George Dowty's contribution to the aviation industry was formally recognised by the Royal Aeronautical Society, being awarded its gold medal for outstanding designs and development of aircraft equipment. As the various Dowty-owned companies continued to grow in both size and number, it became apparent that a new business structure was needed to oversee and manage the other businesses. Accordingly, on 18 March 1954, Dowty Group Limited was incorporated, its headquarters being established at Arle Court, Cheltenham. By this point, the business' Canadian operation was reportedly generating roughly 50 per cent of its total turnover. During 1960, Dowty Group acquired Rotol Airscrews, giving it a propeller manufacturing capability; this led to the creation of the Dowty Rotol division. In 1961, it acquired British aviation company Boulton Paul Aircraft, a former large scale manufacturer of aircraft, involved in the production of research aircraft as well as aviation subsystems such as powered control units, as well as other activities. For a time, this part the business was known as Dowty Boulton Paul Ltd. In the 1960s, Dowty Group contributed to several major British aviation projects, including the development and provision of fuel control systems for the Harrier jump jet and of power controls for the Concorde supersonic airliner. Internationally, the company closely collaborated with the French Group Messier on aircraft landing gear and hydraulics over a long period of time. In the late 1980s, Dowty Group decided to diversify into telecommunications and computer equipment, acquiring Datatel, a software business, in 1987, Case Group plc, a telecommunications company, in 1988 and Dataco, a provider of network services, in 1990. Acquisition, restructuring and absorption During 1992, Dowty Group was acquired by TI Group, another large British specialist engineering company. Reportedly, Dowty had been regarded by TI's chairman, Sir Christopher Lewinton, as his number-one target and had made substantial preparations towards its acquisition, although the bid was not regarded as being a hostile one despite Dowty's board initially having spurned the proposition. The company promptly underwent heavy restructuring. By August 1993, TI Group had made 1,500 of ex-Dowty workforce redundant since the acquisition, equivalent to 20 per cent of the workforce; this was reportedly a consequence of the unit's performance being below expectations. In 1993, TI Group decided to dispose of seven former Dowty Group companies engaged in the manufacture of electronic equipment; this was achieved in the form of a management buy-out, this deal resulted