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

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

, is a manufacturer of automobile

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 driveline and drivetrain components and systems.

History

AAM was founded in 1994 when a private investor group, led by Richard E. "Dick" Dauch

Richard E Dauch

Richard E. "Dick" Dauch is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of American Axle and Manufacturing. Previously, Dauch served as a manufacturing manager at Chevrolet, Chrysler and at Volkswagen's Westmoreland Assembly Plant.-Background:...

, 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/Hamtramck border.

2008 strike

On February 26, 2008, approximately 3600 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 workers' hourly wage from $28 to $14 and would also cut benefits. The strike cost General Motors $2.6 billion as the automaker lost the production of its Chevrolet Malibu

Chevrolet Malibu

Malibus and all other Chevelles were completely restyled for 1968 with semi-fastback rooflines on two-door hardtops and wheelbases split to on two-door models and 118 for four-door sedans and station wagons. Engine offerings included a new V8 rated at that replaced the V8 that had served as the...

sedan and other vehicles.