The corporation Pinguely-Haulotte was recently named the Haulotte Group in the year 2005. The name change was the first time in 124 years the name has not included Pinguely. 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. Now, Haulotte Group has three factories in France, one factory in Spain, one in Romania, near Pitesti City. There is a new factory which opened in the winter of 2008. This factory is only 1 km away from the existing plant near Pitesti within the County of Arges. The factory is known as Arges II. There are also two factories within the USA, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
The company was formed during the year 1881 within Lyon, France by Alexandre Pinguely. The company initially build steam locomotives. The company evolved into making machinery eventually. During 1892, they supplied a locomotive to the Chemin de Fer de St Victor a Thizy.
Pinguely supplied 7 steam engines to the Voiron-Saint-Beron railway. In terms of numbers produced, Pinguely was not a major locomotive manufacturer. The company provided a steam locomotive to the Chemin de Fer du Haut-Rhone in the year 1930 and by the year 1932, Pinguely began making steam shovels. Steam locomotive production was stopped and the company began concentrating instead on mobile cranes and making earthmoving machinery instead.
Haulotte
Arthur Hualotte formed the beginnings of Haulotte in 1924, when it was called Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This company specialized in the production of 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 engineering and marketing, research, design and development. All products were abandoned by Saubot so that the company can concentrate on self-propelled aerial work platforms.