American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc. (AAM), headquartered in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, is an American manufacturer of

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

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 Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Hamtramck Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of Hi ...

border.

2008 strike

On February 26, 2008, approximately 4600 AAM employees went on what would be a three-month-long strike to protest a proposed wage and benefit cut by the company's management. The proposal would reduce production workers' hourly wage from $28 to $18 and cut skilled trade wages $5 per hour. The strike cost General Motors $2.6 billion as the automaker lost the production of its

Chevrolet Malibu The Chevrolet Malibu is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet from 1964 to 1983 and again since 1997. The Malibu began as a trim-level of the Chevrolet Chevelle, becoming its own model line in 1978. Originally a rear-wheel-dr ...

sedan and other vehicles."GM To Slash Expenses, Raise Cash To Move Forward"
. Auto Trends. Retrieved 18 July 2008.

Products

Key products include axles, drive shafts,

front axle An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearin ...

universal joint A universal joint (also called a universal coupling or U-joint) is a joint or coupling connecting rigid shafts whose axes are inclined to each other. It is commonly used in shafts that transmit rotary motion. It consists of a pair of hinges ...

s and sealing and thermal-management products.

Axles

* 10.5" Corporate 14 Bolt Differential * Saginaw 9.5-inch axle

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 "American Axle sells Detroit manufacturing complex to Industrial Realty Group"
The Detroit News. Burden Melissa. Retrieved 24 February 2014. 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 Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

-based subsidiary. In 2002, the Court of Appeal ruled in a case brought by staff employed at Albion's

Farington Farington is a village and civil parish in the South Ribble local government district of Lancashire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 6,674. History The parish was part of Preston Rural District throughou ...

site in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, ''Albion Automotive Ltd w. Walker and others'', that a contractual term entitling employees to an enhanced redundancy payment could be implied into the employees'

contracts of employment An employment contract or contract of employment is a kind of contract used in labour law to attribute rights and responsibilities between parties to a bargain. The contract is between an "employee" and an "employer". It has arisen out of the old m ...

based on the employer's custom and practice.Consilio
Enhanced Redundancy Payments
published 16 December 2002, archived version accessed 8 November 2020

US competitors

Meritor Meritor, Inc. is an American corporation headquartered in Troy, Michigan, which manufactures automobile components for military suppliers, trucks, and trailers. Meritor is a Fortune 500 company. In 1997, Rockwell International spun off its auto ...

* Dana

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Automotive transmission makers Auto parts suppliers of the United States Manufacturing companies based in Detroit Automotive companies established in 1994 1994 establishments in Michigan Private equity portfolio companies The Blackstone Group companies Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange