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