History

Safranek Enterprises Incorporated began in 1954 as "Herrmann & Safranek," a full-line commercial cabinet and millwork business. Their line of products included modular and no-face frame styled cabinets. They used materials like Corian; vinyl-surfaced materials; high-pressure laminates; oak, birch, and walnut (real woods); plywood; and particle boards -- each with their own manufacturing challenges. In 1957, Hermann & Safranek built at their new location: 4005 El Camino Real in Atascadero California. They established a reputation as leaders in cabinet design and helped contribute to the WIC standards in California.

Having a need to dado more efficiently and safely, Mr. Safranek set to work to solve the problem. He proceeded to build the first panel router. He designed each part to contribute to the accuracy, dependability and safety of the machine. Because of the uniqueness of the machine, he was encouraged to seek a patent. With the beginning of the 1960's, the Panel Router was patented and the first Panel Routers were manufactured and sold. A machinery manufacturer was born in the middle of a cabinet and millwork shop. A product name was required, so using the first three letters of their last names, "Her-Saf Products_®" made its debut.

The need for improved tooling put Mr. Safranek in the problem-solving mode once again. He designed a spin-on cutter with a reverse helix. The hard part came when he tried to have this new design manufactured. He found a friend and ally in Frank Clark, who manufactured OCEMCO cutters. He agreed to make the cutters as designed by Mr. Safranek. That was the beginning of the long business relationship which is still being enjoyed today. This design has proved to be successful, not only in the Panel Router but in any machine with a router.

Working with high-pressure laminate products was a problem. So, Mr. Safranek went to work on creating a clamp that was efficient, wouldn't mark the materials, was small, and held secure. In 1967, the Air-Vac-Clamp was born, making it the next product in the Her-Saf line. The Air-Vac-Clamp has turned out to be very versatile and adaptable to various forms of manufacturing.

The Automatic Panel Router came into being in 1971. By this time, the original Panel Router had been upgraded twice. The Automatic has since evolved into the Two-Way Automatic with several options now available. Various special customized machines have also been produced.

In 1979, Mr. Herrmann retired. Leland Safranek bought him out, incorporated, and gave the company a new name: Safranek Enterprises, Inc. The cabinet & millwork division of the business was closed that year and the company was now solely the manufacturer of woodworking equipment. Mr. Safranek's wife became an active member of the business that year. Currently two of their daughters and their daughters' husbands work for the company. The foreman has worked for the company since 1960. New products have been added as needs arose. Her-Saf Products_® continue to be labor-saving, dependable equipment.