Company Description
American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AXL), often referred to as AAM, is a global Tier 1 automotive and mobility supplier. According to the company’s public statements, AAM designs, engineers and manufactures Driveline and Metal Forming technologies that support electric, hybrid and internal combustion vehicles.
AAM is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, and reports that it operates with nearly 75 facilities in 15 countries. The company’s activities place it within the motor vehicle gasoline engine and engine parts manufacturing industry and the broader manufacturing sector. Its common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol AXL.
Business focus and segments
Based on available information, AAM’s operations are centered on driveline systems and metal forming technologies. The Polygon description notes that the company is engaged in the manufacturing, engineering, designing and validation of driveline systems and related components and chassis modules for light trucks, SUVs, crossover vehicles, passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It also indicates that AAM reports two primary segments: Driveline and Metal Forming, with the Driveline segment contributing the largest share of revenue.
Across these segments, AAM focuses on technologies that are used in vehicles with different propulsion types, including electric, hybrid and internal combustion powertrains, as described in the company’s own news releases. This positions AAM as a supplier to a range of automotive and mobility applications, from traditional vehicles to newer electrified platforms.
Global footprint
AAM states in multiple news releases that it is a global Tier 1 Automotive and Mobility Supplier with a manufacturing and engineering footprint spanning nearly 75 facilities in 15 countries. This global presence supports its role in supplying driveline and metal forming technologies to vehicle manufacturers in various regions. The company’s SEC filings identify its corporate domicile as Delaware and list its principal offices in Detroit, Michigan (city and state only).
Capital structure and financing activities
AAM regularly uses the debt capital markets to support its corporate and strategic objectives. In several 2025 press releases and corresponding Form 8-K filings, the company describes private offerings of senior secured notes due 2032 and senior unsecured notes due 2033 issued by its wholly owned subsidiary, American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc. These notes are secured or guaranteed by substantially all of the assets of the issuer, AAM, and certain subsidiaries that guarantee its existing credit agreement, subject to thresholds, exceptions and permitted liens.
The company explains that the net proceeds from these offerings, together with borrowings under its existing credit agreement and cash on hand, are intended to be used to fund a pending business combination with Dowlais Group plc, repay Dowlais’s existing credit facilities, fund a change of control offer for certain Dowlais notes, redeem or partially redeem certain of AAM’s existing senior notes, and for general corporate purposes. These details are set out in AAM’s September 15, 2025 and September 19, 2025 press releases and the related Form 8-K filings, as well as in the October 3, 2025 Form 8-K describing the issuance of the notes and related indentures.
Strategic combination with Dowlais Group plc
AAM has announced a recommended cash and share combination with Dowlais Group plc.> A joint press release dated October 27, 2025, and an accompanying Form 8-K, describe this transaction as a recommended offer by AAM to acquire the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Dowlais. The same announcement notes that the European Commission has unconditionally cleared the combination and that antitrust clearances have been obtained or waiting periods have expired in several jurisdictions, including the USA, India, the UK, Korea, Taiwan, Turkey and the EU, with clearances in Brazil, Mexico and China still pending at the time of that release.
The October 27, 2025 press release states that, based on progress to date, AAM and Dowlais expect the combination to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to satisfaction of remaining conditions. AAM’s filings and press releases describe this combination as intended to create a combined group with significant driveline and metal forming capabilities, although specific post-combination details are subject to completion of the transaction and regulatory approvals.
Financial reporting and non-GAAP measures
AAM regularly reports its financial results and outlook through earnings releases and Form 8-K filings. For example, the November 7, 2025 press release, furnished as an exhibit to a Form 8-K, presents the company’s third quarter 2025 financial results and an updated financial outlook for the year. In that release, AAM discusses metrics such as sales, net income, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted earnings per share, net cash provided by operating activities and adjusted free cash flow.
The same release provides definitions of non-GAAP financial measures used by AAM, including Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted earnings per share, free cash flow and Adjusted free cash flow. The company explains that these measures exclude certain items such as restructuring and acquisition-related costs, debt refinancing and redemption costs, gains or losses on derivatives associated with the Dowlais combination, gains or losses on equity securities, pension curtailment and settlement charges, impairment charges and other non-recurring items, along with related tax effects. Management states that these measures are used for analysis of business and operating performance and for operational planning and decision-making.
Governance and management updates
AAM’s SEC filings also provide information on corporate governance and executive compensation. An August 11, 2025 Form 8-K reports that the Board of Directors elected a new independent director to serve as a Class II director until the 2028 annual general meeting of shareholders, where he is expected to stand for re-election. Another Form 8-K dated August 12, 2025 describes adjustments to the compensation of several named executive officers, including changes to base salary, annual target bonus opportunities and long-term incentive opportunities, as approved by the Compensation Committee.
Investor communications and conferences
AAM frequently communicates with investors through conference calls, webcasts and investor conferences. The company issues press releases and files Form 8-Ks to announce quarterly earnings calls, provide dial-in and webcast details, and share presentation times at events such as the J.P. Morgan Auto Conference, the Barclays Global Automotive and Mobility Tech Conference, the UBS Global Industrials and Transportation Conference, and the BofA Leveraged Finance Conference. These communications often reiterate the company’s description as a global Tier 1 automotive and mobility supplier focused on driveline and metal forming technologies for electric, hybrid and internal combustion vehicles.
Risk factors and forward-looking statements
Across its press releases and SEC filings, AAM includes cautionary statements regarding forward-looking information. The company notes that statements about expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, strategies, future events or performance, including those related to the Dowlais combination, financial targets, capital structure and market conditions, are forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties. AAM identifies a range of potential risk factors, including global economic conditions, changes in vehicle production volumes, customer demand (including demand for light trucks and SUVs), technology changes, competition, supply chain disruptions, labor issues, regulatory changes, environmental matters, cybersecurity risks, financing availability, and other factors detailed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Position within the automotive supply chain
According to its own descriptions, AAM operates as a Tier 1 supplier within the automotive and mobility value chain, meaning it supplies driveline and metal forming technologies directly to vehicle manufacturers. The company emphasizes that its technologies support vehicles with electric, hybrid and internal combustion powertrains, reflecting its participation across different propulsion architectures. Its focus on driveline and metal forming, together with its global manufacturing footprint, defines its role in the broader motor vehicle gasoline engine and engine parts manufacturing industry.