A recent article about us in the The Business Journal... Safe and sound Published on 06/07/2013 - 1:28 pm Written by Clay Moffitt Local gun safe makers busier than ever Anticipation of stricter gun control laws has proven lucrative to a pair of Central Valley gun safe manufacturers. The Gun Safe Co., a manufacturer based in Exeter, and Sturdy Gun Safe, a Fresno manufacturer, both report they’ve struggled to manufacture at a rate to keep up with demand. This year, Sturm Ruger and Smith & Wesson are among the gun manufacturers reporting dramatic gains in sales. During the first quarter of this year, National Instant Criminal System background checks rose by 46 percent compared to the first quarter of 2012. Additionally, in the State of California, no gun can be sold without a signed affidavit by the customer stating ownership of a Department of Justice-approved gun safe or lock box. “We’re definitely enjoying the whole gun-purchasing frenzy,” said Celeste Rapolla-Miranda, managing partner for The Gun Safe Co., a manufacturer in Exeter. The time of the year may have also facilitated frenzy. “The increased gun registration coincided with tax returns, which fueled the demand,” said Craig Waters, the operations manager of Fresno-based Havens for Total Security, Inc. Terry Pratt, president of Sturdy Gun Safe, estimated at some point between 10-12 months ago, the surge for new orders came in. The demand peaked about three months ago, but the orders are still coming in strong. Pratt indicated his company’s sales have nearly tripled compared to where they were two years ago. The workload was overwhelming at times. A safe made by Sturdy Gun Safe, which has been family owned and operated for about 60 years, can run from $1,314 to $3,629. They can even custom-build a safe. “We had an influx on business that put us behind, but now we’re gearing up and catching up,” Pratt said. Entering June, The Gun Safe Co. has already reached 83 percent of its sales total of 2012. To keep up with the demand for its product, The Gun Safe Co. increased its staff by 40 percent in 2013. Although output production fluctuates, for a while it was taking the Exeter-based manufacturer approximately 12 weeks to finish each safe. The increased staff cut the production time down to 6-8 weeks. “But we’re still faster than the competitors,” Rapolla-Miranda said. “Last I heard, most of them were sitting at 4-6 months.” To a degree, Rapolla-Miranda is at a loss for explanation for why her company is able to produce safes at a faster rate than the competition. “My only guess is efficiency,” Rapolla-Miranda said. “We have a system down and we have been doing it for 22 years. A lot of the guys in the shop have also been here for those 22 years.” For Sturdy Gun Safe, the vast majority of sales are from out-of-state customers. Pratt indicated sales within the Valley specifically have never been particularly strong. “There are certain people that research what they’re really getting, and here in Fresno, it seems they just buy a Costco safe and they’re happy,” Pratt said. “People that actually do the research are the ones that end up buying from us.” Although they would like to see the demand to grow for as long as it can, both Pratt and Rapolla-Miranda realize it can’t last forever. “Do I expect it to? No,” Pratt said. “Because gun safes sales have always flexed up and down, even the weather will influence the sales.” Rapolla-Miranda shared a similar projection for the future. “We witnessed the increase and it has not fallen off yet — and this is a slow time of year — but I think that it will swing back to the ‘normal growth rate,’ but it may take a couple years,” Rapolla-Miranda said.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:09:47 +0000
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