AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – GKN Driveline and GKN Sinter Metals have announced they are expanding their automotive operations and moving to a new regional headquarters early next year. 
GKN Driveline and GKN Sinter Metals will establish their new regional headquarters for the Americas in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills. The new site also will house employees from GKN’s Land Systems and North American Services groups. Construction of the 168,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to begin some time this month on an 11.2-acre site at 2150 N. Opdyke Road, the location of a now-vacant Showcase Cinema complex.
Headquartered in Auburn Hills since 1986, GKN has more than 300 employees at its current 113,000-square-foot facility at 3300 University Drive. Employment is expected to grow by 50 or more full-time employees in the next three years.
GKN Driveline is a leading producer of automotive driveline components and systems including constant-velocity-joint, all-wheel-drive, trans-axle and electric-drive systems. GKN Sinter Metals is one of the world’s largest producers of precision powder-metal products.
GKN says the new headquarters complex will provide additional space for state-of-the-art testing and validation equipment along with additional engineering design areas for driveline and sinter metal products. Executive management teams from both GKN Driveline and GKN Sinter Metals will be located in the new headquarters building along with various engineering groups and other corporate activities.
Robert Willig, president of GKN Driveline Americas, noted that the need for additional space and resources has become paramount in view of GKN’s substantial growth in recent years and the number of major new program launches planned for the Americas.
"GKN has significantly increased its engineering resources in the past four years and plans to recruit and hire even more engineering personnel to support more than 100 new program launches in the next three years for GKN Driveline and GKN Sinter Metals," Willig said. "Our new headquarters facility underlines our commitment to our customers and to the Americas. The increase in demand for our technology-leading driveline systems made it essential for us to find a suitable facility to support projected growth and better serve our customers."
Chris Franks, president, GKN Sinter Metals Americas, added, "The additional space is ideally located in close proximity to many of our global customers and will give us access to the additional resources needed to provide our customers with world-class precision powder-metal products and allow us to deliver on our corporate vision of providing ‘Engineering That Moves The World.’"
GKN officials also acknowledged "the tremendous support" provided for the project by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s office, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the City of Auburn Hills.
