Supply and demand
A British engineering firm has grown to become the world ’s leading supplier of automotive driveline systems. Steve Cropley meets the man in charge
❝ Our core business wasn’t going to die. The question was how to reorganise to take advantage of a huge opportunity ❞
If there were a British car company in existence today, with a workforce of 27,000 people in 20 countries, that harboured so much design capability that its expertise were evident in half of the 80 million cars made last year globally, its brand would be a household name, right?
Well, there is a British car company that fits the bill, but for the insertion of one extra word: components. This UK-based global business is actually a car components manufacturer, but because its core products don’t actually roll on their own wheels, it sits somewhat below the radar compared with a Vauxhall, a Land Rover or even an Aston Martin, all of which are puny by comparison.
The company is GKN Automotive, a London-based technology group that bills itself as the global leader in automotive driveline and e-drive systems. It has six R&D sites and 51 factories around the world, made 80 million driveshafts last year, is a “trusted supplier” to 90% of the world’s car makers, generated annual sales worth £4.7 billion in 2019 and aims to do even better this year, buoyed by rapid growth in demand for its electric drive systems, which can mean motors, gearboxes, axles, inverters and power electronics.