Processing wool efficiently is standard daily practice for PGG Wrightson’s Christchurch and Mosgiel Wool Stores, as they worked through the 2024/2025 season peaks for their region. 

That’s not to say there aren’t challenges which present themselves along the way, because they do. And some of these can be planned for, however, other issues may occur with little to no warning. Thankfully, there’s plenty of great expertise ‘behind the wheel’. 

“Generally we are very weather dependent and there are so many factors we can’t control,” says Ben Askew, Warehouse Manager for Christchurch. 

“But this year we started our preparation for peak season in January, with toolbox meetings and inviting everyone to pitch in with ideas for how we could improve the way we do things.”

Through careful planning and innovative practices, they were able to ensure each and every wool delivery was received, handled and processed without any delays - pretty impressive for an operation that usually has to run with a more reactive approach.

The first major change for Ben’s wool store was to do with the layout. Before the start of the season they set about fully rearranging the storeroom and reconfiguring the stacking types. This has proved to be a lot safer and provides more ‘bang for buck’ when it comes to storage. 

“Everything has a place, and the way we have sorted it means we can access the faster moving product easier and without congestion. We’re able to handle demand effectively to minimise any holdups and also carry out consistent cycle counts.” explains Ben. 

“And the outcome of this has meant we haven’t had to send anywhere near as many bales off to a different storage location this year - less than half of what we sent off-site last year.”

Part two of the plan was then to train everyone in the team to be able to multitask, so they could carry out all of the various jobs in the store and move to where they were needed each day.

“Because we can all pitch in now, no one gets under the pump while being isolated in their role. Whether the focus is inbound or outbound, the workforce can shift depending on what’s required,” says Ben. 

“We also had some new staff members start this year and they have developed in leaps and bounds - it is a credit to them because it’s like they already have a couple of seasons under their belts.”   

Proud of his team, Ben sees everyone doing the hard yards from not only coming up with solutions to problems, but implementing them well and carrying them through every aspect of the business. And he’s also really happy with how well all the changes have gone this year. 

“It’s been great to see the result of what we put in place and I can’t thank everyone enough. We’ve got a few things to modify for next year, but not too much - it’ll just be those continual improvements that only further benefit our team, our processes and most importantly, our customers.” 

It was having to manage without some of their most experienced staff that presented itself as the biggest concern coming into peak season for Robert Gilmore, Warehouse Manager for Mosgiel. But once again, everyone was able to adapt to the ‘change of plan’ and the team carried on with its commitment to high service levels while still operating at full capacity.   

“There were a few younger team members who were happy to put their hand up and take care of the roles where we had people away. We didn’t even have to ask them. It was a learning curve, but they performed well and got the job done,” says Robert. 

And while it was an unforeseen opportunity, there’s no doubt it will bode well for their future through the experience they were able to gain. 

“Everyone chipped in to help wherever was needed and took on more responsibilities, so that was really great to see. And the reality is, once some of the employees here begin to retire, we’ll be needing the next generation of workers to take over,” Robert notes. 

“Perhaps some of those already here will be keen to move into those jobs, after they took on the challenges of this past year.”   

As the new Wool Operations and Business Manager, this is Dan Nicholls first year working with the wool stores. And even though he wasn’t on the ground with them, he was able to see how effective the pre-planning and preparedness was for the teams. 

“By being proactive before the start of the season, they have been able to continue providing exceptional service to our customers. Processing the wool quickly means it is able to get into the next sale catalogue - allowing it to be transacted without delays and have the proceeds flow back to the farmers as soon as possible,” says Dan. 

“Our team is very experienced and even with unexpected issues arising, they were all able to collaborate to find a solution and positively move forward together.”