History
In April 2023, Melrose Industries completed the demerger of GKN Automotive and GKN Powder Metallurgy from GKN as Dowlais Group. [4] [5] This name was chosen with the intention of evoking the Dowlais Ironworks where GKN licensed the Bessemer process, using it to produce steel, in 1865. [6]
GKN Automotive originated from J. W. Garrington, a company specializing in forgings initially produced at the Garrington Darlaston plant and later supplemented by the Bromsgrove plant. This made GKN a major supplier of crankshafts, connecting rods, half-shafts and numerous smaller forged components to the UK auto-industry, which underwent a period of significant expansion over time. [7]
Later, a new factory dedicated to the production of wheels was established near Wellington, Shropshire. By the 1960s, the company had become a manufacturer of constant-velocity joints, which are used to transfer the engine's power to the wheels. [7]
In turn, GKN Powder Metallurgy has its origins in Hoeganaes Corporation in North America, which GKN acquired in 1998. [8]
In July 2025, six months after it was announced that American Axle had made a $1.4 billion offer to acquire Dowlais, [9] [10] [11] the transaction was approved by the shareholders of both companies. [12] [13] The deal was completed after the court also approved the transaction on 30 January 2026. [14]
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
£4,337 million (2024) [1] 
£(106) million (2024) [1]