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| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Headquarters | London, |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Automotive Components |
| Owner | Dowlais Group PLC[1] |
Number of employees | 25,000 (2023) |
GKN Automotive is amultinationalmanufacturer ofdriveline components,all-wheel drive systems andplug-in hybrid systems for theautomotive industry.[2]
It employs around 25,000 people across 47 manufacturing facilities and 6 technology centres in 19 countries.[3]
In 2018,Melrose Industries[2] acquiredGKN Ltd and renamed it GKN Automotive.[4] This encompasses both the Driveline and ePowertrain divisions.[3]
GKN Automotive became the world's largest producer ofconstant-velocity joints (CVJs), which it began manufacturing in the 1960s for earlyfront-wheel drive cars.[5] Its other products include sideshafts,propshafts, modular eDrive systems, multi-mode hybrid transmissions for plug-inhybrid electric vehicles, torque vectoring systems for electric drivelines and a range of all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive systems.[2]
GKN, originally known as Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds, first began in 1759 with the establishment ofDowlais Ironworks byThomas Lewis andIsaac Wilkinson. In the early 19th century, the company was actively involved in the railway boom through its production of iron. This was followed by a shift to steel production in the 1860s. AfterWorld War I, GKN diversified into the automotive industry.[citation needed]
In 1966, after being advised GKN Steel would be nationalised for the second time, GKN bought CVJ market leadersBirfield Industries with its subsidiariesHardy Spicer andLaycock Engineering with their interests and subsidiaries inEurope,Japan and theUnited States to save its BRD subsidiary.[6] This was the start of the company'sglobalization. GKN established a manufacturing presence inChina in 1988. At the same time, GKN Driveline was investing in and growing its business inIndia,Brazil andMexico.[citation needed]
