Aerial Work Platforms
AWP or aerial work platforms are designed and engineered to elevate employees and their tools to a certain height in order to finish a task. The specific model and manufacturer and type of machinery all varies. Before aerial work platforms were developed, all tasks which need work at high levels had to be carried out with scaffolding. Therefore, the invention of aerial work platforms has increased the overall productivity of similar tasks and kept numerous employees safe.
There are 3 main types of aerial work platforms. They are boomlifts, mechanical lifts and scissorlifts. These kinds of machinery could be operated with pneumatics, mechanically using a rack and pinion system or with screws or by hydraulics. 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 so as to be transported.
John L. Grove was an American inventor and industrialist who is widely credited to creating the aerial work platform. However, in 1966, before JLG's very first unit, a company known as Selma Manlift launched an aerial lift model.
In 1967, after selling his previous company Grove Manufacturing, John L. Grove along with his wife decided to take a road trip. They decided to make a stop at Hoover Dam. While the couple was there, Grove unfortunately saw 2 employees electrocuted while they were working on scaffolding. This terrible incident led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product that could raise workers safely in the air for them to do maintenance and construction tasks in a better way.
When John returned home from his trip, he bought a small metal fabrication business and formed a partnership with 2 friends. They soon began designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new company was called JLG Industries Inc. They proudly released their first aerial work platform in the year 1920 with the aid of 20 workers.