Aerial Work Platforms
The aerial work platform or AWP is a machinery designed and engineered to raise workers and gear to a certain height for the completion of tasks. The kind of equipment varies with the particular make and unit. Before aerial work platforms were made, all jobs that need work at high levels needed to be carried out with scaffolding. Therefore, the invention of aerial work platforms has increased the overall productivity of similar tasks and kept many employees safe.
There are 3 key types of aerial work platforms. They are boomlifts, mechanical lifts and scissorlifts. These machinery can be operated with pneumatics, mechanically utilizing a pinion and rack system or by hydraulics or with screws. These models may be self-propelled with controls located at the platform, they may be unpowered units that require 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, during 1966, prior to the first unit of JLG, a company called Selma Manlift launched an aerial lift unit.
During the year 1967, after selling his previous company Grove Manufacturing, John L. Grove together with his wife decided to take a road trip. They opted to make a stop at Hoover Dam. While the couple was there, Grove unfortunately witnessed 2 employees electrocuted while they were working on scaffolding. This tragic incident led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product which can raise employees safely in the air for them to do construction and maintenance tasks in a better way.
John purchased a small metal fabrication company and formed a partnership together with 2 friends, once he returned home from his trip. The small company soon began designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new business was called JLG Industries Inc. They proudly launched their first aerial work platform in 1970 with the aid of 20 employees.