Before I go any further, let me just say that reel making is an art unto itself. Much like making rods, there are many skill & a lot of knowledge used by the craftsmen & women who make reels. It can take a lifetime to learn the craft & maybe that isn't long enough to truly master it.
These days large firms can;t afford the time to make reels the way an independent custom reel maker does - by hand with machines that are guided by the maker's hands directly. Today larger firms like Hardy must employ some automation in how they make things. This is seen in the use of CNC controlled machines. While they still have to have knowledgeable folks there to make sure the machine is accurate & working properly, & know how the things should look & act when the machine is done with them, this still (in my humble opinion) cannot compare with a skilled machinist guiding their machines by hand & eye, which is how they used to have to do it.
But I digress. Below here is a video showing the modern methods (except the parts they don't want you to see) of how Hardy makes their fly reels today. It's an interesting look behind the scenes of their Alnwick, England factory.