Dauch Corp. in Detroit, formerly American Axle & Manufacturing, has completed its previously announced acquisition of British engineering company Dowlais Group and its subsidiaries – GKN Automotive and GKN Powder Metallurgy. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“This is a defining and transformational time for both companies,” says David C. Dauch, CEO and chairman of Dauch. “By uniting the capabilities of both organizations under one brand, we’re creating a premier driveline and metal forming supplier serving the global automotive industry that is built to perform — one positioned to meet today’s demands and lead into the next era of propulsion.”
With the completion of the transaction, trading in Dowlais shares was suspended at 7:30 a.m. GMT today. The Dowlais shares will be delisted from the London Stock Exchange effective as of Feb. 4 at 8 a.m. GMT.
The combined company will operate under one unified brand: Dauch Corp.
To mark the completion of the acquisition, the company introduced its brand platform, Built to Perform, underscoring Dauch’s stated commitment to engineering excellence, operational discipline, and long-term value creation.
The combined company will be headquartered in Detroit and will be led by Dauch as CEO and chairman. Moving forward, Dauch’s board of directors will be expanded to include two independent directors of Dowlais, Simon Mackenzie Smith and Fiona MacAulay, effective Feb. 5.
Reporting to Dauch are the following executives:
- Michael J. Lynch – president of driveline
- Markus Bannert – president of metal forming
- Christopher J. May – executive vice president and chief financial officer
- Terri M. Kemp – senior vice president chief of staff and sustainability
- Matthew Girlando – vice president of strategy and business development
- Renee McLeod – vice president of human resources
- Christopher M. Son – vice president of marketing and communications
- Kristen Netschke – acting general counsel
Driveline operations will have the following executives reporting to Lynch:
- Tolga Oal, president of axles systems
- Mark Gabriel, president of sides hafts, prop shafts, and ePowertrain
Metal forming operations will have the following executives reporting to Bannert:
- Jake Stiteler, president of forgings
- Jean-Marc Durbuis, president of powder metallurgy
Dauch Corp. has operations that span 24 countries and more than 175 locations.
For more information, visit dauch.com.
