The corporation Pinguely-Haulotte was just named the Haulotte Group during 2005. The change in name was the first time in 124 years the name has not included Pinguely. The Haulotte Group is popular for manufacturing articulated work platforms, telescopic work platforms, trailer mounted work platforms, vertical mast-work platforms and scissor lifts.
On July 24th, the year 2008 the Haulotte Group obtained Bil-Jax, who was the US' largest scaffold manufacturer. Now, Haulotte Group has three factories in France, one plant in Spain, one plant in Romania, near the City of Pitesti. There is a new plant which opened during the winter of 2008. This factory is just 1 km away from the existing plant near the city of Pitesti in the County of Arges. The plant is called Arges II. There are also two factories in the USA, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
The company was established in 1881 in Lyon, France by Alexandre Pinguely. The company initially constructed steam engines. The business eventually evolved into making equipment. During the year 1892, they supplied a steam engine to the Chemin de Fer de St Victor a Thizy.
Pinguely provided 7 steam engines to the Voiron-Saint-Beron railway. When it comes to numbers produced, Pinguely was not a major locomotive manufacturer. 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. Production of steam locomotives was stopped and the company started concentrating instead on mobile cranes and manufacturing earthmoving machinery instead.
Haulotte
Arthur Hualotte established the beginnings of Haulotte during 1924, when it was called Ateliers de Construction A. Haulotte. This company specialized in manufacturing derricks, aerial platforms and mobile cranes.
Pinguely-Haulotte
It was decided that the actual manufacturing was to be sub-contracted to Pinguely-Haulotte. They were to be responsible for the marketing and engineering, design, research and development. All products were abandoned by Saubot so that the business could focus on self-propelled aerial work platforms.