Following its merger with Cantamessa S.E. in 2000, the new Tesmec Group (Nuovo Gruppo Tesmec S.p.A.) became the largest international manufacturer of stringing equipment for high-voltage lines.

Today, the Tesmec Group is a key technical partner to several transmission line construction companies, as well as some of the world's most prominent electric utilities.

Tesmec's first partnership was signed in 1999 with Electricite de France (EDF; Paris, France) on a project at the La Chapelle site in France. Tesmec replaced the old steel shieldwire on a 400-kV line and pulled the new OPGW using two 90 kN AFB 501 model Brake Winches, with AXH 010 radio controls.

In recent years, utilities installed OPGW cables on existing energized high-voltage lines while maintaining the operation of these lines. To do this, Tesmec introduced radio controls on the entire Brake Winch product range, which enables fast production rates while ensuring the safety of construction personnel.

In the Quebec City installation, Quebec City replaced a 11.5-mm steel shieldwire on a 60-year-old double-circuit 161-kV line with an 16.7-mm OPGW manufactured by Philips Fittel.

Line contractor GLR (Quebec City) carried out the project during September and October 2002 in accordance with stringent safety requirements. The customer, Alcan, insisted the line remain in operation at all times because it feeds important aluminum smelting factories. The 22-km (14-mile) line section upgrade required seven OPGW reels with a maximum length per single reel of 4300 m (2.7 miles).

GLR's experience with Tesmec's radio-controlled, automatically reversible puller-tensioner machines provided smooth operation and precise tension control.
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