Manufacturing Acquisition Creates Heat Treat “Titan”
Just last week “The Monty Heat Treat News” presented the 2026 list of the “15 Largest Captive Heat Treats-North America”. Included on the list were “Dauch Corp.”, (formerly American Axle & Manufacturing) in Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico and “GKN Driveline”, Newton, North Carolina. Well as of yesterday, the two companies are now one, creating what is probably the largest captive heat treater in all of North America in terms of overall heat treat capacity.
“DETROIT, MI, February 3, 2026 – Dauch Corporation (Dauch), (NYSE: AXL) today announced it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Dowlais Group plc (Dowlais) and its subsidiaries – GKN Automotive and GKN Powder Metallurgy.“This is a defining and transformational time for both companies,” said David C. Dauch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “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 on February 3, 2026. The Dowlais shares will be delisted from the London Stock Exchange effective as of February 4, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. GMT.
The combined company will operate under one unified brand: the Dauch Corporation. Dauch brings together two organizations with deep engineering roots, global manufacturing capability, and a shared entrepreneurial spirit. To mark the completion of the acquisition, the company introduced its brand platform, Built to Perform, underscoring Dauch’s commitment to engineering excellence, operational discipline, and long-term value creation. This platform reflects not only the company’s heritage but the expectations of its global customers who rely on Dauch for consistency, reliability, quality and performance.”
