 | |
| Former type | Public |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | TI Group |
| Founded | 1935 |
| Defunct | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Cheltenham, UK |
| Key people | Sir Robert Hunt (Chairman)[1] |
| Industry | Aircraft equipment |
Dowty Group was a leading British manufacturer of aircraft equipment. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by TI Group in 1992.
History[]
The Company was founded by George Dowty in 1935 making aircraft equipment in Cheltenham under the name Dowty Aviation.[2] In its early years the Company invented the first internally sprung aircraft wheel and went on to make landing gear for Frank Whittle's jet-propelled Gloster aeroplane.[1] In 1960 the Company acquired Rotol Airscrews, giving it a propeller manufacturing capability (Dowty Rotol).[2] In 1961 it acquired Boulton Paul Aircraft, no longer a large scale manufacturer of aircraft, producing research aircraft, but producing powered control units for aircraft as well as other activities.[3] This was named Dowty Boulton Paul Ltd.
In the 1960s the Company went on to develop fuel control systems for the Harrier jump jet and power controls for Concorde.[1]
Dowty Group collaborated with the French Group Messier on aircraft landing gear and hydraulics over a long period of time.
In the late 1980s the Company diversified into telecommunications and computer equipment acquiring Datatel, a software business, in 1987,[4] Case Group plc, a telecommunications business, in 1988[5] and Dataco, a provider of network services, in 1990.[6]
Operations[]
The Company manufactured hydraulic and actuation systems, advanced propeller systems, turbine engine components and tubular systems, as well as owning the Hamble aircraft structures business.[7] The Dowty Group was also a market leader in the manufacturing of Mining systems solutions - Dowty Mining.[8]
Demise of the business[]
The Company was acquired by TI Group in 1992.[9]
In 1993 TI Group hived off seven former Dowty Group companies engaged in the manufacture of electronic equipment by way of a management buy-out to form Ultra Electronics.[10] In 1994 TI Group transferred the Dowty landing gear business into a joint venture formed with SNECMA known as Messier-Dowty:[2] in 1998 that business became wholly owned by Safran.
Product users[]
- Inchgreen used Dowty rotary actuators on the Inchgreen IG-5 backhoe loaders digger arm.
- Dowty hydraulic pumps were used on several makes of construction plant and some tractors
See also[]
- Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom
- Hydraulic component manufacturers
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sir Robert Hunt: Obituary The Telegraph, 17 October 2004
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gloucester Transport History
- ↑ University of Wolverhampton: Local history
- ↑ Dowty Group acquires Datatel Inc
- ↑ Dowty Group launches tender offer for Case Group
- ↑ Dowty Group launches a tender offer for Dataco
- ↑ GE Aviation: History
- ↑ Dowty Mining Equipment
- ↑ British engineering firms merger moves forward New York Times, 1992
- ↑ "Ultra Electronics Holdings plc Annual Report and Accounts 2005 Page 31" (PDF). Ultra Electronics Holdings plc (2005). Retrieved on 2006-09-25.
External links[]
Template:Dowty Group Template:TI Group
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