GKN Driveline announced it will expand its Newton, N.C., facility in Catawba County. The company plans to create more than 200 new jobs in North Carolina by the end of 2018 and invest more than $100 million in the location. The project is made possible in part by an award from the state Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) program, as voted by the state Economic Investment Committee.
“GKN Driveline has a rich history in North Carolina, specifically in Catawba County. We are proud to be part of the growth of this facility and community, and as future opportunities arise, we look forward to continued reinvestment in the state,” said Robert Willig, president, GKN Driveline Americas. “The expansion will help GKN Driveline better serve customers in the region and beyond, with improvements not only in what we do, but how we do it. We remain committed to producing the highest quality products and providing innovations that help advance the automotive industry.”
Using the grant funds, GKN Driveline will increase the manufacturing floor space by over 25 percent square feet to accommodate additional business volume in geared components.
GKN Driveline Newton employs more than 700 people, supporting machining and assembly of high precision products for demanding AWD applications. GKN employs an additonal 1,530 employees at companies in other counties across North Carolina, locations include: Roxboro, Mebane and Sanford.
In October of 2013, GKN Driveline Newton was awarded the Certificate of Special Recognition Safety Award by North Carolina State Commissioner of Labor, Cherie Berry. The award recognizes a North Carolina-based business that achieves 1 million safe employee hours without a lost-time accident.
Established in 1986, the Newton facility was acquired by GKN plc in 2011 when the company purchased Getrag Corporation’s all-wheel drive component business. Other products made at the facility include Trans Axle Solutions (gear sets and housing) as well as eDrive Systems.
