Conveyor Screw Specialist

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.