Aerial Work Platforms
AWP or aerial work platforms are engineered and designed to elevate employees and their gear to a certain height in order to complete a job. The specific unit and manufacturer and type of machinery all varies. Before aerial work platforms were made, all tasks needing work at high levels had to be carried out with scaffolding. Thus, the invention of aerial work platforms has increased the overall productivity of similar jobs and kept a lot of employees safe.
There are 3 main types of aerial work platforms. They are boomlifts, mechanical lifts and scissorlifts. These kinds of machines could be operated with pneumatics, mechanically via 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 devising the aerial work platform. However, in 1966, prior to JLG's first model, a company known as Selma Manlift introduced 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 decided to stop at Hoover Dam. While the couple was there, Grove unfortunately saw 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 lift employees safely in the air for them to do maintenance and construction tasks in a better way.
Once John returned home from his vacation, he bought a small metal fabrication business and formed a partnership along with 2 friends. They immediately started designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new business was named JLG Industries Inc. They proudly released their first aerial work platform in 1970 with the aid of 20 workers.