From Bottlenecks to Breakthrough – How Wrights Foodservice Scaled Without Moving Site
Wrights
Foodservice
Wrights Foodservice, formerly D.J. Wrights (Dairies), has been supplying customers across Dorset & Hampshire, and the surrounding areas since 1918. As the business evolved from its dairy heritage into a broader foodservice distributor, growing demand began to put pressure on its existing site.
Limited space, inefficient loading processes, and exposure to the elements were creating operational bottlenecks – restricting growth and impacting day-to-day efficiency. Wrights needed a way to scale capacity without relocating or disrupting operations.
That’s when they partnered with Dawsongroup tcs.
The Challenge
As Wrights continued to grow, its existing setup struggled to keep pace:
- Vans were loaded manually, often in poor weather
- Internal space was congested, limiting stock holding
- Deliveries were capped at one run per day
- Maintaining consistent food-safe temperatures during loading was increasingly difficult
Wrights had outgrown their current premises, so the team began looking for a smarter way to optimise the space they already had.
The Solution
Dawsongroup tcs was initially engaged to support Wrights Foodservice with a freezer store, helping the business keep pace with growing customer demand in frozen product categories.
However, during early site visits, wider operational challenges were identified, including vehicles being loaded outdoors, congestion caused by picked stock within the internal cold store, and opportunities to improve working coniditons for the warhouse team.
This promoted a free consulations, allowing a more holistic view of the site and how exisitng space could be better optimised. From this initial concept, Dawsongroup tcs developed a modular, scalable solution that addressed multiple challenges simultaneously.
The initial solution was a three-bay temperature-controlled loading system, installed quickly with minimal disruption to daily operations. The speed of setup meant Wrights could continue serving customers while transforming how products were handled and dispatched.
Following the success of the pilot system, Wrights expanded further, installing:
- A frozen compartment loading bay
- A chilled storage unit
- A six-bay widespan system with pallet truck access
The final solution was underpinned by a full feasibility study, ensuring the design was practical, compliant, and future-ready from day one, without the need for permanent construction.
All loading now takes place under cover, in a fully temperature-controlled environment.
The Impact
The results were immediate and transformative:
- Ability to load up to four vehicles simultaneously
- Significantly faster loading times
- Capacity to double daily delivery runs
- Tripled overall storage and dispatch capacity
- Expansion into new product categories, including frozen goods
From a compliance perspective, the controlled environment supports food safety standards and helps Wrights maintain its SALSA certification.
“Dawsongroup tcs has enabled us to grow our product range while continuing to supply customers with fresh, high-quality products. The controlled environment also supports us in maintaining our SALSA accreditation”
For the team on the ground, workflows are safer, more efficient, and far more consistent – leading to higher morale and a better working environment.
From our employees’ perspective, the new systems have made working methods far more efficient and as a result, the workforce is much happier.
The Outcome
The modular solution has allowed Wrights Foodservice to:
- Scale operations without moving premises
- Improve efficiency across loading and distribution
- Serve more customers, more reliably
- Support long-term growth with flexible scalable infrastructure
With future expansion already planned, Wrights sees Dawsongroup as a long-term partner in its continued growth.
Contact Dawsongroup today to see how we can help your business with bigger scale builds, while maintaining them in a localised area.
Looking Ahead
Wrights Foodservice continues to expand its product range and customer base across the region. With scalable, modular temperature-controlled solutions in place, the business is well positioned to meet future demand.
