The company Pinguely-Haulotte was just named the Haulotte Group during 2005. The name change was the first time within 124 years the name has not included Pinguely. The Haulotte Group is popular for manufacturing articulated work platforms, telescopic work platforms, vertical mast-work platforms, scissor lifts and trailer mounted work platforms.
On July 24th, 2008 the Haulotte Group obtained Bil-Jax, who was the US' largest scaffold manufacturer. Currently, Haulotte Group has three plants in France, one plant in Spain, one in Romania, near Pitesti City. There is a new factory which opened in the winter of the year 2008. This plant is 1 km away from the existing plant near Pitesti in the County of Arges. The factory is referred to as Arges II. There are also two factories within the USA, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
The company was formed during 1881 within Lyon, France by Alexandre Pinguely. The company initially constructed steam engines. The company eventually evolved into making machinery. In 1892, they provided a steam engine to the Chemin de Fer de St Victor a Thizy.
Pinguely provided 7 locomotives to the Voiron-Saint-Beron railway. When it comes to numbers produced, Pinguely was not a main locomotive manufacturer. The company supplied 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 focusing instead on mobile cranes and manufacturing earthmoving equipment instead.
Haulotte
During 1924, Haulotte was formed in L'Horme by Arthur Haulotte. The company was known as Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This business 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, design, research and development. All products were abandoned by Saubot so that the company can focus on self-propelled aerial work platforms.