In 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 manufacturing telescopic work platforms, articulated work platforms, vertical mast-work platforms, scissor lifts and trailer mounted work platforms.
The Haulotte Group obtained Bil-Jax, Inc. on the 24th of July, the year 2008. Bil-Jax is the largest scaffold manufacturer in the US. Currently, Haulotte Group has one factory in Spain, three plants in France, one in Romania, near Pitesti City. There is a new plant which opened in the winter of 2008. This factory is only 1 km away from the existing factory near the city of Pitesti within the County of Arges. The factory is called Arges II. There are also two plants in the United States, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
The company was established during the year 1881 within Lyon, France by Alexandre Pinguely. The company first build steam locomotives. The company evolved into making equipment eventually. In 1892, they provided a train 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 when it comes to numbers produced. The company provided 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 making earthmoving machinery instead.
Haulotte
During the year 1924, Haulotte was formed in L'Horme by Arthur Haulotte. The company was called Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This company 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 company could focus on self-propelled aerial work platforms.