Aerial Work Platforms
AWP or aerial work platforms are engineered and designed to elevate workers and their gear to a particular height in order to finish a job. The particular unit and manufacturer and type of equipment all varies. Before aerial work platforms were developed, all tasks needing work at high levels needed to be carried out 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 needing 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 developing the aerial work platform. However, in 1966, before JLG's very first unit, a company called Selma Manlift introduced an aerial lift unit.
John L. Grove together with his wife decided to take a road trip in 1967. This was after selling his previous company Grove Manufacturing. 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 that can safely lift employees 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, when he returned home from his vacation. The small company soon started designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new company was called JLG Industries Inc. They proudly released their very first aerial work platform in the year 1920 with the aid of 20 workers.