In the year 2005, the company Pinguely-Haulotte was renamed Haulotte Group. This name change brought the end of the Pinguely name after 124 years! The Haulotte Group is known for making articulated work platforms, telescopic work platforms, scissor lifts, trailer mounted work platforms and vertical mast-work platforms.
The Haulotte Group obtained Bil-Jax, Inc. on July 24th, 2008. Bil-Jax is the largest US scaffold manufacturer. Currently, Haulotte Group has three plants in France, one plant in Spain, one in Romania, near the City of Pitesti. There is a new factory which opened in the winter of the year 2008. This factory is 1 km away from the existing factory near Pitesti City within Arges County. The factory is called Arges II. There are also two factories in the United States, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
Alexandre Pinguely established the Pinguely Company in 1881 within Lyon, France. Initially, they constructed steam locomotives. The company eventually evolved into making equipment. In 1892, they supplied a train to the Chemin de Fer de St Victor a Thizy.
The company supplied 7 steam engines to the Voiron-Saint-Beron railway. Pinguely was not considered a main locomotive manufacturer in terms of numbers produced. The company supplied a steam locomotive to the Chemin de Fer du Haut-Rhone in the year 1930 and by 1932, Pinguely started making steam shovels. Production of steam locomotives was stopped and the company began focusing instead on mobile cranes and manufacturing earthmoving machines instead.
Haulotte
Arthur Hualotte formed the beginnings of Haulotte in 1924, when it was called Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This business specialized in the production of aerial platforms, mobile cranes and derricks.
Pinguely-Haulotte
It was decided that the actual manufacturing was to be sub-contracted to Pinguely-Haulotte. They were to be responsible for the marketing and engineering, research, design and development. All products were abandoned by Saubot so that the company could concentrate on self-propelled aerial work platforms.