During the year 2005, the corporation Pinguely-Haulotte was renamed Haulotte Group. This change in name brought the end of the Pinguely name after 124 years! The Haulotte Group is known for making articulated work platforms, telescopic work platforms, vertical mast-work platforms, scissor lifts and trailer mounted work platforms.
On the 24th of July, the year 2008 the Haulotte Group acquired Bil-Jax, who was the US' biggest scaffold manufacturer. Now, Haulotte Group has three factories in France, one factory in Spain, one factory in Romania, near Pitesti City. There is a new plant that opened during the winter of 2008. This plant is 1 km away from the existing factory near Pitesti City within the County of Arges. The plant is called Arges II. There are also two plants in the USA, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
The company was established during 1881 in Lyon, France by Alexandre Pinguely. The company first build steam engines. The business eventually evolved into making machinery. During 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 main locomotive manufacturer in terms of numbers produced. The company provided a steam locomotive to the Chemin de Fer du Haut-Rhone in the year 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 machinery instead.
Haulotte
Arthur Hualotte formed the beginnings of Haulotte in 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
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 can focus on self-propelled aerial work platforms.