The story of GKN began in 1759 when the Dowlais Iron Company was set up in the village of Dowlais in South Wales. The Guest family involvement began in 1767 when John Guest was appointed as manager of Dowlais. His grandson became sole owner in 1851.

The Dowlais Iron Company was then the largest iron works in the world, operating 18 blast furnaces and employing 7,300 people. The business was the first licensee of the Bessemer process and in 1857 completed the construction of the world's most powerful rolling mill. The current company, GKN plc, was incorporated as Guest, Keen and Co Limited on 9th July 1900 on the merger of the Dowlais Iron Company with Arthur Keen's Patent Nut and Bolt Company, a business which had been set up in 1856 in Smethwick, England. In 1902 the Company acquired Nettlefolds Limited, one of the world's leading manufacturers of screws and fasteners, a business which had also been set up at Smethwick in 1854. Following the acquisition of Nettlefolds the Company changed its name to Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds Limited.

At that time Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds was one of the largest manufacturing businesses in the world, involved in every process from coal and ore extraction to iron and steel making and finally to finished products including the nuts, bolts, screws and fasteners for which it was then famous.

The business changed its focus over the last 25 years of the 20th century in response to fundamental shifts in its traditional markets. Nuts and bolts and screws and fasteners businesses were under significant pressure from low cost economies and the steel industry worldwide was in decline with massive overcapacity. In the UK successive governments nationalised, then privatised and then partially re-nationalised the country's steel industry. In the early 1980's GKN had decided that the time had come to exit steel. GKN also shed its forgings businesses and exited from the nuts and bolts and screws and fasteners companies which had once made it famous.

In 1966 the Group acquired a UK engineering company in order to gain access to an automotive overdrive business and a competitor in propshafts. In doing so it also acquired a share in a German business with worldwide patents on a unique constant velocity joint system for front wheel drive cars. During the 1970's and 1980's car designers had lost interest in overdrive systems but moved decisively in favour of front wheel drive. GKN soon realised the potential of its CVJ business. It proceeded to take control of its German partner and on the back of a major contract from Ford established its first manufacturing presence in the US.

The former world leader in steel rapidly became the new world leader in automotive driveline with manufacturing plants around the world and a 43% global market share in 2002.

During the 1990's GKN embarked on a number of strategic initiatives which continued to re-shape the Group.

Recognising the potential for components produced by powder metallurgy to substitute components produced using conventional forging or machining processes GKN decided in 1997 to build on its own small powder metallurgy business. Within five years turnover has grown from approximately $100 million to $1 billion.

Through a series of acquisitions in Europe and North America, GKN has rapidly built the world leader in powder metallurgy. The Group's powder metallurgy businesses, headquartered in the US, are the No 1 producer of powder metal parts in the world and the No 1 producer of powder metal in the US.

In 1998 GKN sold its armoured vehicle business to Alvis, a UK-based specialist, armoured vehicle manufacturer. In 2003 GKN exited the armoured vehicle business when it sold its 29% shareholding to BAE Systems. In 2001 the Group merged its helicopter business - GKN Westland Helicopters - with Agusta of Italy (see below).

Also in 2001, in one of the most significant and complex transactions in its long history, GKN demerged its industrial services businesses. These businesses - principally CHEP, a global pallet pooling business and CLEANAWAY, a European waste disposal business - had grown significantly over a number of years as a joint venture with Brambles Industries of Australia. In August 2001 these businesses were merged with Brambles. GKN shareholders acquired a 43% interest in the new, enlarged Brambles Group which, through a dual listed companies structure, was listed on the London as well as the Sydney stock exchange.

In 1994 with the acquisition of The Westland Group, GKN brought one of the early pioneers of powered flight into the Group. GKN's aerospace heritage originates in Saunders-Roe, founded in 1901 on the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. Founder Sam Saunders was an innovator in the early use of composite materials and entered the aviation business in 1913. The business designed and produced flying boats, jet and rocket propelled fighters and satellite launchers. It also produced the world's first hovercraft. Today the Isle of Wight site is one of the major engineering and manufacturing sites within GKN Aerospace Services.

An acquisition programme in the late 1990s began the transformation of GKN Aerospace Services into an international first tier supplier to the world's major prime contractors with participation in some of the worlds most advanced programmes including the F/A-22 Raptor and Eurofighter and the Airbus A380 "Superjumbo".

Westland Helicopters can trace its history at Yeovil in Somerset to 1915, when a local engineering company received a contract to build seaplanes for the British Admiralty. By the end of World War 1, the factory and airfield were in place and over 800 aircraft had been built.

Westland Aircraft, as it had then been named, continued to produce aircraft for the RAF as well as a number of experimental machines, one of which was the first to fly over the summit of Mt Everest (29,002ft) in 1933. During World War 2, the Company expanded to build the Spitfire and Seafire as well as the Lysander.

In 1946, Westland decided to concentrate on the design and manufacture of helicopters and made an agreement with Sikorsky, to build helicopters under license. The first - the WS-51 Dragonfly - flew in 1948. During the following decade more than 600 helicopters were delivered to the UK armed forces and export customers. Westland went on to acquire other British helicopter companies to form Westland Helicopters as Britain's sole helicopter manufacturer.

Westland was acquired by GKN in 1994 to become GKN Westland Helicopters, and in February 2001, GKN and Finmeccanica of Italy agreed to merge Westland and Agusta to create AgustaWestland, one of the two leading helicopter companies in the world.

In 2004 GKN completed the sale of it's 50% shareholding in AgustaWestland to Finmeccanica for £1.063 billion.