Company Profile
The original company was formed around 1750 at the site of the current
factory in Gamlingay, Bedfordshire by a pair of brothers, Edward and Albert
Wright, trading as Blacksmiths and Wheelwrights.
In or around 1800 a Sawmills and Coachbuilding business was added, where trees
such as Ash, Oak and Elm were purchased locally for the business, sawn as
required and seasoned. On occasions Horse Chestnut was also used for coffin
boards.
During the 1914-18 War the business thrived in the manufacture of wooden wheels
for artillery pieces and portable fire appliances. Between the two world wars
the business continued with the Coachbuilding tradition but added Agricultural
Implements and Machinery, with the last two handcarts made from scratch at the
Gamlingay works being sold in1946 for £185 each.
In 1950 the Company was purchased from Mr G.P. Wright and Wrights (Gamlingay)
Ltd was incorporated.
With the gradual decline of the Coachbuilding and the Blacksmith business the
Company diversified into light engineering and the manufacture of ammunition
boxes for the M.O.D.
During 1961 further diversification took place with an arrangement to
manufacture under license from the USA, the ‘Mayrath’ Auger Conveyor, initially
used for the transportation and handling of bulk cereals the concept has since
found uses across many industries.
The next stage of the business development came in the early 1980’s with the
manufacture of Coffee Processing Machinery, a 100% export business. Ranging from
hand operated models to pick the coffee cherry, to power machines used in the
processing factories. For many years it was true to say that a Wrights (Gamlingay)
Ltd, manufactured machine, was used in all countries growing coffee.
During the latter part of the 1980’s, Wrights (Gamlingay) Ltd, called on their
well developed, historical ties with a number of North American equipment
manufacturers to draw up a distribution agreement with InterSystems Inc,
initially, to sell the InterSystems range of Industrial Samplers in the UK and
Ireland. The arrangement continues to flourish with the Wrights Dowson Group
broadening their sales territory and since the beginning of 2007 sampling
equipment has been sold to Poland, Spain, Jordan, China and India with equipment
also placed in Japan and Africa.
From the mid 1990’s there was a fundamental change in the business model based
around the strengthening ties to a broader bulk materials handling sector, which
saw a move away from 240 years of organic growth of the company to one of growth
by acquisition. The first company to be acquired, Helitec, in 1995, manufacture
Conveyor Segments, Blades & Flights at their Bristol factory and continue to
supply the parent company as well as other leading UK screw conveyor
manufacturers. Then followed a series of buy outs, with the takeover of Dowson
Handling in 1999, in 2000, Britton Valves, a leading source of slide, diaphragm
and diverter valves and in 2001, the goodwill of Procol, a manufacturer of
Rotary Valves was obtained. At this time the Dowson Handling operation was moved
to Gamlingay, whilst the Bideford, Devon based Britton Valves incorporated the
Procol name and to encapsulate all the changes, the Wrights Dowson Group,
trading name came into being. The last addition to the group, Linnor, whilst not
a trading company, provide extensive, specialist expertise relating to the
manufacture and supply of Screw Conveyors.
In excess of Two Hundred and Fifty Eight years of history, from Wrights Brothers
to Wrights Dowson Group and the future starts now, with the same drive to
succeed on behalf of customers, employees and the environment that surrounds us. |
About Company
Gamlingay, is the long established Head Office and prime manufacturing location for one of the UK‘s leading screw conveyor and bulk materials handling specialist, with historical manufacturing roots on the site going back over 250 years |
