Kwikset
Kwikset is an American lock and lockset manufacturer owned by Spectrum Brands Hardware and Home Improvement Group (HHI), a Division of Spectrum Brands, and is in the process of being acquired by Assa Abloy. Originally Gateway Manufacturing Company, Kwikset was founded in California in 1946 by Adolf Schoepe, and Karl Rhinehart.
A Kwikset electronic lock with optional operation using a conventional key. This electronic deadbolt uses a Weiser keypad and is a hybrid combining features of Kwikset and Weiser brand locks. | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1946 |
| Founders | Adolf Schoepe Karl Rhinehart |
| Parent | Spectrum Brands |
| Website | kwikset |
The current name for the company was derived from the company's first locks, which pioneered the then-revolutionary tubular lock design, which was relatively fast to install. Kwikset key blanks (KW1, Ilco 1176, Axxess 66) are available at almost every location where keys can be made.
Kwikset currently has manufacturing facilities in Denison, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Mexicali, Mexico. Kwikset also has a facility in China. Kwikset previously had manufacturing facilities in Anaheim, California; Bristow, Oklahoma; and Waynesboro, Georgia; but starting in 1996, these facilities were closed in a consolidation of operations to the Mexicali facility. Kwikset's Corporate headquarters is in Lake Forest, California.