In 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 popular for making articulated work platforms, telescopic work platforms, vertical mast-work platforms, scissor lifts and trailer mounted work platforms.
On July 24th, the year 2008 the Haulotte Group obtained Bil-Jax, who was the US' biggest scaffold manufacturer. Now, Haulotte Group has one plant in Spain, three factories in France, one factory in Romania, near Pitesti City. There is a new plant which opened in the winter of 2008. This plant is 1 km away from the existing factory near Pitesti City within Arges County. The plant is called 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 engines. The company eventually evolved into making equipment. During the year 1892, they supplied a steam engine to the Chemin de Fer de St Victor a Thizy.
The company provided 7 trains to the Voiron-Saint-Beron railway. Pinguely was not considered a major locomotive 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 began making steam shovels. Steam locomotive production was stopped and the company started concentrating instead on mobile cranes and making earthmoving machinery instead.
Haulotte
Arthur Hualotte formed the beginnings of Haulotte during 1924, when it was referred to as Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This company specialized in the production of derricks, aerial platforms and mobile cranes.
Pinguely-Haulotte
Manufacturing it was decided to be sub-contracted to Pinguely-Haulotte, who was to be responsible for the engineering and marketing, design, research and development. All products were abandoned by Saubot so that the company can focus on self-propelled aerial work platforms.