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{{short description|British multinational automotive and aerospace company}}
{{other uses|GKN (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox company
| name = GKN Ltd
| logo = [[Image:GKN.svg|250px]]
| type = [[limited company]]
| traded_as = 
| foundation = {{start date and age|df=yes|1759}}<br />([[Dowlais]], [[Wales]])
| location = [[Redditch]], England, UK
| key_people = {{ubl|[[Michael Turner (businessman)|Michael Turner]], CBE|([[Chairman]])|[[Nigel Stein]]|([[Chief executive officer]])}}
| industry = [[Automotive industry|Automotive]]<br />[[Aerospace manufacturer|Aerospace]]
| products = Vehicle and aircraft components
| revenue = [[Pound sterling|£]]9,671&nbsp;million (2017)<ref name="prelims">{{Cite web |title=Preliminary Results 2017 |url=https://www.gkn.com/rdh.ashx?downloadrequest=SGUGYWYCTFDMNVLMXXRVGFEFPB |access-date=9 March 2018 |publisher=GKN |format=PDF}}</ref>
| operating_income = [[Pound sterling|£]]699&nbsp;million (2017)<ref name=prelims/>
| net_income = [[Pound sterling|£]]509&nbsp;million (2017)<ref name=prelims/>
| num_employees = 58,000 (2017)<ref name="about">{{Cite web |title=About us |url=http://www.gkn.com/aboutus/Pages/default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206033601/http://www.gkn.com/aboutus/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=6 December 2016 |access-date=7 April 2017 |website=gkn.com}}</ref>
| owner = [[Melrose Industries]]
| divisions = [[GKN Driveline]], GKN Aerospace, GKN Land Systems, GKN Powder Metallurgy
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.gknaerospace.com/}}
}}

'''GKN Ltd''' is a British [[multinational corporation|multinational]] [[automotive industry|automotive]] and [[aerospace manufacturer|aerospace]] components business headquartered in [[Redditch]], England. It was a long-running business known for many decades as '''Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds'''. It can trace its origins back to 1759 and the birth of the [[Industrial Revolution]]. In 2018, GKN plc was acquired by Melrose Industries plc in a hostile takeover. Melrose divested GKN Automotive and GKN Powder Metallurgy in 2023 and listed them as [[Dowlais Group]] on the London Stock Exchange. GKN Aerospace continues to be owned by Melrose plc. 

Throughout the majority of the twentieth century, though steel production remained the core of GKN it branched into [[Machine tool|tooling]] and component manufacturing. It was deeply impacted by government policies during the latter half of the century, during which Britain's steel industry was subject to multiple [[nationalisation]] and [[privatisation]] efforts. During the 1980s, GKN Steel reduced its presence in the steel sector, selling off or shutting down its works.

GKN Steel renamed itself GKN during 1986 to indicate its shift away from steel production. Business activities were re-orientated around the aerospace, automotive and industrial services markets. In 1994,<ref name="James 2004" /><ref name=":0" /> GKN purchased [[Westland Aircraft]]. The company later organised a joint venture of Westland's helicopter interests with [[Agusta]] to form [[AgustaWestland]]<ref name="history" /><ref name=":1" /> and its sale to Italian defense firm [[Finmeccanica]]. During November 1995, [[Dana Corporation]] purchased GKN's axle group; the two firms continued to operate [[joint venture]]s in the field for many years. 

During the early 2000s, it took over Tochigi Fuji Sangyo K.K, a Japanese manufacturer of differentials and driveline torque systems. During December 2011, GKN Aerospace Engineering services division was sold to product engineering firm Quest Global. In 2012, GKN acquired the Swedish aerospace engine specialist [[Volvo Aero]]. During 2018, [[Melrose Industries]] acquired GKN with a £8.1 billion deal.

== Name ==
The company's name is the initials of three early figures in its history: John Guest, [[Arthur Keen (businessman)|Arthur Keen]], and [[Joseph Henry Nettlefold]]. All three were key figures in the field of iron and steel during the [[Industrial Revolution]]. Ivor Guest sold the ''[[Dowlais Ironworks|Dowlais Iron Company]]'' in [[Wales]] to Arthur Keen and Windsor Richards of Birmingham's ''[[Patent Nut and Bolt Company]]'' in June 1900.<ref>''The Times'', Wednesday, June 13, 1900. Issue: 36167</ref> 

They combined the two businesses and formed ''Guest, Keen & Co. Limited'' on 1 November 1900.<ref>''The Times'', Friday,  Nov. 2, 1900. Issue: 36289</ref> A little over twelve months  later, Guest Keen & Co bought and amalgamated ''[[Nettlefolds Limited]]'' into their new combine giving it the style ''Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds Limited''.<ref>''The Times'',  Friday,  Jan. 24, 1902, Issue: 36673</ref> 

==History==

===1759 to 1900===
{{main|Dowlais Ironworks}}
[[Image:George Childs Dowlais Ironworks 1840.jpg|thumbnail|250px|''Dowlais Ironworks'' by George Childs (1840)]]
The origins of GKN lie in the founding of the Dowlais Ironworks in the village of [[Dowlais]], [[Merthyr Tydfil]], [[Wales]], by [[Thomas Lewis (industrialist)|Thomas Lewis]] and [[Isaac Wilkinson]]. John Guest was appointed manager of the works in 1767, having moved from [[Broseley]].<ref>Owen 1977, Page 13.</ref> In 1786, Guest was succeeded by his son, Thomas Guest, who formed the Dowlais Iron Company with his son-in-law William Taitt. Guest introduced many innovations and the works prospered.<ref>Owen 1977, Pages 15–16.</ref>

Under Guest's leadership, alongside his manager John Evans, and after his death in 1852 that of his wife [[Lady Charlotte Guest]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=History, section "Lady Charlotte Guest: a pioneering woman" |url=https://www.gknaerospace.com/en/about-gkn-aerospace/history/#timeline-3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529204138/http://www.gkngroup.com/aboutus/ourheritage/Pages/Lady-Charlotte-Guest-a-pioneering-woman.aspx |archive-date=29 May 2018 |website=GKN Aerospace}}</ref> the Dowlais Ironworks gained the reputation of being "one of the World's great industrial concerns".<ref name="James 2004">James 2004, {{page needed|date=February 2020}}.</ref> 
Though the [[Bessemer process]] was [[license]]d in 1856, nine years of detailed planning and project management were needed before the first steel was produced. The company thrived with its new cost-effective production methods, forming alliances with the [[Consett Iron Company]] and [[Krupp]].<ref name="James 2004" /> By 1857, [[G.T. Clark]] and William Menelaus, his manager, had constructed the "Goat Mill", the world's most powerful [[rolling mill]].<ref>Owen 1977, Pages 57–58.</ref>

By the mid-1860s, Clark's reforms had borne fruit in renewed [[Profit (accounting)|profitability]]. Clark delegated day-to-day management to Menelaus, his trusteeship terminating in 1864 when ownership passed to [[Ivor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne|Sir Ivor Guest]]. Clark continued to direct policy, building a new plant at the docks at [[Cardiff]] and vetoing a [[joint-stock company]]. He formally retired in 1897.<ref name="James 2004" />

===1900 to 1966===
On 9 July 1900, the Dowlais Iron Company and [[Arthur Keen (businessman)|Arthur Keen]]'s ''[[Patent Nut and Bolt Company]]'' merged to form ''Guest, Keen & Co. Ltd''.<ref name="history">{{Cite web |title=GKN 250 Home – GKN PLC |url=http://www.gkn.com/aboutus/ourheritage/Pages/default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402110952/http://www.gkn.com/aboutus/ourheritage/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=2 April 2015 |access-date=15 March 2015 |website=gkn.com}}</ref>

''[[Nettlefolds Limited]]'', a leading manufacturer of fasteners, established in [[Smethwick]], [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] in 1854, was acquired in 1902, leading to the change of name to ''Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds'' (GKN).<ref name="history" /><ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1950/1950%20-%202010.html "Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds."] ''Flight International'', 1950.</ref>

In 1920 [[John Lysaght and Co.]] was acquired.<ref name="Mayer76">{{Cite book |last=Mayer |first=Colin |title=Firm Commitment: Why the corporation is failing us and how to restore trust in it |date=14 February 2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-165025-3 |page=76}}</ref>

====Guest Keen Baldwins====
Steel production remained at the core of the company, but under increasing profit margin pressure. In 1930, the company combined its steel production business with that of rival Baldwins to form ''Guest Keen Baldwins'', which now held:<ref>The Times, 5 April 1930.</ref>
* Baldwins: Coke ovens at [[Margam]]; Blast-furnaces and steel melting shop at [[Margam]]; steel works and rolling mills at [[Port Talbot]]; blast-furnaces at [[Briton Ferry]]; lime stone quarry at [[Cornelly]]
* GKN: Dowlais Iron and Steel Works; Cardiff Iron and Steel Works; coke ovens at [[Cwmbran]]; limestone and silica quarries

In 1935, the company demolished the Cardiff works to construct a new production facility on the same site, funded by an issue of [[debenture]]s.<ref>The Times, 22 May 1935.</ref> Due to a resultant global shortage of pig iron, in 1937, the company fired-up the single remaining blast furnace at Dowlais.<ref>The Times, 16 March 1937.</ref>

During the [[Second World War]], all of the sites were heavily bombed by [[Nazi Germany]]'s [[Luftwaffe]], and the required investment meant that all of these assets were nationalised as part of the Iron and Steel Act 1949, resultantly becoming part of the [[Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain]].<ref>Hansard, 19 February 1951.</ref>

GKN were still highly reliant on the supply of good quality steel thus, in 1954, the business negotiated from the asset realisation company the repurchase of key assets from ISC, which were renamed ''Guest Keen Iron and Steel Co.'' In 1961, the company's name was changed again to ''GKN Steel Company''.<ref>The Times, 19 August 1960.</ref>

====Fasteners====
[[File:Thinktank Birmingham - object 1986S03948(1).jpg|thumb|upright|Display showing products of Guest Keen & Nettlefolds Ltd. in decorative form.]]

These mergers heralded half a century in which ''GKN'' became a major manufacturer of [[screw]]s, [[nut (hardware)|nut]]s, [[Machine screw|bolts]] and other [[fastener]]s. The company reflected the [[vertical integration]] fashionable at the time embracing activities from coal and ore extraction, and iron and steel making to manufacturing finished goods.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GKN Fasteners |url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/GKN_Fasteners |access-date=7 April 2017 |publisher=Grace's Guide}}</ref>

====Crankshafts====
After the [[World War I|First World War]], it became apparent that Britain was likely to follow [[France]] and the United States in developing a large scale automotive industry.<ref name=Motor196905/> During 1919, GKN acquired another fastener manufacturer, F. W. Cotterill Ltd. Cotterill owned a subsidiary named J. W. Garrington, which specialised in forgings; the forgings produced at the Garrington [[Darlaston]] plant, later supplemented by a large plant at [[Bromsgrove]], enabled GKN to become a major supplier of [[crankshaft]]s, connecting rods, half-shafts and numerous smaller forged components to the UK auto-industry, which had a period of massive expansion during the [[interwar period]] and beyond.<ref name="Motor196905">{{Cite magazine |last=Turner |first=Philip |date=10 May 1969 |title=Making the most of it Or – are you driving a GKN? |magazine=Motor |pages=58–60}}</ref>

====Pressed steel wheels====
Another company, eventually acquired by GKN, was founded by another steel manufacturing entrepreneur, [[Joseph Sankey]]. After training as a mechanical engineer in the late 19th century, Sankey founding a company that became a major producer of [[tea tray]]s. A pioneering motorist, Sankey became friends with figures such as [[Herbert Austin]], and was also a supplier of sheet steel components to the nascent British car industry.<ref name=Motor196905/> Because the wooden wheels on early cars had a tendency to disintegrate after hitting roadside kerbs,<ref name=Motor196905/> Sankey developed a pioneering pressed-steel wheel.<ref name=Motor196905/> Production started in 1908, with customers including [[Austin Motor Company]] and, later, [[Lord Nuffield|William Morris]].<ref name=Motor196905/> In addition to Sankey's original factory at [[Bilston]], a new plant was established near [[Wellington, Shropshire]], which was devoted to wheel production and known as GKN Sankey.<ref name=Motor196905/>

Meanwhile, by 1914, GKN's customers for sheet-steel vehicle bodies had also come to include Austin, along with [[Daimler Company|Daimler]], [[Humber Limited|Humber]], [[Rover Company|Rover]], [[Star Motor Company|Star]] and [[Argyll (car)|Argyll]].<ref name=Motor196905/>

After [[John Lysaght]] acquired Joseph Sankey and Sons Ltd, GKN purchased both companies, in 1920.<ref name=Motor196905/>

By the 1960s, GKN was manufacturing many other kinds of automotive components, including chassis for the [[Triumph Herald]] and its derivatives.<ref name=Motor196905/> The company also developed the [[FV432|GKN FV432]] armoured personnel carrier.<ref name=Motor196905/> By 1969, the highly-automated [[GKN Wheels]] Wellington plant was producing over 5½ million wheels per year, with a maximum rate of approximately 30,000 units per day.<ref name=Motor196905/>

====Nationalisation of steel====
The postwar government nationalised the steel industry under [[Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain]]. The act of parliament of 1949 took effect in February 1951.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Records of the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain, the Iron and Steel Board, and related bodies |url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C27 |access-date=7 April 2017 |publisher=National Archives}}</ref>

In 1951, a new subsidiary Blade Research & Development (BRD) was formed at [[Aldridge]], [[Staffordshire]], to produce aero-engine turbine blades. Following a fall in demand for turbine blades in the late 1950s, the BRD factory switched to producing constant-velocity joints and driveshafts for vehicles.<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 August 2002 |title=Lord Brookes |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1403650/Lord-Brookes.html |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref>

In 1953, Britain's steel industry was de-nationalised by a new government; this policy only lasted for 14 years before being reversed.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 March 2016 |title=Steel in the UK: a timeline of decline |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/mar/30/steel-in-the-uk-a-timeline-of-decline |access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref>

===1966 to 1991===
At the end of April 1965, the recently elected [[First Wilson ministry|Labour government]] published a [[White Paper]] proposing the nationalisation of 90 per cent, by output, of Britain's steel industry.<ref>"90% Of Steel Output in State Plan." ''The Times'', 1 May 1965; pg. 10; Issue 56310.</ref> GKN Steel was transferred to public ownership at the end of July 1967.<ref>"Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds, Ltd." ''The Times'', 10 April 1968; pg. 24; Issue 57223.</ref>

====Driveline====
Beginning a programme of diversification into the automotive field in 1966 GKN bought BRD's much larger competitor, Birfield Ltd,<ref>"International Sense Behind £22M. Birfield Bid." ''The Times'', 10 June 1966; pg. 19; Issue 56654.</ref><ref>"Birfield Accept." ''The Times'', 5 August 1966; pg. 17; Issue 56702.</ref> which held the great bulk of the British market for CVJs, constant velocity joints, and was a company that since 1938 had incorporated both the [[Sheffield]] based [[Laycock Engineering]] later best known as a postwar [[Edgar de Normanville|overdrive]] manufacturer, and [[Hardy Spicer]] Limited of [[Birmingham]], England, also a manufacturer of [[constant-velocity joint]]s.<ref name=Motor196905/> Historically, such joints had few applications, even following the improved design proposed by [[Alfred H. Rzeppa]] in 1936. However, in 1959, [[Alec Issigonis]] had developed the revolutionary [[Mini]] motor car that relied on the Hardy Spicer joints for its [[front wheel drive]] technology. The massive expansion in the exploitation of front wheel drive in the 1970s and 1980s led to the acquisition of other similar businesses and a 43% share of the world market by 2002.<ref name="history" />

On the death of founder Tony Vandervell in 1967, GKN acquired the lucrative [[Maidenhead]]-based [[Vandervell]] bearing manufacturer that was at the time exporting more than 50% of its output to overseas vehicle manufacturers.<ref name=Motor196905/> This was part of a larger trend for GKN that during this period, under its Managing Director [[Raymond Brookes, Baron Brookes|Raymond Brookes]], was working to reduce its dependence on UK auto-maker customers at a time when the domestic industry was seen to be stumbling, in response to bewildering "Government interference and fiscal short-sightedness", with British new car registrations in the first four months of 1969 a massive 33% down on the corresponding period of the previous year.<ref name=Motor196905/>

As a result of the large number of mergers, [[Abram Games]] was commissioned to develop a new [[corporate identity]] in 1969 when the distinctive angular GKN symbol was created and the new company colours of blue and white introduced.<ref>[https://archive.today/20140121134158/http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/diad/bres/pub/COID/243/82.jpg Design 1969, issue 243 page 82]. None. Retrieved on 17 August 2011.</ref> In 1974, GKN acquired [[Kirkstall Forge Engineering]], a manufacturer of truck axles in [[Leeds]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kirkstall Forge Engineering |url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Kirkstall_Forge_Engineering |access-date=15 March 2015 |website=gracesguide.co.uk}}</ref>

====GKN Steel====
By 1968, GKN Steel had recreated its downline business, and started to build its upline business through aggressive building of a steel stockholding business. In 1972, it acquired Firth Cleveland, a hot and cold rolled strip business with a downline in sintered products, reinforcement steels, wire fasteners and garage equipment. In 1973, GKN Steel exchanged the remaining assets at Dowlais along with £30 million in cash to the nationalised [[British Steel Corporation]],<ref>{{Cite journal |year=2004 |title=Consumer Price Inflation since 1750 |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/article.asp?ID=726 |journal=Economic Trends |volume=604 |pages=38–46, March}}</ref> in return for the previously nationalised [[Brymbo Steelworks]].<ref>''[[The Times]]'', 8 August 1973, 17, col.A.</ref> After acquiring steel stockholding competitor Miles Druce and Co, by 1974, the company was in possession of a full integrated steel production and manufacturing business.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Miles, Druce & Co. |url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Miles_Druce_and_Co |access-date=7 April 2017 |publisher=Grace's Guide}}</ref>

By the late 1980s, in the face of extensive competition from Japanese firms in both the axle and constant velocity joint business, GKN Steel decided to start selling off its steel and fasteners businesses. By 1991, the firm had disposed of all of the assets within these two business lines. GKN Steel's withdrawal coincidence with the wider closure of multiple steelworks and heavy industries across Britain, which caused considerable social disruption in some areas at the time, thus becoming a topic of political debate.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 June 1985 |title=Manchester Steel Ltd. (Closure) |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1985/jun/05/manchester-steel-ltd-closure |publisher=Hansard}}</ref> In 1989, GKN Steel's factory at [[Bilston]], in the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]], was permanently closed and subsequently demolished.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 April 2006 |title=Bilston's Changing Landscape – post 1979 |url=http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/Bilstons-Changing-Landscape-post-1979/story-20122919-detail/story.html |access-date=25 March 2016}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===1990s===
Having disposed of its steel production asset, the company renamed itself ''GKN'' in 1986. The firm focused on military vehicles, [[aerospace]] and industrial services.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ST share index line: where they are now |url=http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/uk-ft-share-index-line-up-1935-now/article/411782 |access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref> During the 1990s, GKN completed a series of large acquisitions and industrial consolidations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Geoff |date=14 June 1999 |title=Westland looks global with strategic buys |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/westland-looks-global-with-strategic-buys/26698.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=23 June 1999 |title=Westland looks for further growth |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/westland-looks-for-further-growth/27286.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref> During 1994, the firm acquired the [[helicopter]] manufacturing business of [[Westland Aircraft]].<ref name="history" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=9 February 1994 |title=Company News; GKN Makes a bid for Westland Helicopter Group |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/09/business/company-news-gkn-makes-a-bid-for-westland-helicopter-group.html |publisher=Reuters}}</ref> In 1998, GKN's armoured vehicle business was sold to [[Alvis plc]];<ref name="history" /> this division was subsequently incorporated into [[Alvis Vickers Ltd]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2289545.stm |title=Vickers taken over by Alvis|date=1 October 2002|publisher= BBC News|access-date=12 May 2021}}</ref>

During November 1995, associate [[Dana Corporation]] purchased GKN's axle group; at that time, GKN held 34% of the world market for constant velocity joints.<ref>"GKN." ''The Times'', 2 November 1995; pg. 28; Issue 65414.</ref> Around this same time period, GKN acquired larger shares of its other driveline joint ventures with Dana in Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.<ref>"GKN sells axles division for £73m." ''The Times'', 2 November 1995; pg. 31; Issue 65414.</ref> From the late 1990s, the company built up a major global business in [[powder metallurgy]], which operates as the GKN Powdered Metallurgy group.<ref name="history" />

During early 1998, GKN and Italian aerospace company [[Finmeccanica]] commenced discussions on the topic of merging their helicopter operations; French aerospace conglomerate [[Aérospatiale]] had also reportedly made its own approaches around this time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 April 1998 |title=GKN opens Agusta merger talks |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/gkn-opens-agusta-merger-talks/20709.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref>

=== 2000s ===
In July 2000, GKN and Finmeccanica announced an agreement to merge their respective helicopter subsidiaries, Westland and [[Agusta]] respectively, to form [[AgustaWestland]].<ref name="history" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Jasper |first=Chris |date=1 August 2000 |title=Agusta and Westland finally tie the knot on merger deal |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/agusta-and-westland-finally-tie-the-knot-on-merger-deal-/33510.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref> On 20 May 2004, GKN confirmed that it was holding discussions to sell its 50% shareholding in AgustaWestland to Finmeccanica.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 May 2004 |title=GKN confirms Westland sale talks |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/3733361.stm |work=BBC News}}</ref> The sale of this stake in exchange for £1 billion ($1.79 billion) from Finmeccanica was finalised later that year.<ref name="history" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Alexander |date=1 June 2004 |title=GKN share price boosted by sale of AgustaWestland stake |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/gkn-share-price-boosted-by-sale-of-agustawestland-stake-/54698.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref>

In 2002, GKN acquired a significant stake in – and by 2004 took over the whole concern of – the Japanese manufacturer of differentials and driveline torque systems Tochigi Fuji Sangyo K.K, based in [[Tochigi, Tochigi]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=GKN Acquires Stake in Tochigi Fuji Sangyo (TFS) of Japan; Together, GKN and TFS will be world's largest independent suppliers of advanced torque management devices |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/GKN+Acquires+Stake+in+Tochigi+Fuji+Sangyo+(TFS)+of+Japan%3B+Together,...-a084157714 |access-date=15 March 2015 |website=thefreelibrary.com |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402124921/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/GKN+Acquires+Stake+in+Tochigi+Fuji+Sangyo+(TFS)+of+Japan%3B+Together,...-a084157714 |url-status=dead }}</ref> GKN went on to acquire Monitor Aerospace Corp in [[Amityville, New York]] and Precision Machining in [[Wellington, Kansas]] in 2006,<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 August 2006 |title=GKN Buys Stellex to Position Itself in Titanium |url=http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/gkn-buys-stellex-to-position-itself-in-titanium-02500/ |access-date=17 August 2011 |publisher=Defenseindustrydaily.com}}</ref> part of the [[Airbus]] plant at [[Filton]] near [[Bristol]] for £150&nbsp;million in 2008<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/2785287/GKN-unveils-150m-plans-for-Airbus-Filton-factory.html|title=GKN unveils £150m plans for Airbus Filton factory|website=www.telegraph.co.uk|date=29 February 2008 }}</ref> and all of [[Getrag]]'s axle business and axle manufacturing facilities in 2011.<ref name="deal">{{Cite web |date=28 July 2011 |title=GKN to acquire Getrag's Driveline Products Business |url=http://www.gkn.com/media/News/Pages/GKN-to-acquire-Getrag%E2%80%99s-Driveline-Products-Business.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917032859/http://www.gkn.com/media/News/Pages/GKN-to-acquire-Getrag%E2%80%99s-Driveline-Products-Business.aspx |archive-date=17 September 2011 |access-date=30 July 2011}}</ref>

=== 2010s ===
During December 2011, GKN Aerospace Engineering services division was acquired by product engineering firm Quest Global.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 December 2011 |title=QuEST acquires GKN Aerospace's engineering division |work=The Times of India |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-12-02/news/30468067_1_engineering-design-quest-plans-engineering-services|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311141328/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-12-02/news/30468067_1_engineering-design-quest-plans-engineering-services|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 March 2013}}</ref> The sale was accompanied by an agreement for QuestGlobal to provide engineering resources to GKN Aerospace; this cooperation was presented as a long-term strategy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 December 2011 |title=Quest Global Engineering acquires GKN Aerospace |url=https://www.theengineer.co.uk/quest-global-engineering-acquires-gkn-aerospace/ |publisher=The Engineer |access-date=15 February 2020 |archive-date=12 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812215338/https://www.theengineer.co.uk/quest-global-engineering-acquires-gkn-aerospace/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In July 2012, GKN agreed to acquire the Swedish aerospace components manufacturer [[Volvo Aero]] from [[Volvo|AB Volvo]] for £633 million (US$986 million).<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 July 2012 |title=GKN agrees to buy Volvo's aero engines division |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18718804 |access-date=11 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ruddick |first=Graham |date=5 July 2012 |title=GKN buys Volvo Aero for £633m |work=The Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/9378265/GKN-buys-Volvo-Aero-for-633m.html |access-date=11 July 2012}}</ref> The takeover was seen as presenting good opportunities for the expansion of Volvo Aero's range of engine component production range via GKN's experience in producing aerostructures.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gubisch |first=Michael |date=10 July 2012 |title=FARNBOROUGH: Volvo sees future growth under GKN |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/farnborough-volvo-sees-future-growth-under-gkn/106161.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref> In October 2015, GKN acquired Dutch aerospace company [[Fokker Technologies]] through a €706 million deal.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 October 2015 |title=GKN completes acquisition of Fokker Technologies |publisher=Fokker |url=http://www.fokker.com/GKN-completes-acquisition-of-Fokker-Technologies |access-date=30 November 2016}}</ref> GKN Aerospace chief Kevin Cummings stated that the Fokker purchase enhances GKN's global manufacturing footprint and brought new technology to the company.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaminski-Morrow |first=David |date=28 July 2015 |title=UK's GKN to acquire Fokker Technologies |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/uks-gkn-to-acquire-fokker-technologies/117755.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref>

Throughout the 2010s, there was strong demand for GKN's aerostructures; earlier, the company had secured manufacturing contracts to produce elements of the [[Boeing 787]], [[Airbus A350 XWB]], [[Airbus A400M Atlas]], and [[Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II]], in addition to numerous other aircraft.<ref name="flight honda 2011" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Thisdell |first=Dan |date=21 July 2010 |title=FARNBOROUGH: GKN scoops $960 million of new contracts |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/farnborough-gkn-scoops-960-million-of-new-contracts/94628.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref> During early 2011, it was announced that GKN and [[EADS]] would cooperate on developing radical [[additive layer manufacturing]] technology for aerospace purposes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thisdell |first=Dan |date=14 April 2011 |title=EADS, GKN aim to bring additive layer manufacturing to aerospace |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/eads-gkn-aim-to-bring-additive-layer-manufacturing-to-aerospace/99409.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref> That same year, the [[Honda Aircraft Company]] picked GKN to produce the whole composite fuselage of its [[Honda HA-420 HondaJet]] at the latter's facility in [[Alabama]].<ref name="flight honda 2011">{{Cite web |last=Thisdell |first=Dan |date=14 April 2011 |title=Honda picks GKN for Hondajet fuselage |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/honda-picks-gkn-for-hondajet-fuselage/99408.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref> In late 2012, it opened a new composite manufacturing facility in [[Mexicali]], [[Mexico]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Majcher |first=Kristin |date=10 July 2012 |title=FARNBOROUGH: GKN to open composites facility in Mexicali |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/farnborough-gkn-to-open-composites-facility-in-mexicali/106137.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref> During the same year, GKN was contracted to provide fuselage components for the [[Bell 525 Relentless]] helicopter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gubisch |first=Michael |date=8 July 2012 |title=FARNBOROUGH: GKN wins Bell 525 airframe part deal |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/farnborough-gkn-wins-bell-525-airframe-part-deal/106060.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref>

During January 2018, [[Melrose Industries]] announced plans to purchase GKN and its restructuring thereafter;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gubisch |first=Michael |date=15 January 2018 |title=Melrose presents GKN takeover plan to shareholders |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/melrose-presents-gkn-takeover-plan-to-shareholders/126725.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref> that same month, GKN's management rejected the initial bid made.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gubisch |first=Michael |date=12 January 2018 |title=GKN to reorganise after rejecting takeover bid |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/systems-and-interiors/gkn-to-reorganise-after-rejecting-takeover-bid/126709.article |publisher=Flight International}}</ref> In March 2018, Melrose submitted a revised £8.1 billion bid for the company; this bid was controversial and was subject to criticism, being branded by some press agencies as a hostile takeover.<ref>{{Cite web |first1=Phil|last1=Serafino|first2= Benjamin D |last2=Katz |date=17 January 2018 |title=Melrose Makes $10.2 Billion Hostile Offer to Acquire GKN |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-17/melrose-makes-sweetened-10-2-billion-offer-to-acquire-gkn |access-date=1 May 2018 |publisher=Bloomberg L.P.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Finch |first=Julia |date=29 March 2018 |title=What's the controversy over Melrose's hostile takeover of GKN? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/29/whats-the-controversy-over-melroses-hostile-takeover-of-gkn |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Melrose's offer received shareholder support and was accepted.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gubisch |first=Michael |date=29 March 2018 |title=Melrose wins shareholder support for GKN takeover |work=Flightglobal |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/melrose-wins-shareholder-support-for-gkn-takeover-447212/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Robert |last=Wall |date=29 March 2018 |title=Melrose Industries Wins Bruising Takeover Battle for Britain's GKN |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/melrose-industries-wins-bruising-takeover-battle-for-britains-gkn-1522339171 |access-date=1 May 2018}}</ref> Following a formal review of the purchase, including of various objections put forward by GKN workers and [[trade union]]s, the UK Government allowed the transaction to proceed in April 2018;<ref name="bbc">{{Cite web |date=30 March 2018 |title=GKN takeover concerns to be assessed by government |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43594542 |access-date=3 April 2018 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2018 |title=The future of GKN inquiry: Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee |url=https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/business-energy-industrial-strategy/inquiries/parliament-2017/future-of-gkn-17-19/ |publisher=parliament.uk}}</ref> Melrose agreed to comply with several national security measures.<ref name="Reuters">{{Cite news |date=24 April 2018 |title=GKN takeover given green light |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gkn-m-a-melrose-inds/british-government-gives-melrose-takeover-of-gkn-the-green-light-idUSKBN1HV1U5 |access-date=24 April 2018}}</ref>

Since the takeover by Melrose plc, the GKN legacy group of businesses were decentralised in a move toward maximizing profitable sales in favour of focusing on pure growth of sales numbers. By the end of 2019, GKN had been restructured into three core divisions: GKN Aerospace, GKN Automotive and GKN Powder Metallurgy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.melroseplc.net/media/2536/melrose-ar2019.pdf|title=Annual Report 2019|publisher=Melrose|access-date=11 March 2022}}</ref>

=== 2020s ===
On 9 July 2021, 422 workers of GKN's factory in [[Florence]], Italy were notified that the factory was to be closed the next Monday. The same day, the unions organized a demonstration in front of the factory, and then [[Occupation of factories|occupied it]]. A workers' collective was formed with the objective of taking a shareholding in the business.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crowdfunding – #insorgiamo |url=https://insorgiamo.org/crowdfunding/ |access-date=2023-04-08 |language=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Italy's Longest-Ever Factory Occupation Shows How Workers Can Transform Production |url=https://jacobin.com/2023/04/italy-gkn-factory-occupation-transform-production-workers-jobs-climate-change |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=jacobin.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

In March 2023, Melrose announced that it would demerge GKN Automotive and GKN Powder Metallurgy as [[Dowlais Group]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.investorschronicle.co.uk/news/2023/03/10/melrose-sets-gkn-demerger-in-motion/|title=Melrose sets GKN demerger in motion|date=10 March 2023|newspaper=Investors' Chronicle|access-date=15 April 2023}}</ref> On 29 January 2025, it was announced that [[American Axle]] had made an offer worth US$1.4 billion to acquire Dowlais.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Olsen |first=Robert |title=U.S. Auto-Parts Maker American Axle To Buy Britain’s Dowlais For $1.4 Billion |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertolsen-1/2025/01/29/us-auto-parts-maker-american-axle-to-buy-britains-dowlais-for-14-billion/ |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Shabong |first=Yadarisa |date=2025-01-30 |title=American Axle to buy GKN automotive owner Dowlais in $1.4 billion deal |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/us-auto-supplier-american-axle-acquire-uks-dowlais-144-bln-deal-2025-01-29/ |access-date=2025-08-02 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref> The transaction was approved by the shareholders of American Axle on 15 July 2025 and by the shareholders of Dowlais Group on 22 July 2025. It was expected to complete during the fourth quarter of 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Recommended cash and share combination of Dowlais Group plc with American Axel & Manufacturing Holdings Inc.|url=https://www.aam.com/media/story/recommended-cash-and-share-combination-of-dowlais-group-plc-with-american-axle-manufacturing-holdings-inc-2025 |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=www.aam.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Recommended Combination with American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. |url=https://www.dowlais.com/investors/recommended-combination-with-american-axle-manufacturing-holdings-inc-/ |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=www.dowlais.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Operations==
The company is organised as follows:<ref name=about/>
*GKN Aerospace<ref>[http://www.gknaerospace.com/capabilities.aspx GKN Aerospace capabilities and products] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203215549/http://www.gknaerospace.com/capabilities.aspx |date=3 December 2011 }}. Gknaerospace.com. Retrieved on 17 August 2011.</ref>
**Aerostructures
**EWIS Products
**Engine Products
**Propulsion Systems
*GKN Automotive
**Driveshafts
**Freight Services
**Autostructures
**[[Cylinder liner]]s, Sheepbridge Stokes
**Power Management
**PowerTrain Systems & Services
**Wheels and Structures
**Stromag
*GKN Powder Metallurgy
**Sinter Metals
**Hoeganaes
**[[Hydrogen Storage]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Elsas|first=M. |title=Iron in the Making. Dowlais Iron Company Letters 1782–1860 |publisher=County Records Committee |year=1960 |location=Glamorgan}}
* James, B. Ll. (2004) "[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5461 Clark, George Thomas (1809–1898)]", ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', Oxford University Press, accessed 21 August 2007 {{ODNBsub}}
* {{Cite book |last=Jones|first= E |title=A History of GKN Volume 1: Innovation and Enterprise 1759–1918 |publisher=Macmillan |year=1987 |isbn=0-333-34594-0 |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Jones|first= E |title=A History of GKN Volume 2: The Growth of a Business 1918–45 |publisher=Macmillan |year=1990 |isbn=0-333-44578-3 |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Owen|first=J. A. |title=The History of the Dowlais Iron Works 1759–1970 |publisher=Starling Press |year=1977 |isbn=0-903434-27-X |location=Newport, Monmouthshire}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.gkn.com}}
* [https://www.gknpm.com GKN Powder Metallurgy]

{{GKN}}
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