Redditch, England – GKN Aerospace, a British multinational leader in automotive and aerospace components, is charting an ambitious course for present and future success, driven by a transformative strategic shift under its parent company, Melrose Industries plc.

With a rich heritage stretching back to 1759 and the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, GKN has evolved from its steel-making roots to become a dominant force in advanced aerospace manufacturing, with a clear mission to be the most trusted and sustainable partner in the sky.

Melrose Industries' Strategic Re-orientation Melrose Industries plc, founded in 2003 with a "buy, improve, sell" business model aimed at turning around underperforming companies, acquired GKN plc in a notable £8.1 billion hostile takeover in 2018. Initially, GKN's management resisted the bid, but the transaction was ultimately permitted by the UK Government after a formal review, with Melrose agreeing to national security measures. Following the acquisition, Melrose decentralised the GKN legacy group, and by late 2019, GKN had been restructured into three core divisions: GKN Aerospace, GKN Automotive, and GKN Powder Metallurgy. A significant pivot occurred in March 2023, when Melrose divested GKN Automotive and GKN Powder Metallurgy to form Dowlais Group, transforming Melrose into a pure-play aerospace business with GKN Aerospace as its primary subsidiary. This move marked a fundamental shift in Melrose's strategy, from "buy, improve, sell" to a long-term "design, deliver, improve" approach focused entirely on aerospace. This strategic reshaping has placed aerospace "at the heart of everything we do", aiming to unlock significant value for shareholders, including planned annual share buybacks.

A Global Leader with Ambitious Growth Today, GKN Aerospace stands as a leading global Tier 1 supplier of airframe and engine structures, landing gear, electrical interconnection systems, transparencies, and aftermarket services. It serves over 90% of the world's aircraft and engine manufacturers and boasts 32 manufacturing locations across 12 countries, employing 13,737 people as of 2024. The company's financial performance reflects its strong position, with GKN Aerospace reporting £3.468 billion in revenue for 2024, and targeting £900 million of EBITDA by 2025. Key to its profitability, GKN Aerospace holds industry-leading positions, with over 70% of its revenue derived from single-source supplier contracts.

GKN Aerospace's future plans include a blended revenue CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 7% to 2030, with an even faster recovery and higher growth exceeding 10% CAGR expected by 2025. The company anticipates a substantial £20 billion in total expected cash flows from its 19 engine contracts by 2023, with a net present value of £5.5 billion, and projects the aftermarket segment of its Engines business to rise to 50% by 2030.

Pioneering Sustainable Flight and Advanced Technologies GKN Aerospace is at the forefront of aviation decarbonisation, with a mission to enable a net-zero future for flight. Its robust research and development (R&D) efforts focus on:

• Hydrogen Propulsion: A leader in hydrogen technologies, GKN Aerospace is involved in the £54 million H2GEAR programme, developing and testing a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system by 2026, aiming to power sub-regional aircraft from the early 2030s. The company is also part of the H2JET project, exploring critical subsystems for hydrogen combustion engines, and launched the H2FLYGHT programme to scale propulsion systems to 2MW for future flight testing.
• Ultra-Efficient Engines: GKN Aerospace is a key partner in both major next-generation engine development programmes: the CFM Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) programme and the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan (GTF) programme. These initiatives focus on open-fan architectures, improved fuel efficiency (up to 20% reduction), and compatibility with Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and hydrogen combustion. GKN's role includes designing lightweight structures and integrating key engine functionalities.
• Advanced Aerostructures: The company is a crucial partner in Airbus's "Wing of Tomorrow" project, developing technologies for composite single-aisle wings to reduce CO2 emissions and improve aerodynamic performance. This includes an innovative "out-of-autoclave" manufacturing process that achieves 80% lower production time and energy use.
• Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing): Recognising it as a transformative technology, GKN Aerospace has invested significantly in additive manufacturing, including a £50 million investment in its Trollhättan, Sweden plant. This technology reduces waste, lowers energy consumption, and enables better component design, as demonstrated by the 3D-printed fan case mount ring for Pratt & Whitney's PW1500G engine, which reduces titanium scrap by 320 kg per unit.
• Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) / eVTOLs: GKN Aerospace is a prominent player in the rapidly developing AAM sector, providing components for eVTOLs and electric aircraft. The company has signed design-and-build production contracts with emerging companies like Lilium, Supernal, Joby, VÆRIDION, and H55, accelerating the future of battery-electric, zero-emission flight. It leads the design and manufacture of integrated wing, tail, and wiring systems for the Eviation Alice electric aircraft and contributes to reducing noise output for eVTOLs.