During 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 the 24th of July, the year 2008 the Haulotte Group acquired Bil-Jax, who was the US' largest scaffold manufacturer. At present, Haulotte Group has one factory in Spain, three plants in France, one plant in Romania, near the City of Pitesti. There is a new plant that opened in the winter of the year 2008. This factory is just 1 km away from the existing factory near Pitesti in Arges County. The plant is called Arges II. There are also two plants in the USA, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
Alexandre Pinguely formed the Pinguely Company in the year 1881 in Lyon, France. Initially, they constructed steam engines. The business eventually evolved into making machinery. In 1892, they supplied a locomotive to the Chemin de Fer de St Victor a Thizy.
The company supplied 7 trains to the Voiron-Saint-Beron railway. Pinguely was not considered a main locomotive manufacturer in terms of 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 began focusing instead on mobile cranes and making earthmoving machines instead.
Haulotte
Arthur Hualotte formed the beginnings of Haulotte during the year 1924, when it was known as Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This business 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 company could focus on self-propelled aerial work platforms.