Aerial Work Platforms
The aerial work platform or AWP is a machinery designed and engineered to raise employees and gear to a particular height for the completion of tasks. The kind of machinery varies with the particular brand and model. Before aerial work platforms were developed, all jobs which require work at high levels needed to be done with scaffolding. Hence, the invention of aerial work platforms has kept a lot of employees safe and increased the overall productivity of similar tasks.
The three main kinds of aerial work platforms are mechanical lifts, scissorlifts and boomlifts. These equipment are able to be operated with pneumatics, mechanically using a pinion and rack system or by hydraulics or with screws. These models may be self-propelled with controls at the platform, they may be unpowered units requiring an external force to move them or be mounted to a vehicle in order to be transported.
John L. Grove was an American industrialist and inventor who is widely credited to creating the aerial work platform. However, during 1966, before JLG's first unit, a company called Selma Manlift launched an aerial lift model.
John L. Grove along with his wife decided to take a road trip in 1967. This was after selling his previous business Grove Manufacturing. They opted to make a stop at Hoover Dam. While the couple was there, Grove unfortunately witnessed 2 workers electrocuted while they were working on scaffolding. This tragic event led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product which could safely raise workers in the air for them to do maintenance and construction tasks in a better way.
John bought a small metal fabrication company and formed a partnership with 2 friends, once he returned home from his vacation. The small business soon began designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new company was named JLG Industries Inc. They proudly released their first aerial work platform in the year 1920 with the aid of 20 employees.