Tier 1s must ensure technical prowess for Chinese success

As vehicle manufacturers have filed into China, so too have Tier 1 suppliers. GKN Driveline is no exception; the company arrived in 1988, as part of a joint venture with the Shanghai-based components manufacturer Huayu. Today, the JV currently employs over 8,000 people, having experienced the same rapid growth that has transformed China into the world’s largest automotive producer.

Chinese-built vehicles are now on a level of technical sophistication equal to that of European and US counterparts, and the planned economy aims to have the automotive industry lead on new technologies, such as New Energy Vehicles (NEV). John McLuskie, Deputy General Manager at SDS, sees