Aerial Work Platforms
AWP or aerial work platforms are designed and engineered to raise employees and their gear to a particular height so as to complete a task. The particular unit and manufacturer and kind of machine all varies. Before aerial work platforms were developed, all jobs which need work at high levels had to be done with scaffolding. Thus, the invention of aerial work platforms has kept numerous employees safe and increased the overall productivity of similar jobs.
The three main kinds of aerial work platforms are scissor lifts, boomlifts and mechanical lifts. These machines could be operated with pneumatics, mechanically via 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 inventor and industrialist who is widely credited to creating the aerial work platform. However, in 1966, before JLG's very first model, a company called Selma Manlift launched an aerial lift unit.
During the year 1967, after selling his previous business Grove Manufacturing, John L. Grove and his wife decided to take a road trip. They opted 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 tragic event led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product that can lift employees safely in the air for them to do construction and maintenance tasks in a better way.
When John returned home from his trip, he bought a small metal fabrication company and formed a partnership along with 2 friends. They soon began designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new business was called JLG Industries Inc. They proudly released their very first aerial work platform in 1970 with the aid of 20 workers.