Reels from aerospace and defence plants
Aerospace and defence plants use cable in quantity and in variety: wire harness stock, control and data cable, power for test cells and hangars. Southern California has some of the largest such sites in the country, from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale to Boeing's Huntington Beach site. Their suppliers' and contractors' empties are what we collect.
- Usual flanges
- 24 to 72 in
- Areas it fills
- 7
- Lanes
- 4
Aerospace and defence plants around Los Angeles
US Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale covers more than 5,800 acres, where contractors including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman build and test aircraft. On the coast, Boeing's 187-acre Huntington Beach site works on small satellites, protected communications, advanced manufacturing and unmanned underwater vehicles. In between, aerospace suppliers fill business parks in El Segundo, Torrance, Chatsworth, Canoga Park, Santa Clarita, Anaheim and Irvine.
These plants and their suppliers buy harness wire and control cable on small spools, data and fibre cable, and heavier power cable for hangars, test facilities and production lines. Electrical contractors working on the buildings add more.
Aerospace is also a business of constant change on the shop floor: lines are rebuilt for new programmes, test cells are rewired, and hangars are refitted. Each change empties reels, often in small numbers spread through the year, which suits a recurring pickup.
Where the reels pile up
Mostly in suppliers' plants and contractors' yards outside the big sites, where reels can be loaded without a security escort: the business parks of the South Bay, the west San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, Anaheim Canyon and Irvine, and the industrial land around Plant 42.
What kind of reels
Many small plywood and nailed spools of 24 to 36 inches from harness and control cable, plus 36 to 72 inch reels from building and power work.
How a pickup fits the work
Secure sites have their own rules, so we collect from loading areas and contractors' yards where a flatbed is allowed. Suppliers with steady small empties suit a recurring pickup; building projects get their own runs.
Where the reels go next
Small spools from harness and control cable are some of the cleanest reels we see, and they resell quickly to makers and event buyers. Building and power reels from plant work go to contractors and growers. Reels that held anything other than cable are not something we handle.
When the reels come off the job
Timing is set by programmes and fiscal years. New contracts bring line rebuilds and new test facilities, often starting together, and a supplier that was quiet for months can empty dozens of reels in a few weeks. Year-end shutdowns over the holidays are a common time for plant electrical work, so January is often busy for reels from aerospace suppliers in the South Bay and the valley.
The common mistake in plants is letting small spools collect in odd corners: under benches, behind racks, in cages. They are easy to lose track of, and by the time someone gathers them, many are crushed or wet. A bin or pallet by the dock, emptied on a schedule, keeps them sound and easy to load.
A pickup, stop by stop
Stage outside controlled areas
Reels in a loading area or contractor yard load without an escort.
Separate small spools
Pallet the small spools; they resell well.
Count the large reels
Group building and power reels by flange size.
Book the window
Give us the gate procedure and the window.
Reel sizes from aerospace and defence plants
Lanes that serve aerospace and defence plants
- Lane 11Antelope Valley and the 14Palmdale, Lancaster
- Lane 5South Bay and the 405El Segundo, Torrance
- Lane 4San Fernando Valley, 5 and 118Sun Valley, Pacoima, Van Nuys, Canoga Park, Chatsworth
- Lane 6Orange County on the 5Santa Fe Springs, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Tustin, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach
Other industries that empty reels here
Questions from aerospace and defence plants
Do you go inside secure plants?
Only under the site's procedures. Most reels are collected from loading areas and contractors' yards outside.
Are harness-wire spools worth collecting?
Yes. Small clean spools resell to makers and event buyers.
Do you name aerospace companies as customers?
No. Plants are named only as places where reels come from.
Can a supplier set up a recurring pickup?
Yes, on the lane its plant is on.
Which areas produce the most aerospace reels?
Palmdale around Plant 42, the South Bay around El Segundo and Torrance, and Huntington Beach, with suppliers in Chatsworth, Canoga Park and Santa Clarita.
Do you take reels marked for export control?
Empty wooden reels carry no controlled data. If a site needs paperwork to release them, it handles that before we load.
What size are most aerospace spools?
Small: 24 to 30 inches, plywood or nailed, from harness and control cable.
Do you serve Edwards or China Lake?
No. Both bases are well outside our map.