congratulations to our recent John andrews apprentice of the year winners
LSC and our partner brands Silca and ABUS sponsor the MLAA's John Andrew Apprentice of the Year Award. Every year the MLAA across Australia and New Zealand run a competition to select the best final-year apprentice; the competition is tightly fought and highly prestigious. The test covers picking, impressioning, lockfitting, master keying, automotive, and general knowledge. The prize for each winner and their mentor is an all-expenses paid trip to Silca's factory in Veneto, Italy and ABUS' factory in Wetter, Germany.
In early March, winners from:
- 2019, Jesse Shepherd (Valley Locksmiths & Security),
- 2020/21, David Cowley (Precision Locksmiths)
- & 2022, Charles McMahon (Next Generation Locksmiths),
finally made the trip to Europe!
The first leg of the trip was a visit to ABUS Pfaffenhaim – home of the manufacturing of ABUS keying systems, followed by a visit to ABUS Security World. ABUS Security World is the ultimate security experience where you can immerse yourself in the entire world of security in one place! Each winner enjoyed a guided tour through the mobile and home security environments, the ABUS museum, which showcases the history of ABUS since its foundation in 1924, and the new ABUS Archive, which was a journey in time.
A trip to Germany is complete with tasting some German cuisine and beer. All the tour group were wowed by Germany's scenery, experiencing snow (some for the first time) and quaint half-timbered towns.
The next part of the journey for the group was to head to Italy to visit the team from Silca. The factory tour started with a look at Factory 1, where 1 million key blanks are produced daily! The group were amazed at all the steps used to create a key blank, from the raw materials to the nickel plating and quality assurance testing.
From Factory 1, we made our way across to Factory 2 to see the engineering and design hub for Silca machinery. Here they produce thousands of machines annually, all hand finished by Italian artisans. We saw everything from Bravo duplicators and Futura Pro code machines to Unocode F-Series and the mighty Protech being assembled, quality tested, calibrated, packed and made ready to ship out.
The group was spoilt on the tour's final day with a trip to Venice and experienced many Italian delights, including coffee, pizza, pasta and prosecco.
We thank both Silca and ABUS for their hospitality, generosity and time.