Aerial Work Platforms
The aerial work platform or AWP is a machinery engineered and designed to elevate employees and tools to a certain height for the completion of tasks. The type of machine varies with the specific brand and model. Before aerial work platforms were made, all tasks which require work at high levels had to be carried out with scaffolding. Therefore, the invention of aerial work platforms has increased the overall productivity of similar jobs and kept many workers safe.
There are 3 main kinds of aerial work platforms. They are scissor lifts, boomlifts and mechanical lifts. These equipment can be operated with pneumatics, mechanically utilizing a rack and pinion system or with screws or by hydraulics. These units 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 so as to be transported.
The aerial work platform was devised by John L. Grove, an American inventor and industrialist. However, during the year 1966, before the very first model of JLG, a company known as Selma Manlift launched an aerial lift model.
During the year 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 workers electrocuted while they were working on scaffolding. This tragic event led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product which could safely lift workers in the air for them to perform maintenance and construction tasks in a better way.
John bought a small metal fabrication business and formed a partnership together with 2 friends, when he returned home from his vacation. The small business immediately 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 in the year 1920 with the aid of 20 employees.