This work presents a novel pumping concept using wire ropes, supported by a lab-scale testing facility and a finite element model to provide the basic knowledge and expertise prior to the commercial application. For businesses to stay competitive in the current energy market, improving operational efficiency is the first and best solution. This is achievable through smart and subtle optimisation of equipment which in turn minimizes failures and extends the lifetime of the process. The idea to replace a sucker rod string with a wire rope is such an example. The wire rope industry has long been manufacturing products with engineered material. When compared to the sucker rod string, these ropes can not only eliminate conventional failures, but also offer better mechanical and physical properties. To provide evidence of their feasibility, a test stand has been constructed in the premises of Montanuniversitaet Leoben. The facility uses a hydraulic system to apply load and movement, as well as a pressure vessel and a bent tubing inside which the wire rope runs. Besides different rope structures, rope terminations and protectors (equivalent to rod guides) can also be designed and tested. For a more detailed understanding of the rope behaviour, particularly in contact with the tubing, a finite element model was developed in Abaqus and validated with the experimental results. The facility and the model, therefore, not only test the durability of the wire ropes under different wellbore conditions, but also help obtain installation and handling expertise at lower cost and risk. This experience can on the one hand be used for educational purposes at the university and on the other be the basis for future field installations. This work is unique in the sense that it offers a simple and cost-effective platform to investigate a promising solution to rod pumping, applicable to a variety of field conditions.