Category Archives: minutekey

MinuteKey Locksmith

minuteKEY is a pioneering company that has transformed the traditional key duplication industry through automation and technology. Founded in 2008 by brothers Ari and Dani Freeman, minuteKEY emerged from their frustration with the inefficiency and frequent errors in manual key cutting—where miscuts occurred up to 10-15% of the time, leading to high return rates and dissatisfaction for both customers and retailers. Their solution was to develop a self-service kiosk that leverages robotics and software engineering to deliver highly accurate, user-friendly key duplication1.

After seven years of development, the company brought in CEO Randall Fagundo, whose experience in the kiosk industry helped minuteKEY scale rapidly. The first major pilot was launched in 50 Lowe’s stores, where the kiosks were well received for freeing up employee labor previously devoted to manual key cutting. Today, minuteKEY kiosks are found in over 1,000 Lowe’s stores, 1,500 Walmart locations, and have completely replaced manual key cutting in Menards stores. The company has also conducted successful pilots in other hardware and grocery channels15.

minuteKEY’s technology stands out for its reliability and remote service capabilities. The kiosks boast an uptime of over 99%, and most technical issues can be resolved remotely, minimizing downtime and maintenance costs. The company also introduced a VIP loyalty program, integrating online rewards with the kiosk experience, which has increased customer engagement and average order size1.

The kiosks are designed to duplicate most home and office keys, with prices ranging from $2 to $6 per key. They are accessible during store hours, providing a convenient, quick, and cost-effective alternative to traditional locksmiths. However, the machines do not copy car keys or restricted keys marked “Do Not Duplicate”5.

minuteKEY is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, and fosters a fast-paced, collaborative company culture. While currently focused on the U.S. and Canadian markets, the company envisions expanding its automation solutions beyond key duplication, positioning itself as a leader in self-service technology1.