In the year 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 articulated work platforms, telescopic work platforms, scissor lifts, trailer mounted work platforms and vertical mast-work platforms.
The Haulotte Group acquired Bil-Jax, Inc. on the 24th of July, 2008. Bil-Jax is the largest scaffold manufacturer in the US. At present, Haulotte Group has three factories in France, one factory in Spain, one factory in Romania, near Pitesti City. There is a new factory that opened in the winter of 2008. This plant is just 1 km away from the existing plant near the city of Pitesti within the County of Arges. The plant is called Arges II. There are also two factories within the United States, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
The company was established in 1881 within Lyon, France by Alexandre Pinguely. The company first constructed steam engines. The company eventually evolved into making equipment. During the year 1892, they provided a locomotive 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 supplied a steam locomotive to the Chemin de Fer du Haut-Rhone in 1930 and by the year 1932, Pinguely started making steam shovels. Steam locomotive production was stopped and the company started concentrating instead on mobile cranes and making earthmoving equipment instead.
Haulotte
In the year 1924, Haulotte was established in L'Horme by Arthur Haulotte. The company was called Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This company specialized in the production of 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.