Supply Chain Solution: Reel Realities — A Better Way For Cable Reel Distributors

The expanding digital universe is obviating many classic analog devices every day, especially in the communications world. Yet, paradoxically, a vintage and decidedly analog technology is helping to advance the digital infrastructure - the cable reel.

Composed of two wheels and one or more axles, the reel is almost as indispensable as the wheel itself. Wheels ranging from just a few inches to yards in diameter are used to store, transport and dispense cable and wire of endless variations for applications ranging from fiber optic conduit to suspension bridge strand.

In some cases applications are demanding because of the weight and roughness of heavy-duty products such as chain or wire rope that are typically wound on wooden reels, particularly the larger sizes. Those factors create brutal wear and tear on these giant spools, including stresses that lead to failures that can be chaotic and hazardous. If you've ever had a big reel fracture, you probably remember it.

"Most companies who use or distribute wire or cable want their reels custom made to their specifications," says Greg Moore, Vice President of Cable Moore, Inc. in Oakland, CA. "This specification will depend on the material – whether electrical wire, chain, a synthetic cable or wire rope - and what amount is needed by the customer."

Cable Moore which offers a wide line of cable products, including wire rope, aircraft cable, guy and bridge strand, cable railing and parking structure systems, purchases its plywood reels from Golden State Reel and Crate near Fresno, CA. This supplier is perhaps best known for quick turnaround time as well as offering heat treated wood and prototyping of engineered reels for demanding applications.

"They are extremely quick and reliable in getting our orders out," Moore says. Because Golden State uses CNC cutting equipment (unique for the industry), Moore says he suspects that is why they can provide such quick turnaround.

Shooting the loop

However, the main reason for Golden State Reel & Crate using CNC (computer numerically controlled) routers is so that the company can provide prototypes for special designs quickly and inexpensively. For example, the shop recently developed a custom reel that required Masonite panels laminated to the inside of each reel flange. The purpose of this design was to keep the inside of the drum absolutely smooth. Because the reel was to contain fiber optic conduit, a special tapered starting hole was put into the flange so that the conduit, or "tubing" doesn't get any nicks or bends in it.

"Most reel manufacturers use plunge routers – the type used for everyday cabinet making – in fabricating their products," explains Walt Hood, General Manager of Golden State Reel and Crate. "That type of equipment doesn't provide the capability to do what our CNCs, just change a number in the machine and instantly change what you're doing. And to get that tapered start where the tubing goes into the reel, the only way you can do it is with a CNC. When they do it by hand its all rough and tore up. For wire that's not a problem, but for the fiber optic tubing it has to be absolutely smooth."

Hood adds that the customer uses a computerized machine to put 300 feet of conduit onto the reel per a minute, and the reel must be perfect for the wrap count (revolutions) to be accurate.

"Also, for quality assurance, they put a steel ball in one end of the reel-mounted conduit and shoot air through it," explains Hood. "The ball has to loop all the way through the thousand feet of tubing on the roll and come out the other end without getting stuck or the tubing is no good. So, that's why every reel has to be fabricated perfectly to spec."

Making up for lost time

One of the idiosyncrasies of the cable reel business is that the manufacturer often doesn't get much lead-time. This is partly because reel-mounted materials such as electrical wire are often cut by wholesalers or distributors and put onto smaller reels for re-distribution. Because these resellers oftentimes can't predict demand, they often need new cable reels made up to their specs "yesterday."

"That is a common occurrence for us with reel orders anywhere from 10-inches to six feet in diameter," Hood explains. "It simply goes with the territory in the cable reel business. But thanks to our quick cutting and fabrication capabilities, we're able to deal with the situation quite easily.

Cable Moore's Greg Moore agrees, saying that Golden State Reel & Crate provides the fastest turnaround of any reel manufacturer that he knows of.

Hood says this quick turnaround includes the delivery of heat-treated, multi-run reels and those with custom graphics painted on reel ends.

Golden State Reel and Crate also manufacture plywood agricultural bins, wine fermentation bins, custom wooden crates, and high-grade cedar fencing.

For more information, contact Golden State Reel & Crate, Inc., P.O. Box 268, Sultana, CA 93666; Phone: (559) 591-4111; Fax: (559) 691-6116: e-mail: info@goldenstatereel.com; visit the web site: goldenstatereel.com .

SOURCE: Golden State Reel & Crate, Inc