In the year 2005, the business Pinguely-Haulotte was renamed Haulotte Group. This change in name brought the end of the Pinguely name after 124 years! The Haulotte Group is known for making articulated work platforms, telescopic work platforms, vertical mast-work platforms, scissor lifts and trailer mounted work platforms.
The Haulotte Group acquired Bil-Jax, Inc. on July 24th, 2008. Bil-Jax is the largest scaffold manufacturer in the US. Currently, Haulotte Group has three factories in France, one plant in Spain, one plant in Romania, near Pitesti City. There is a new plant that opened in the winter of the year 2008. This plant is 1 km away from the existing plant near the city of Pitesti within Arges County. The factory is called Arges II. There are also two plants in the United States, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
The company was formed in the year 1881 within Lyon, France by Alexandre Pinguely. The company first constructed steam locomotives. The business evolved into making equipment eventually. In the year 1892, they supplied a locomotive to the Chemin de Fer de St Victor a Thizy.
Pinguely provided 7 trains to the Voiron-Saint-Beron railway. When it comes to numbers produced, Pinguely was not a main steam engine manufacturer. The company supplied a steam locomotive to the Chemin de Fer du Haut-Rhone during 1930 and by 1932, Pinguely started making steam shovels. Steam locomotive production was stopped and the company started concentrating instead on mobile cranes and making earthmoving equipment instead.
Haulotte
Arthur Hualotte formed the beginnings of Haulotte during 1924, when it was referred to as Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This business specialized in manufacturing 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 can concentrate on self-propelled aerial work platforms.