The Australasian provider of converged security solutions has enhanced its New Zealand locksmithing capability with the onboarding of a new Auckland-based apprentice.
It’s been described as Optic Security Group’s best kept secret, but over the past two decades Optic’s lock shop has delivered lock and key services to some of New Zealand’s most security conscious organisations. And it’s just taken on a new apprentice.
Former solar panel installer Tyler Reece has joined Optic as an apprentice locksmith under the supervision of master locksmith Ben Pullin in Auckland.
“I was doing solar on rooves for quite a while and doing 12-16-hour days, and I wanted something new that I could actually have a career in,” said Tyler. “I like working with my hands. I’ve now been here six weeks, and it’s going well. I’m really enjoying it.”
Tyler is learning from one of the best, with supervisor Ben passing on his knowledge and skills both in the lock shop and onsite at customer premises.
Ben Pullin (left) and Tyler Reece (right).
Having notched up over 18 years with Optic Security Group, Ben’s expertise covers the broad range of locksmith work all the way through to heavy duty hardware installations, including electric mortice locks, mag locks, transfers, drop bolts, and door closers.
Prior to entering the locksmith trade, Ben served five years in the Royal New Zealand Navy as a marine engineer, Despite enjoying life at sea, which included several tours and humanitarian deployments across the Pacific, Ben ultimately saw locksmithing as an attractive career option.
“I wanted to start a family and have a change in lifestyle, and I was offered a really good salary to work in an Auckland locksmith business,” he recalls. The rest, as they say, is history.
And it is with a keen sense of history that Ben regards what he sees as an ancient and noble profession that goes back thousands of years. “In the past, locksmithing was a secretive trade that was associated with nobility and royalty,” he explains, “because they had the money and wealth that needed locking up.”
“Locksmithing was regarded by some as a sunset industry not too long ago, but there’s now more locksmithing jobs out there than ever,” said Ben, who has witnessed plenty of changes in locking technologies over the course of his career.
Despite the proliferation in electronic access control and locking systems, he says that the demand for keys remains high.
“If a building has no power, for instance, you still need to be able to get in or out, so most electronically access controlled doors still have the need for keys,” he explained. “Even the electronic keypads that are on people’s domestic front doors have a key override in them. If the batteries go flat, they still need some way of getting in.”
Optic Security Group’s locksmithing capabilities extend from the cutting of keys to the repair of mechanical locks, the design and build of master key systems, and install of all mechanical lock hardware, in addition to the supply of safes, lockable cupboards, key cabinets and door closers. These are capabilities that are highly valued by our enterprise level customers, who range from large government agencies, hospitals and universities to hotels, warehouses, and retail stores.
To find out more about how Optic Security Group can secure your organisation – whether you’re needing a multi-site integrated security system designed and installed or your keys securely cut – get in touch!
