American Axle Explained

American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.
Type:Public
Foundation:1994
Founders:Richard E. "Dick" Dauch and James W. McLernon
Location City:Detroit, Michigan
Location Country:U.S.
Area Served:Worldwide
Industry:Automotive industry
Products:passenger car, light truck, and commercial vehicle segments
Operating Income: US$ 223.4 million (FY 2011)[1]
Net Income: US$ 337.1 million (FY 2017)
Assets: US$ 2.3 billion (FY 2011)
Num Employees:25,000[2]
Num Employees Year:2017
Subsid:Albion Automotive, United Kingdom

American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc. (AAM), headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, is an American manufacturer of automobile driveline and drivetrain components and systems.

History

AAM was founded in 1994 when a private investor group, led by Richard E. "Dick" Dauch, James W. McLernon, Raymond Park and Morton E. Harris purchased the Final Drive and Forge Business Unit from GM's Saginaw Division. In 1999, AAM went public, and is traded as "AXL" on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). AAM has grown to supply various OEM manufacturers around the globe in the passenger car, light truck, and commercial vehicle segments.

AAM's World Headquarters building, erected in 2004, is located on the Detroit/Hamtramck border.

2008 strike

[3] The strike cost General Motors $2.6 billion as the automaker lost the production of its Chevrolet Malibu sedan and other vehicles.[4]

Products

Key products include axles, drive shafts, front axle, universal joints and sealing and thermal-management products.

Axles

Demolition

After closing its factories in Detroit in 2012, American Axle and Manufacturing had started a demolition project. In late 2013, much of the old manufacturing facility had been demolished by bulldozers and cranes. Also, in February 2014, it was reported and confirmed that most of the Detroit/Hamtramck manufacturing site had been sold [5] to a California-based Industrial Realty Group, IRG LLC who specialize in the use of industrial buildings for other developments such as apartment complexes. In 2014, American Axle continued to own its headquarters and greenbelt property at the site. It planned to build an engineering facility in the sole building left standing from the original manufacturing complex.

UK subsidiary

Albion Automotive is a Glasgow-based subsidiary.[6]

In 2002, the Court of Appeal ruled in a case brought by staff employed at Albion's Farington site in Lancashire, Albion Automotive Ltd w. Walker and others,[7] that a contractual term entitling employees to an enhanced redundancy payment could be implied into the employees' contracts of employment based on the employer's custom and practice.[8]

US competitors

Notes and References

  1. Web site: American Axle & Manufacturing 2011 Annual Report, Form 10-K, Filing Date Feb 9, 2012 . secdatabase.com . July 5, 2012.
  2. Web site: American Axle & Manufacturing. Fortune. 2018-12-30. 2018-12-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20181231095327/http://fortune.com/fortune500/american-axle-manufacturing/. dead.
  3. Web site: Joe's Union Review: American Axle strike. 2008-03-02. Joe's Union Review. 2019-10-09.
  4. http://www.autotrends.org/gm-to-slash-expenses-raise-cash-to-move-forward/ "GM To Slash Expenses, Raise Cash To Move Forward"
  5. http://anti-union.blogspot.com/2008/03/american-axle-strike.html "American Axle sells Detroit manufacturing complex to Industrial Realty Group"
  6. Just Auto, UK: Albion secures axle contract with Renault Trucks, published 5 August 2002, accessed 8 November 2020
  7. England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division), Albion Automotive Ltd v Walker & Ors, EWCA Civil 946 (21 June 2002), accessed 8 March 2021
  8. Consilio, Enhanced Redundancy Payments, published 16 December 2002, archived version accessed 8 November 2020