inventory so thecustomers won't have to wait."

But pride of workmanship will remain the Graffunder hallmark.

Renowned safe maker now calls Yakima home, tools up to expand market

By ED STOVER

YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Even a safecracker buys his safes, says Ulrich Graffunder. "Hecame and looked at the safe and he said, 'Oh, you guys are making ittoo hard for us,'" said Graffunder, describing the former crook fromSeattle who, impressed with the safes manufactured by Graffunder Safe& Vault Inc., bought one for himself.

Indeed, Graffunder, who recently moved his company to Yakima fromLaGrande, Ore., has never heard of anyone cracking a Graffunder safe.

"We've been in business since 1968, and we don't know of anyonewho has had a loss from a burglary," he said. "If there has been, wehaven't heard of it."

A visit to the Graffunder plant at 2920 River Road reveals why.

The safes designed and manufactured by Graffunder and his son,Ralph, are heavy-duty, high-quality, finely tooled machines. He saysonly two other companies nationally, American Security and Brown SafeManufacturing, make products that are comparable in this segment ofthe market.

"It would be like buying a Mercedes, then comparing it to a Fordor Chevy or Kia," says company vice president Dave Giussi, watching acrew of workmen carefully fit together two boxes, one inside theother, made of heavy-gauge steel plate. The narrow void between thetwo will be filled with concrete and vermiculite for fireproofing.

"It always comes down to what you want to protect," addsGraffunder. "What's it worth to you? If you own a picture that'shundreds of years old, you don't want to put it in a tin can."

That's what Graffunder calls the sheet-metal boxes, or "homesecurity containers," that most people buy: "They're tin cans withdoors -- not in the same category as far as our industry isconcerned," he says.

As evidence, he displays pictures of Graffunder safes that havecome through devastating fires, their exteriors scorched black, butopen the door and, voil, the contents -- in this case, guns -- areunscathed. The company's Web site at www.graffundersafes.com hasother pictures and testimonials as well.

"A lot of people get sticker shock when they see our safes," saidGiussi, "but it's not any different than when you're buying insurance-- it depends on what you're locking up, what you want to protect."

Adds Graffunder: "You don't buy a $15,000 safe to lock up $1,000.We'll ask the question: 'How much cash do you keep in your safe overthe weekend?' Sometimes they won't say. But we have guidelines. Wesell them the type of safe they need to get the insurance coveragethey need.

"There's more to it than one size fits all," he said.

Actually, Graffunder makes 19 different sizes and styles of safes,plus a variety of vaults and vault doors. These are designed for bothcommercial and residential use, and are rated according to standardsestablished by the ISO, or International Organization of Standards.

For example, the minimum rating is a B-rated safe, which isconsidered adequate for protecting contents valued up to $10,000. Forcontents worth $1 million and up, Graffunder recommends a J-ratedsafe, vault or vault door. In between B and J are ratings of C($10,000-$50,000), E ($50,000-$200,000), F ($200,000-$500,000), H($500,000-$750,000), and I ($750,000-$1 million).

The safe in Graffunder's office is a B-rated safe, but at 5 feettall by 4 feet wide by 18 inches deep, it is still a heavy-dutyaffair weighing upwards of 1,600 pounds. A cheaper sheet-metal homesecurity container that size would weigh maybe 500 pounds, saysGraffunder.

"We're not into making those cheap light-gauge things, not atall," he says, adding that the pricetags for Graffunder safes rangefrom a low of $863 up to $11,000, but the company's custom-made safesand vaults can sell for as much as $30,000 and weigh upwards of 4,700pounds.

'We design our safes to keep out the professionals -- you alwayshave to stay one step ahead of the crooks," says Graffunder,explaining that challenge, plus the offer of a job, is what got himinto safe-building in the first place.

That was in 1958. Just 21 and newly arrived in San Francisco fromhis native Prussia, that part of pre-World War II Germany that is nowPoland, he went to work for the Mosler Safe Co. Now 70, Graffundersays experience has taught him no safe is entirely safe: "What can bemade by man can be destroyed by man. If I build something, a man canunbuild it."

For instance, he was once challenged by a European company to opena particular safe. "It took me two and a half days, but I got itopen. That why we never say a safe can't be opened. Given the timeand the know-how, there's always a way to do it."

A good safe buys that time. That's why there's different ratings."No crook can stick around five or six hours," says Graffunder, whosays the most effective combination is a good safe and a good alarmsystem.

Graffunder moved his company to Yakima because he is poised for amajor expansion. He also took in a new partner, Giussi, a Yakimaresident and former owner of the Paint & Equipment Supply Co., whichalso has outlets in Oregon and Idaho.

"We moved to Yakima because of the labor force. We couldn't findthe trained people (in LaGrande). This is more technicallychallenging than just welding something together. Also, we can buysteel from suppliers in Seattle, Portland, Spokane, Yakima and theTri-Cities."

Giussi said the local crew has grown to 10 -- seven full time andthree part time -- since work got under way last November in a 13,000square-foot leased facility on River Road. That crew is now producingat the rate of one safe per day (it takes an average of 26 man-hoursto complete a safe, depending on its size).

"Our goal is 10 a day," he said, adding that currently thecompany's safes are purchased before they're even built. The crewwill grow as new people are trained. Giussi figures he will berunning two shifts and leasing more workspace by this summer.Eventually, the company will purchase property and build its ownfacility, he said.

Until now, Graffunder has focused on direct sales to clients inthe West, mostly through the Web site and word-of-mouth. That willchange. "We're trying to set up a (nationwide) dealer distributionnetwork," says Graffunder. "We want to build up our inventory so thecustomers won't have to wait."

But pride of workmanship will remain the Graffunder hallmark.