5 Best OEE Software Tools for Cable & Wire Manufacturing (2026 Review)

Cable and Wire manufacturing is a brutal test of machine reliability.

A Rigid Strander or a Double Twist Buncher involves massive steel cages rotating at high RPMs.

If a bearing seizes or a tension arm fails, the wire snaps. This causes a "Wire Break" event.

In OEE terms, a Wire Break is devastating.

It ruins the length quality (creating a splice or a short reel) and forces the operator to stop and re-thread the machine, killing Availability.

Standard OEE tools often struggle here because they treat the machine as a "Black Box." They don't track the Length Counter or the Tension Data.

To master OEE in Cable & Wire, you need software that connects Linear Production Data with Mechanical Asset Health.

Here are the 5 best OEE software tools specifically suited for Cable and Wire manufacturers.

1. Fabrico (Best for Asset Reliability & Wire Break Prevention)

Fabrico approaches OEE from the perspective of Mechanical Integrity.

In a cable plant, 80% of downtime is mechanical. Stranders vibrate themselves to death. Capstans wear out. Dies get clogged.

Fabrico links the OEE signal (Wire Break) directly to the Maintenance Workflow.

Key Features for Cable & Wire:

• Vibration Monitoring: Integrates with sensors on high-speed stranders to detect imbalance or bearing wear before it snaps the wire.

• Die Management: Tracks the footage run through extrusion dies and drawing dies, triggering cleaning/replacement tasks based on length.

• Micro-Stop Analysis: Visualizes the frequency of stops. If a specific "Pay-Off" stand keeps stopping, Fabrico flags it as a Bad Actor.

• Mobile Floor App: Technicians can access digital string-up diagrams and setup sheets right at the machine.

Best For: Plants where mechanical failure and wire breaks are the primary OEE killers.

2. InnoVites (CableMES) (Best for Vertical Cable ERP)

InnoVites is the industry standard for Cable ERP.

Built on top of Microsoft Dynamics 365, it is designed exclusively for the wire industry.

It understands the complexity of Length Management. It knows that if you need 5,000 meters of cable, but you only have two 2,500-meter reels of copper, you have a problem.

Their CableMES module tracks OEE in the context of this inventory. It minimizes "Length Scrap" (short lengths that cannot be sold).

Best For: Cable manufacturers who need a full vertical ERP solution (Design to Shipping).

3. UL Solutions (Cimteq) (Best for Design-to-Manufacturing)

Cimteq (now part of UL Solutions) focuses on the link between Cable Design and Manufacturing.

Their software, CableMES, ensures that the machine runs exactly to the engineer's spec.

In cable, "Giveaway" is a huge cost. If you extrude the insulation 0.1mm too thick, you waste tons of expensive compound. Cimteq monitors the process capability (CpK) of the diameter gauges to prevent this.

It is highly focused on Quality and Tolerance adherence.

Best For: High-spec cable manufacturers (Fiber Optic, Subsea, Aerospace).

4. Aveva (Wonderware) (Best for Extrusion Line Control)

Aveva is the standard for the automation layer.

For the insulation and sheathing lines (Extrusion), Aveva connects to the PLCs and Drives to synchronize speed.

It excels at Line Speed monitoring. It ensures the Capstan, the Extruder, and the Pay-Off are all running at the optimal speed curve.

It is a heavy engineering tool, but for ensuring process stability on high-speed jacketing lines, it is unmatched.

Best For: Controlling the continuous Extrusion / Jacketing process.

5. Shoplogix (Best for General Length Tracking)

Shoplogix offers a "Smart Factory" platform that adapts well to continuous processes.

They are great at visualizing Linear Speed (Feet per Minute).

Their dashboards are simple and visual, motivating operators to keep the line speed in the green zone.

They connect easily to length counters and encoders to give accurate production totals without needing deep integration into the machine control.

Best For: Plants needing a simple, visual OEE layer on top of mixed equipment.

Comparison: The Continuous Length

Which tool fits your reels?

Conclusion: Stop the Snap

In Cable & Wire, profit is measured in meters. Every time the line stops, you lose meters (in scrap) and hours (in re-threading).

If your problem is Inventory Lengths, choose InnoVites.

If your problem is Diameter Control, choose Cimteq.

But if your problem is that your Stranders and Bunchers keep breaking due to mechanical wear and vibration, Fabrico is the only tool that actively protects the asset to keep the wire moving.

Ready to reduce wire breaks?

See how Fabrico uses vibration data and maintenance workflows to keep stranders running.

Book a Demo with Fabrico Today