The business Pinguely-Haulotte was recently 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, trailer mounted work platforms, vertical mast-work platforms and scissor lifts.
The Haulotte Group obtained Bil-Jax, Inc. on July 24th, the year 2008. Bil-Jax is the largest US scaffold manufacturer. Currently, Haulotte Group has three plants in France, one plant in Spain, one plant in Romania, near Pitesti City. There is a new factory that opened during the winter of 2008. This factory is only 1 km away from the existing factory near the city of Pitesti in Arges County. The plant is referred to as Arges II. There are also two factories within the USA, the former Bill-Jax.
Pinguely
The company was established during 1881 in Lyon, France by Alexandre Pinguely. The company first build steam engines. The business eventually evolved into making machinery. In 1892, they supplied a train to the Chemin de Fer de St Victor a Thizy.
Pinguely supplied 7 steam engines to the Voiron-Saint-Beron railway. When it comes to numbers produced, Pinguely was not a major steam engine manufacturer. The company supplied a steam locomotive to the Chemin de Fer du Haut-Rhone during the year 1930 and by 1932, Pinguely started manufacturing steam shovels. Production of steam locomotives was stopped and the company began focusing instead on mobile cranes and making earthmoving equipment instead.
Haulotte
Arthur Hualotte formed the beginnings of Haulotte in the year 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 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.