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 popular for making 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' largest scaffold manufacturer. Currently, Haulotte Group has one plant in Spain, three plants in France, one in Romania, near Pitesti City. There is a new plant that opened in the winter of 2008. This factory is 1 km away from the existing plant near Pitesti City in the County of Arges. The plant is called Arges II. There are also two factories within the USA, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
Alexandre Pinguely established the Pinguely Company in the year 1881 in Lyon, France. Initially, they built steam engines. The business evolved into making equipment eventually. During 1892, they supplied 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 major steam engine manufacturer when it comes to numbers produced. The company provided a steam train to the Chemin de Fer du Haut-Rhone during the year 1930 and by the year 1932, Pinguely began manufacturing steam shovels. Production of steam locomotives was stopped and the company began concentrating instead on mobile cranes and manufacturing earthmoving machines instead.
Haulotte
Arthur Hualotte established the beginnings of Haulotte in 1924, when it was called Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This company specialized in manufacturing mobile cranes, derricks and aerial platforms.
Pinguely-Haulotte
It was decided that the actual manufacturing was to be sub-contracted to Pinguely-Haulotte. They were to be responsible for the marketing and engineering, design, research and development. All products were abandoned by Saubot so that the company could concentrate on self-propelled aerial work platforms.