Aerial Work Platforms
The aerial work platform or AWP is a machine designed and engineered to raise employees and gear to a certain height for the completion of tasks. The kind of equipment varies with the specific brand and model. Before aerial work platforms were made, all jobs needing work at high levels had to be carried out with scaffolding. Therefore, the invention of aerial work platforms has kept a lot of workers safe and increased the overall productivity of similar tasks.
The three key kinds of aerial work platforms are scissor lifts, boomlifts and mechanical lifts. These kinds of machinery are able to be operated with pneumatics, mechanically making use of a rack and pinion system or by hydraulics or with screws. These units 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 industrialist and inventor who is widely credited to developing the aerial work platform. Nevertheless, in the year 1966, prior to JLG's very first model, a company called Selma Manlift launched an aerial lift model.
In 1967, after selling his previous business 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 witnessed 2 employees electrocuted while they were working on scaffolding. This tragic event led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product which can safely raise workers in the air for them to perform maintenance and construction tasks in a better way.
John purchased a small metal fabrication business and formed a partnership along 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 named JLG Industries Inc. They proudly released their very first aerial work platform in the year 1920 with the aid of 20 workers.