During 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 popular for making telescopic work platforms, articulated work platforms, vertical mast-work platforms, scissor lifts and trailer mounted work platforms.
On the 24th of July, 2008 the Haulotte Group obtained Bil-Jax, who was the US' biggest scaffold manufacturer. At present, Haulotte Group has one factory in Spain, three factories in France, one plant in Romania, near Pitesti City. There is a new factory which opened in the winter of the year 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 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.
Pinguely supplied 7 trains to the Voiron-Saint-Beron railway. When it comes to numbers produced, Pinguely was not a major locomotive manufacturer. The company provided a steam locomotive to the Chemin de Fer du Haut-Rhone in 1930 and by the year 1932, Pinguely began manufacturing steam shovels. Production of steam locomotives was stopped and the company began focusing 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 known as 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, design, research and development. All products were abandoned by Saubot so that the business can focus on self-propelled aerial work platforms.