Aerial Work Platforms
AWP or aerial work platforms are engineered and designed to raise employees and their gear to a certain height so as to do a task. The particular model and manufacturer and kind of machinery all varies. Before aerial work platforms were developed, all tasks which need work at high levels needed to be done with scaffolding. Thus, the invention of aerial work platforms has kept a lot of workers safe and increased the overall productivity of similar jobs.
The three main kinds of aerial work platforms are mechanical lifts, scissorlifts and boomlifts. These machinery can 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 industrialist and inventor who is widely credited to developing the aerial work platform. Nevertheless, in 1966, prior to the very first unit of JLG, a company called Selma Manlift introduced an aerial lift unit.
During the year 1967, after selling his previous company Grove Manufacturing, John L. Grove along with his wife decided to take a road trip. They opted to stop at Hoover Dam. While the couple was there, Grove unfortunately saw 2 workers electrocuted while they were working on scaffolding. This tragic event led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product which can raise workers safely in the air for them to do construction and maintenance jobs in a better way.
Once John returned home from his trip, he purchased a small metal fabrication company and formed a partnership together with 2 friends. They soon started designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new business was named JLG Industries Inc. They proudly released their very first aerial work platform during 1970 with the aid of 20 employees.