REELEX Packaging Solutions India Steps Up Investment in Smart, Autonomous Technologies for Wire & Cable Production

In an exclusive interaction with Wire & Cable India, Mr. David Gerhart, CEO, REELEX Packaging Solutions, says India has emerged as a key growth engine for the wire and cable sector, with manufacturers stepping up investments in smarter and more autonomous production technologies. REELEX is strengthening its position through end-to-end packaging solutions—including advanced coiling and spooling machinery and application-specific package formats and designs—while accelerating Industry 4.0 initiatives, with the aim of becoming the packaging partner of choice for leading cable and wire manufacturers.

Wire & Cable India: Please briefly outline your company’s cable and wire industry product focus, including key technologies, product types, and principal end-use sectors.

David Gerhart: REELEX Packaging Solutions is the inventor and sole developer of the patented REELEX® coil; a precision figure-eight winding configuration that enables cable and wire to dispense inside-out with zero twists, tangles, knots, or rotation in a variety of unique and sustainable packaging formats. REELEX eliminates job site installation frustration while improving efficiency, safety, and material handling and cost reduction across the supply chain.

As the creator of the REELEX method, we uniquely design, manufacture, and support every aspect of the system, including: REELEX coiling and spooling machinery, application-specific package formats and designs, and global installation, service, and technical support.

With more than 70 years of proven performance, REELEX has become the packaging brand of choice for the world’s leading cable and wire manufacturers serving telecommunication, construction, industrial and other end use markets.

Given the unique nature of the REELEX figure-8 wind, our engineers have accumulated extensive knowledge and experience about tension, precision and control systems. This experience has been used in a variety of specialty projects ranging from military applications to remote vehicle applications, to oil and gas, and much more.

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WCI: Within your core product segments, how would you characterize current demand conditions and order visibility?

DG: It’s been a challenging 2025 because of all the global market uncertainty driven by geopolitical events such as tariffs, trade wars, geopolitical conflicts, interest rates, government shut downs. Now, as far as visibility in the future, our visibility is only as good as our customers’ interest in disclosing their capital purchasing plans. Our business strategy as a result is to deliver a high-service delivery model, so we can react quickly and serve demand when we get surprised.

WCI: Within your manufacturing offerings, how do you currently assess investment sentiment among wire and cable producers, particularly in emerging markets such as India?

DG: We’re very optimistic about the growth prospects in India, as well as other emerging regions. The existing customer base that we have in India is thriving and we think that there is more business to be done throughout the industry in the country. We’re currently engaged in ongoing project discussions with several other Indian companies.

WCI: Which customer or application requirements are currently exerting the greatest pressure to improve productivity and quality within your product range?

DG: While we see stable demand in our core copper markets, we’re seeing heavier interest from fibre optic manufacturers with the growth of AI data centers. We are seeing a continual pressure to help improve product packaging performance, reduce material cost of goods, and enhance packaging sustainability efforts.

WCI: Which manufacturing disciplines, automation measures, or quality-assurance practices have delivered the most tangible improvements in your yield or rework reduction?

DG: As a capital equipment provider, we’ve implemented lean manufacturing principles so we can eliminate waste and increase our speed of delivery for our customers. We’ve been investing in Industry 4.0 initiatives and we’re using them to help our customers respond more rapidly to the changing manufacturing environments in their own plants. Remote diagnostics, data collection and real-time performance monitoring are just some of the initiatives we’re seeing benefit customers’ efforts to reduce scrap and improve throughput and product quality.

WCI: How are sustainability and decarbonization goals translating into practical changes at your company?

DG: The REELEX packaging format helps customers eliminate the amount of plastic content from their packaging; often from 5.25lbs. (2500g) down to 0.07lbs (36g) per package. Continually reviewing machine designs and components allows us to make engineering decisions on components that are “greener” and more energy efficient while providing the same or higher levels of performance. We’ve replaced a lot of our traditional pneumatic applications with electronic servo drives to be more efficient on plant resources.

WCI: How are cost pressures across raw materials, energy, or logistics being managed without compromising product reliability or compliance?

DG: REELEX is always working hard to absorb inflationary pressures on our cost line by coming up with new innovative designs so our customers have a stable price experience from us as a manufacturer. The unique REELEX packaging solutions create a smaller, lighter product package for our customers, allowing them to realize savings in shipping costs by both volume and weight; all while improving product performance for the end user.

There is always pressure to maintain or reduce machine production and operating costs. REELEX has developed many long-term supplier relationships over our 70 years, which helps us provide best cost solutions to our customers.

WCI: How has the wire and cable industry benefited, in practical terms, from automation or real-time digital control?

DG: With the inception of Industry 4.0 in 2011, manufacturers continue to invest in developing faster, smarter and more autonomous systems to support the manufacturing world. Machine automation continues to enhance and expand the capabilities of the labor force in the workplace to make manufacturing more efficient, and in many cases safer for the workers in the plants. Closed loop systems that continually react and adjust almost instantaneously to the data being collected helps identify potential issues before they occur, provide a safer working environment and maximize machine up-time to improve manufacturing throughput.

Also Read: Tramev India’s Shift Towards High Precision Equipment & Process Efficiency

WCI: Looking ahead three to five years, which wire & cable segments or applications are most likely to drive the next investment cycle?

DG: Fibre optics for sure. And fibre options are opening other opportunities for a range of complementary products that REELEX can help provide solutions for as well. Demand for copper-based products isn’t going away any time soon, and with aging equipment in these plants that doesn’t meet today’s efficiency and safety standards, we expect to see investment made into these segments to enable our customers to meet market demand well into the future. And of course, we’re always keeping eyes on “what’s next” in the development of new applications and products in and out of the wire and cable market.

WCI: How do you see India as a market?

DG: We see India as a key growth market and a pillar to our future growth. REELEX maintains long standing relationships with manufacturers in the wire and cable industry in India; many for over 30-years. Maintaining these relationships and expanding deeper through their organizations combined with the new customers we’re working with will keep India as a key growth market for REELEX for many more years.