During 2005, the business 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, scissor lifts, trailer mounted work platforms and vertical mast-work platforms.
The Haulotte Group obtained Bil-Jax, Inc. on the 24th of July, the year 2008. Bil-Jax is the biggest scaffold manufacturer in the US. Now, Haulotte Group has three plants in France, one plant in Spain, one in Romania, near the City of Pitesti. There is a new plant which opened during the winter of 2008. This plant is just 1 km away from the existing factory near the city of Pitesti in the County of Arges. The factory is referred to as Arges II. There are also two plants in the United States, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
The company was established in the year 1881 in Lyon, France by Alexandre Pinguely. The company initially build steam locomotives. The company eventually evolved into making equipment. During the year 1892, they provided a steam engine to the Chemin de Fer de St Victor a Thizy.
The company provided 7 locomotives to the Voiron-Saint-Beron railway. Pinguely was not considered a major steam engine manufacturer when it comes to numbers produced. The company supplied a steam train to the Chemin de Fer du Haut-Rhone during 1930 and by the year 1932, Pinguely started manufacturing steam shovels. Production of steam locomotives was stopped and the company started concentrating instead on mobile cranes and manufacturing earthmoving equipment instead.
Haulotte
In 1924, Haulotte was established in L'Horme by Arthur Haulotte. The company was known as Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This business specialized in manufacturing mobile cranes, derricks and aerial platforms.
Pinguely-Haulotte
Manufacturing it was decided to be sub-contracted to Pinguely-Haulotte, who was to be responsible for the engineering and marketing, research, design and development. All products were abandoned by Saubot so that the business could focus on self-propelled aerial work platforms.