Global Air Cylinder Wheels receives recognition for safety innovation efforts

The award represents the latest milestone for GACW as the company advances from years of engineering development and real-world testing toward commercial deployment.

Since its last major operational update earlier this year, GACW has also opened its first operational Centre of Excellence in Australia and launched a new Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) campaign through StartEngine with the goal of raising up to US$2.6 million.

The recent developments reflect growing industry acknowledgment and operational progress for GACW as it works to introduce a non-pneumatic mechanical alternative to conventional off-the-road (OTR) mining tyres.

“This award gives us something extremely important at this stage of our development -- validation and recognition from the people who understand mining safety and the risks involved in these operations,” said Harmen van Kamp, CEO and Co-Founder of Global Air Cylinder Wheels.

“These are people responsible for health and safety on mine sites, those who make and influence operating decisions, and who realise the problems we are trying to solve. To have the Air Suspension Wheel recognised by this audience is tremendously meaningful for our company and everyone who has worked to bring this technology to the industry.”

The Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference is one of Australia’s leading mining safety gatherings. The 2026 conference brought together more than 1200 Senior Site Executive (SSE) certification holders from across the resources sector, including mining operators, regulators, union leaders, site leadership, safety and health management, engineers, maintenance professionals, and equipment suppliers.

GACW was one of five companies selected to present for the conference’s Safety Innovation Award. The company presented the Air Suspension Wheel and its potential to prevent tyre-related failure modes through a mechanically constrained Air Suspension Wheel system. Conference attendees then voted on the competing innovations, selecting GACW as the award winner. The recognition reinforces that for GACW, safety has been central to the development of its wheel technology from its earliest engineering stages.

Unlike conventional OTR tyres, the ASW is a steel-based, non-pneumatic mechanical wheel that uses in-wheel suspension cylinders and dampers. By eliminating the large pressurised tyre chamber used in traditional mining tyres, the technology is intended to remove stored-pressure energy risks associated with tyre failures while reducing worker exposure during tyre maintenance and changeout procedures. And the ASW, therefore, has been declassified as a pressure vessel.

Large mining tyres can weigh several tonnes and exceed 13 ft in diameter, creating complex maintenance, handling, and safety challenges. GACW developed the ASW to replace the traditional tyre, rim, and chain assembly while addressing dangers associated with tyre pressure, overheating, catastrophic failure, and high-energy maintenance activities.

“Mining is an industry where safety is never an abstract issue,” Van Kamp said. “The people at this conference live with these challenges every day. They understand what happens when equipment fails and why eliminating a hazard can be more powerful than simply finding another way to manage or mitigate it.

"For us, this recognition says the industry sees the potential of what we have spent years developing. It is another important step toward putting this technology into commercial operation.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/01102026/global-air-cylinder-wheels-receives-recognition-for-safety-innovation-efforts/