Material Handling Solutions for Wire, Cable, Rope, Hose, and Tubing


Cable, wire, and other spooled materials present a unique set of storage and handling challenges. They do not fit neatly onto pallets and are typically shipped on bulky wooden or plastic spools, which can take up a large amount of space. Fortunately, simple procedures and specialized equipment can streamline storage and distribution of these products, ensuring efficient delivery of precise lengths of cable, wire, or tubing on any type of job site.

Optimized wire and cable management equipment provides particularly strong returns on investment for industries that regularly rely on spooled components:

  • Telecommunications
  • Electrical contracting
  • Construction
  • Maritime shipping
  • Warehousing and distribution

An ideal wire and cable management system consists of parallel reels that allow product separation and controlled payout, as well as reel handling equipment with robust load capacities to lift spools of any weight.

By using appropriate cable handling equipment — and by following a few standard practices — operations in all of these industries can reduce job times, enhance services, and reduce the cost overruns associated with cable loss.

Taking Advantage of Parallel Payouts

Custom Paralleling

Wire paralleling is an installation technique that involves bundling sets of wires and/or cables to route multiple lines with a single pull. Many electrical distribution centers offer custom wire paralleling as a value-added service.

Distributors use parallel reel payouts to spool specified types of cabling onto a master drum, which becomes the means of storage and delivery to the customer.

Paralleling can also be used to reduce the number of spools in a shipment, combining various required types and lengths of cable on a single spool.

Increasingly, wire and cable distributors are turning to value-added services (such as custom cutting and pre-shipment wire paralleling) to meet customer needs as precisely as possible. Similarly, electrical contractors and telecom technicians use parallel wiring techniques at the job site to increase efficiency during installation.

Storage reels designed for parallel payouts are essential for every operation in the fields of telecommunications and electrical contracting. The BHS Parallel Reel Payout is a heavy duty cabling storage system with customizable compartments, each of which spins freely on its own. This arrangement provides the versatility that distribution centers need to fill each individual order, from a single length of product to a custom blend of several types of wire, cable, or tubing.

Unlike most competing parallel reels, the BHS Parallel Reel Payout offers several means of transportation, making it the ideal cabling storage system for warehousing as well as on-site payout. Heavy duty, corrosion-resistant castors are available for manual mobility. For safe travel across greater distances, the BHS Parallel Reel Payout features fork pockets to allow movement by forklift or pallet truck (note: optional castors are not compatible with standard pallet trucks).

The combination of mobility, durable steel construction, and highly customizable cable storage make the BHS Parallel Reel Payout the ideal wire and cable management solution at the job site or the distribution center.

Parallel Reel Payout Equipment vs. Traditional Wooden Spools at the Construction Site

In the electrical and construction industries, larger quantities of cabling are traditionally stored in large wooden reels. Heavy duty steel reels provide safer, more dependable payout during cable installation projects, with several key advantages over wooden spools:

  1. As noted by industry journal Electrical Construction & Maintenance, wooden spools are typically reused beyond their dependable lifespan. Older spools can contain loose nails and jagged splinters that tear cables during payout.

    BHS Parallel Reel Payouts are made of thick, durable steel with a powder coat finish that will never damage their load during use.

  2. Equal weight distribution is crucial for smooth, safe cable pulls, and wooden flanges can splinter and break, leading to unequal distribution. This is not a risk with steel reels.

  3. Parallel Reel Payout

    Figure 1. The BHS Parallel Reel Payout (PRP) simplifies cable pulling with free-spinning, multi-compartment reels, providing an even payout.

  4. Wooden spools must be mounted on separate reels to accomplish payouts. This process risks the introduction of dirt, mud, or other pollutants into the conductor, with potentially damaging results.

    The BHS Parallel Reel Payout suspends its multi-compartment reels above the ground at all times, ensuring safe, easy, smooth payout of wire and cable.

Using Existing Forklift Fleets for Safe Reel Handling Tasks

While manufacturers offer a great variety of expensive reel handling equipment, from reel lifters to reel handling overhead cranes, the simplest and most cost-effective solution is to handle spools and reels with forklifts that are already in service.

With BHS Reel Handler Attachments and Overhead Reel Lifters, operations can safely move spools and reels that weigh up to 5000 pounds (2268 kg), without installing costly new material handling systems.

Combined with BHS reel handling attachments, standard lift trucks with sufficient lifting capacities can complete all necessary reel handling tasks, including:

  • Effortlessly lifting reels from ground level
  • Secure, safe movement of reels across facilities or job sites
  • Reliable loading of spools onto reels, or reels onto storage racks
  • Simple removal of empty spools

The BHS Reel Handler Attachment incorporates a complete set of safety features to prevent injury to workers, including safety chains, stops to prevent sliding, and a removable front reel stop to keep loads in place during travel.

When storage arrangements preclude floor-level lifts, the BHS Overhead Reel Lifter offers dependable reel handling from above, with similar safety features to the BHS Reel Handler Attachment. The Overhead Reel Lifter incorporates a safety chain that attaches via a spring-loaded clasp, ensuring secure lifts.

Both forklift attachments prioritize safety and efficiency. They provide ideal material handling solutions to operations that deal in spooled products, such wire and cable manufacturing facilities, electrical distribution centers, telecommunications companies, home improvement supply warehouses, and providers of construction materials.

References

http://www.awcwire.com/portals/0/pdf/news/whn-article07.pdf
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/11/occ-alrs-cable-installation-reel-stand.html
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/09/van-upfit-packages.html
http://www.ecmag.com/section/systems/wire-cutting-and-paralleling
http://ecmweb.com/basics/breaking-down-basics-cable-pulling
http://ecmweb.com/archive/replacing-cables-part-7

BHS Competitor Websites Consulted in This Article

http://www.hannay.com/productpage.asp?IDENT=53
http://www.graybar.com/services/inventory-materials-management/wire-management
http://www.tulsapower.com/products/reel-things-accessories/paralleling-reels
http://www.wemco-usa.com/catalog/pages/14.html

Electrical Wire and Cable Company Websites Consulted

http://www.hannay.com/productpage.asp?IDENT=53
http://www.graybar.com/services/inventory-materials-management/wire-management
http://www.tulsapower.com/products/reel-things-accessories/paralleling-reels
http://www.wemco-usa.com/catalog/pages/14.html

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