Conover auto parts maker announces $19.8 million expansion

A Conover auto parts maker announced a $19.8 million expansion on Friday and the addition of 55 jobs over five years.

GKN Sinter Metals makes cam shaft caps and transmission ends for such auto makers as GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler. The company employs 83 workers at its plant on Thornburg Drive SE.

Salaries for the new jobs will vary by position but will average $46,078, Catawba County economic development officials said. The average wage in Catawba County is $36,770.

GKN Sinter Metals is part of the GKN Powder Metallurgy division of GKN PLC, which employs about 55,000 people in at least 30 countries. GKN companies employ about 2,500 people in North Carolina, GKN’s largest workforce in any state.

Joe Marusak

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Conover auto parts maker announces $19.8 million expansion."