One of the last Finnish monopolies “in the wild”.
@ 9:03 am 
An Abloy “Executive” lock on the door of a cleaning closet.
Have you ever been to the hardware store to look for locks? How many brands of door locks did you find on the shelf? I have only ever really seen one brand, Abloy. I went to Bauhaus recently, thinking that since it is a German hardware store chain, I would find a variety of types and brands of door locks. I especially wanted to see some German ones and their pricing and appearance. However, there was only one brand there on the shelf, Abloy. It was an hour’s drive wasted. They have several different toilets and 15 or so different showers, but only one brand of lock, and a very expensive one at that. I also went to a lock shop and asked what different brands of locks they have. The seller looked at me quite blankly and said, “Abloy”. Then I asked him the prices. The tumbler: about 75 EUR. The locking mechanism: 46 EUR. The handle: about 20 EUR: Total, about 141 EUR.At my workplace, I noticed all the cleaning closets have exacly that combination on them, but with an “Executive” lock tumbler, which is even more expensive. Is that expensive a door lock really necessary on a cleaning closet? It certainly isn’t for what I need on my sauna building, where there is at most some used shampoo bottles to steal. But where do I buy a cheaper door lock? Noone has any selection. Even the door manufacturers sell only doors with Abloy locking mechanisms in them.
We can see the Abloy prices are quite expensive in Finland. This is probably due to the near 100% monopoly that Abloy has had over this country in door locks. Many Finnish people will tell you that they would buy no other brand of lock. Well, I have been trying to look for a lock for my sauna building and I don’t think I quite need one that costs 141 EUR. I know at Walmart in the US, I can find a doorlock with knobs, a locking mechanism, deadbolt, etc. for 20-30 dollars. After all, a lock is not going to stop a determined theif, but a good intruder detection system will.
Assa-Abloy is the one of the largest lock manufacturers in the world, if not the largest. The locks have the reputation of being unpickable and the best. That means if a burglar breaks in, there will be signs of intrusion, ie. a broken door, window, or the lock drilled out. But Assa-Abloy needs competition, just like any other business. Abloy owns all the familiar brands of lock you see in Finland: Abloy, Boda, Ving Card (hotels), Assa (Assa-Abloy), Primo (handles), etc. But is the pricing at the level it should be? It seems that Assa-Abloy is very hush-hush about their pricing online. You will find it difficult to find their prices anywhere, and there seems to be no online shops. Even in a lock shop, there are rarely the prices on the shelf.
Since Abloy is part of one of the largest lock manufacturers in the world, they don’t really need charity from the Finnish people, who have serious challenges with buying power otherwise as well. I think the pricing could easily be a fraction of what it currently is in Finland. Why punish the people who put you in business? Loyalty can quickly turn if someone comes up with better technology at a better price. We are rapidly starting to see electronic locks at prices homeowners can afford. Abloy certainly does not have a patent stranglehold on that technlogy, either. And many companies make much better deadbolts than the Abloy ones I have seen. A good electronic lock with a Cisa quadruple deadbolt is more secure than an Abloy any day of the week.
What about the insurance companies? They have a list of approved locks. A few years ago, all the locks on the list were products of one company, Assa-Abloy, with the exception of padlocks and the ones on Crawford Doors. Nowadays, you can see several different brands.
Here is a link of a new competitor for Abloy, sold right here in Finland. As you can see, the prices are about one fifth or less of Abloy’s prices. The locks are manufactured in Latvia. This is what I am going to put on my sauna building, probably. http://www.balticindustries.fi
Here is a link to a YouTube video of someone “picking” and Abloy lock, which means using a power drill to drill a hole through the disks.
I kind of missed the whole point, could you shorten it to one sentence.
Comment by anon — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 10:08 am
I think this situation just sort of happened. No-one planned it as a monopoly. At some point Abloy could deliver good locks when other were not able and gradually the lock economy grew around one brand. Introducing a new lock takes a lot more effort than just providing a cheaper piece of hardware. You need locksmiths that can service the new brand and - as you mentioned - insurance company support. I suppose word-of-mouth recommendations would help a lot (as it does for Abloy currently).
I’d love to have a wider selection of locks to choose from. It would put pressure on prices and provide more variety.
Comment by Oliver Weinitschke — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 10:23 am
Nothing to see here, folks. Now move along.
Comment by Dave the Defibrillator — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 10:40 am
I agree with Oliver.
Abloy was a Finnish company. ‘Abloy’ locks have been around for 100 years ( Abloy brand was introduced at 1990). Monopoly just happened during those 100 years.
Comment by Vesh — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 10:48 am
Abloy locks and Oras taps - the best in the world! You pay for the quality. Cheap Italian shit (well, not so cheap nowadays) breaks in a year.
Comment by alo — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 11:00 am
I have Kaba locks on my doors. I don’t have no-idea why this building has chosen KABA and 99% chooses abloy, but it’s none of my business.
you can find KABA locks in companies that have avain or lukko in their name. eg. avaintekno in espoo or helsingin lukkonikkarit.
and i have to say that i enjoy the exotic desing of these keys, but they are not very fast to use. Abloy is quicker, but so where those cheap russian motel keys as well.
Comment by Pekka Eskimo — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 11:17 am
Don’t worry about the price of locks. Just do like I do: Buy all your building materials in places like Germany. You can easily finance a nice several-day vacation with the savings. I even brought wood from Germany to build my cabin and saved about 30% overall.
Anyone ever get keys made in Finland? 5€, 6€ or even 7€???!!!
In the US, it’s almost free at about $1.5. They just want you in the door and hope you buy other, more expensive stuff.
Why the difference? Low-taxes=competition.
Comment by Kristian — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
Well sure you can get your cheap lock from somewhere…
..then again ever heard of lock bumping?
http://www.toool.nl/bumping.pdf
And for people lazy to read
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr23tpWX8lM
You might as well just leave the sauna unlocked.
Comment by Anonymous — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
8.
Yea it might no be as secure, BUT IT IS CHEAPER, and there is like… COMPETITION and don’t forget the LOW TAXES…
VEROSIRKUS!
Comment by anon — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 1:09 pm
“Yea it might no be as secure, BUT IT IS CHEAPER,”
No, even locks (and other building materials) with the same level of security and quality are cheaper by far in most other countries.
But having a range of security levels from which to choose is an added benefit of shopping in places like the US and Germany.
“VEROSIRKUS!”
Thanks for reminding me…
http://www.verosirkus.net
Comment by Kristian — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 1:42 pm
Pekka Eskimo:
“I have Kaba locks on my doors. I don’t have no-idea why this building has chosen KABA and 99% chooses abloy, but it’s none of my business.”
(checks his keyring)
Hmm, are we neighbours?
Hint: Are you looking at the most expensive concrete in Finland from your balcony?
They key to my apartment is an Abloy, though.
Comment by Freeridin' Franklin — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 2:04 pm
Thanks for reminding me…
http://www.verosirkus.net
No comment on everyone’s full credit record being on sale in the US yet. I guess that’s not such a big problem. After all, there is a cartel of three companies involved.
Comment by Freeridin' Franklin — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 2:08 pm
@2: Oliver is absolutely correct. It probably wasn’t a calculated Microsoft-like move to take over everything, but it just happened. Nonetheless, now we can see the consequences of having no competition in this area of doorlocks.
Kaba (www.kaba.com) and Cisa (www.cisa.com) look like they have some pretty secure stuff nowadays.
Comment by Sirkuspelle — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 2:25 pm
Sirkuspelle, are you campaigning against the credit record brokers in the US? Or could you explain to me why they are not a problem?
Comment by Freeridin' Franklin — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 2:32 pm
Remontti-Krisse:
Anyone ever get keys made in Finland?
No, we rather keep the lock and rebuild the house behind it.
Comment by Anonymous — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 2:40 pm
That, öh, didn’t make sense …
Comment by Anonymous — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 2:42 pm
#14: The silence is deafening. The propeller definitely stopped spinning.
Comment by Freeridin' Franklin — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 3:25 pm
If you buy a door without a lock in Finland, the hole for the lock and handle is made to fit Abloy-parts. The door manufacturers does this to save money by drilling just one type of holes on the doors.
Comment by larsh — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 4:11 pm
“..then again ever heard of lock bumping?”
Like he said, there is nothing of value inside. Anyway, there is no need to ‘bump’ locks in Finland where nobody is around to hear you break the window! (Every apartment I lived in in Helsinki had two locks, the other being the large double-sided key.)
Comment by Fred Fry — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 4:32 pm
In Germany, one stupid thing they do is put keys on both sides of the lock. So, to go outside, you need a key from the inside. In case of fire and heavy smoke, you can only hope that the key didn’t fall on the floor somewhere. Because you won’t get out.
In the US, it is possible to get top-quality locks at dirt-cheap prices. But why bother? You can just unclip the plastic veneer wall-siding, cut through the foam-board insulation with a pocket knife, and then push your hand through the drywall. At worst, you’ll get itchy from the fiberglass wall-insulation.
In Finland, construction is better overall, but the price of materials is needlessly ridiculous.
So, I guess each case is an example of how a culture gets its head stuck so far in its own ass, that it can’t see what it’s doing wrong. Isolation of knowledge is still a big problem in the world.
Comment by Kristian — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
Frankie, wasn’t it said that in the US you need “a good reason” to get the information and have to apply for it? Im not sure how it works but the difference as I see it (if that is in fact the case) is that here it’s published and sold as a paper or available via SMS, no application or reason needed. That to me is a huge difference but hey, it’s only my opinion.
If you want deafening silence, just ask about Halonen and “THE LIST.” I assure you, it’s truely silent
Comment by Punter — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 6:14 pm
Frankie, wasn’t it said that in the US you need “a good reason†to get the information and have to apply for it?
The open tax records have been mentioned as an impediment to running a business in Finland, as business partners may find out your income level. In the US, business partners having access to your entire credit history is not such an impediment according to these two propellerheads.
In reality, what someone made 2 years ago is relatively useless information from a business perspective. Your company may turn out a 1M€ profit, but if you choose to take out only 20k in salary and dividends, that’s all that shows up in the tax records. The balances of private companies are not accessible to the public.
That being said, at least Veropörssi needs to go.
About Stasi, I think we have reason to believe that SUPO has been infiltrated by the KGB and might still be. That’s more serious than any stupid list, which is just a minor consequence of the bigger issue.
Comment by Freeridin' Franklin — Thu, Sep 20th, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
“wasn’t it said that in the US you need “a good reason†to get the information and have to apply for it? ”
Exactly right. Just to clarify… For someone (e.g. a hardware store, employer, landlord) to check your credit, they must first get from you a signed consent form.
The “good reason” part only defines the circumstances under which a company is entitled to ask for your consent.
Let’s also clarify what is on your credit report (from the other thread):
http://www.aaacredit.com/qa.asp
There is NO information on the report about your employment income, investment income or values of investments.
Comment by Kristian — Fri, Sep 21st, 2007 @ 12:20 am
I actually spec this stuff on my buildings. There used to be a gagillion little companies making, say, one piece of what you need to equip a door, and we used to inummerate each piece. However, over the past decade there has been a consolodation out of which Assa-Abloy emerged, compting largely with a similar “vertical market” by Ingersoll-Rand.
The acquisitions were made up largely of foreign companies, i.e. Sargent, McKinney, etc., and an number of other in the US, but also far and wide in an effort to make a complete package of provision and sale of related parts. Ehat’s true in the US and Canada is also true of other places.
So any sort of cornered market in this situation starts looking pretty silly since the monopoly does a disservice to Finnish customers by not offering competative goods, but benefits everyone else where they make this stuff which comes from a constellation of small and large companies scattered around the planet. In other words, a monopoly which would normally “insure” a few jobs (through manipulation of the market) does nothing at all for Finnish labor.
One note: having done a ton of this stuff over the years - the European producs, though solidly made have traditionally been rather simplistic, and hard (until lately) to make work in North America to support the way things are used here and the requirements of the Life Safety Code. The stuff looks great, but it used to be very hard to make it work.
Comment by Joe Noory — Fri, Sep 21st, 2007 @ 1:42 am
lets recap
Monopolies and the Internet.
Humm, they don’t exist, if you can buy and ship freely.
Comment by winter “Yea, Proton Power, now in remission†— Fri, Sep 21st, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
@25: I actually did get a Schlage lock from the US. The tumbler would have fit perfectly into the hole in the door, if the two screw holes had been on the opposite side of the linkage. The screw holes were correctly spaced, but on the wrong side. The type of people who are equipped to drill and route a door is not so common.
Unfortunately, buying and shipping a door is not so straightforward through the internet. It seems almost all the doors in Finland have the Abloy locking mechanism in them. I have an Oulux door. Maybe someone in Finland makes doors that have no holes in them for the lock hardware…
As the article indicates, the monopoly is starting to be a thing of the past. 2 years ago, the situation was already quite different from now.
Comment by Sirkuspelle — Fri, Sep 21st, 2007 @ 3:16 pm
#26: So, you’re perfectly fine with credit bureaus peddling your personal information?
Comment by Freeridin' Franklin — Fri, Sep 21st, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
#27: The bozo continues to be strangely silent.
Comment by Freeridin' Franklin — Mon, Sep 24th, 2007 @ 8:00 pm
@27 @28:
Bozo is a circus clown = sirkuspelle. I am not a very funny clown, though. I took it as an alias because of Verosirkus. (tax circus) There is not very much that is funny in the issues that I address.
Don’t use credit if you don’t want a record at the credit bureau.
They probably don’t have anything on me.
Comment by Sirkuspelle — Tue, Sep 25th, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
Don’t use credit if you don’t want a record at the credit bureau.
Don’t you just have a solution for everything! Don’t want your credit information peddled to whomever? Don’t buy anything! Besides, a person without credit cards will probably be shipped straight to Gitmo.
The trouble with not having a credit record is that lenders will not lend without one. Well, fortunately there are those subprime loans.
Since you favour this kind of a solution, there is also a simple one for the Finnish tax records: don’t have any income.
Comment by Freeridin' Franklin — Tue, Sep 25th, 2007 @ 7:41 pm
Hey, now. Don’t knock Abloy! They make great locks for the trucking industry.
Granted, they keep the honest people — honest. Thieves will find a way to break into anything. Also, I haven’t seen every Abloy lock. That being said, I wouldn’t hesitate to use another Abloy lock.
Comment by American Trucker — Fri, Sep 28th, 2007 @ 5:30 am