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