Aerial Work Platforms
The AWP or aerial work platform is a machinery designed and engineered to raise employees and tools to a certain 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 needing work at high levels had to be done with scaffolding. Therefore, the invention of aerial work platforms has kept many workers safe and increased the overall productivity of similar jobs.
There are 3 key types of aerial work platforms. They are scissor lifts, boomlifts and mechanical lifts. These equipment can be operated with pneumatics, mechanically via a pinion and rack system or with screws or by hydraulics. These units may be self-propelled with controls located at the platform, they may be unpowered models needing an external force to move them or be mounted to a vehicle in order to be transported.
The aerial work platform was developed by John L. Grove, an American industrialist and inventor. Nevertheless, during 1966, prior to the first unit of JLG, 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 make a stop at Hoover Dam. While the couple was there, Grove unfortunately witnessed 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 could raise workers safely in the air for them to do construction and maintenance jobs in a better way.
John purchased a small metal fabrication business and formed a partnership together with 2 friends, once he returned home from his vacation. The small business immediately started designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new company was called JLG Industries Inc. They proudly released their first aerial work platform in the year 1920 with the aid of 20 employees.