GKN Driveline (www.gkn.com)has announced a major expansion of its European eDrive production facility in Bruneck, Italy, in response to increasing demand for electric and hybrid vehicle programmes from new and existing OEM clients.

The company will increase the size of its current facility by more than 60% to 18,000m2; it will be dedicated predominantly to eDrive production.

To facilitate the expansion, which will allow increased production of all-wheel-drive technologies such as electronic torque management units, GKN will relocate other driveline production to alternative sites in Europe.

Between 70 and 80 employees who currently work on constant-velocity joint production will move into eDrive manufacturing. It is expected that the project, due to be completed by 2019, will result in 10 eDrive programmes being delivered from the site.

The Bruneck site’s manufacturing portfolio includes the coaxial eAxle, featured on a range of Volvo plug-in hybrids, the world’s first two-speed eAxle (as fitted to the BMW i8 sports car), and all-wheel-drive products such as GKN’s electronic torque management systems. The site was established as a production facility in the 1960s and now employs about 800 people.

Peter Moelgg, GKN Driveline all-wheel-drive and eDrive CEO, said: “Bruneck has already established itself as a centre of excellence for the production of leading electric driveline systems.

“This major expansion will enable eDrive production to move up a gear, to deliver the growing number of programmes won by GKN for next-generation hybrid and electric vehicles.”