GKN Transmissions
Note: this is a sub-section of GKN
The Transmission Division of GKN
1967 GKN acquired Birfield Industries including its subsidiary Hardy Spicer and Co of Birmingham, which became GKN Birfield Transmissions, part of GKN Transmissions[1]. Hardy Spicer made constant-velocity joints which, historically, had few applications, even following the improved design proposed by Alfred H. Rzeppa in 1936. In 1959, Alec Issigonis had developed the revolutionary Mini motor car which relied on such joints for its novel front wheel drive technology. The massive expansion in the exploitation of front wheel drive in the 1970s and 1980s led to the acquisition of other similar businesses, such as Vandervell Products, leading to a 43% share of the world market by 2002.
By 1974, the company had various subsidiaries including:[2]
- Auto Transmissions Ltd
- Axel Wickman Transmissions Ltd
- B. R. D. Co Ltd
- Birfield Engineering Ltd
- Foumec Ltd
- GKN Centrax Gears Ltd
- Hardy Spicer Ltd
- Hardy Spicer Walterscheid Ltd
- Kirkstall Forge Engineering Ltd
- Kirkstall Gears Ltd
- Kirkstall Hydraulics Ltd
- Laycock Engineering Ltd
- Rzeppa Ltd
- Salisbury Transmission Ltd
- Vandervell Products Ltd
- Vermillion Engineers Ltd
- Nordiska Kardan AB of Sweden
- GKN Uitenhage Ltd of South Africa
- Uni Cardan AG of West Germany
1988 Name changed to GKN Automotive Ltd