Aerial Work Platforms
The aerial work platform or AWP is a machine engineered and designed to raise workers and tools to a particular height for the completion of jobs. The type of machine varies with the particular make and unit. Before aerial work platforms were made, all tasks which need work at high levels needed to be carried out with scaffolding. Thus, the invention of aerial work platforms has increased the overall productivity of similar jobs and kept numerous employees safe.
There are 3 key types of aerial work platforms. They are boomlifts, mechanical lifts and scissorlifts. These types of machinery are able to be operated with pneumatics, mechanically using a rack and pinion system or by hydraulics or with screws. These models may be self-propelled with controls at the platform, they may be unpowered models that need 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. Nonetheless, in 1966, before JLG's first model, a company known as Selma Manlift introduced an aerial lift model.
In 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 workers electrocuted while they were working on scaffolding. This tragic event led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product that can lift employees safely in the air for them to perform maintenance and construction jobs in a better way.
When John returned home from his trip, he purchased a small metal fabrication company and formed a partnership along with 2 friends. They soon started designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new business was called JLG Industries Inc. They proudly launched their first aerial work platform in the year 1920 with the aid of 20 employees.