In the year 2005, the corporation 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 manufacturing articulated work platforms, telescopic work platforms, trailer mounted work platforms, vertical mast-work platforms and scissor lifts.
The Haulotte Group acquired Bil-Jax, Inc. on the 24th of July, 2008. Bil-Jax is the biggest US scaffold manufacturer. Currently, Haulotte Group has one factory in Spain, three factories in France, one plant in Romania, near the City of Pitesti. There is a new plant that opened during the winter of the year 2008. This factory is 1 km away from the existing plant near Pitesti within Arges County. The plant is called Arges II. There are also two factories within the USA, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
The company was established in the year 1881 in Lyon, France by Alexandre Pinguely. The company first constructed steam locomotives. The company eventually evolved into making equipment. In 1892, they provided a steam engine 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 major locomotive manufacturer in terms of numbers produced. The company supplied a steam locomotive to the Chemin de Fer du Haut-Rhone during 1930 and by the year 1932, Pinguely started making steam shovels. Production of steam locomotives was stopped and the company began concentrating instead on mobile cranes and manufacturing earthmoving machines instead.
Haulotte
In the year 1924, Haulotte was formed in L'Horme by Arthur Haulotte. The company was referred to as Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This company specialized in manufacturing derricks, aerial platforms and mobile cranes.
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, design, research and development. All products were abandoned by Saubot so that the business could concentrate on self-propelled aerial work platforms.