Davis & Shirtliff, the main water and energy gear provider in East Africa is celebrating its seventy fifth Anniversary, a significant milestone in its company history. This is a most unusual achievement for any organisation, though particularly one that has the same household shareholding and primarily the identical market focus since its founding. There are few firms anyplace with this claim and D&S is due to this fact extremely pleased with the achievement with varied occasions being held in celebration.
The company was based in 1946 by ex-soldiers Eddie Davis and Dick Shirtliff after leaving the army, initially being based at Westlands, in Nairobi, their neighbour being Westlands Motors that rose to prominence with the Toyota franchise.
It grew quickly as the country recovered after the war specializing in boreholes, water provides and the coffee industry. One notable early project included the water supply for Karen Estates, the complete initial water supply infrastructure being put in by the company in addition to for so much of other of the residential estates that had been developed at that time.
D&S grew with the country and within the mid-1950s the base was moved to new larger premises at the moment Dundori Rd location in the industrial area. An added exercise was swimming swimming pools, each residential and commercial and plenty of were constructed which are nonetheless in use right now. Water Treatment was another diversification, most of the KenGen Tana River stations having D&S designed and built tools.
In 1970 companion Dick Shirtliff retired and after a interval with one other partner, Devji Shingadia, the Davis family, then represented by Eddie’s son Alec assumed management. The 70’s and 80’s saw slow however regular growth because the country grappled with varied financial and political challenges, though there was a selected focus on building the pump enterprise for which the corporate is so well-known, notably by way of illustration of the Danish producer Grundfos.
1993 was a major year for both Kenya and D&S due to financial liberalisation which was the catalyst for the company’s speedy progress since. It was additionally the 12 months that Pedrollo pumps from Italy were first launched, now the Group’s largest provider. เพรสเชอร์เกจ enabled a distribution strategy to be developed as provide constraints have been eliminated and the branch community was then established, initially with Kenya branches being opened in Westlands, Eldoret and Kisumu and subsidiaries in Uganda and Tanzania soon adopted by establishing activities at the Coast though the merger with associate Butech. The pump business grew hugely with Pedrollo and the now well-established Solar and Power Generation actions were then added.
Since the Millennium growth has tremendously accelerated, income growing many occasions to KShs10 Billion today. Major initiatives have included an entire redevelopment of the Dundori Rd web site with growth into adjacent plots, the opening of subsidiaries and associate companies in Rwanda, Zambia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe and DRC, appreciable growth of the branch community, introduction of the successful Dayliff vary of own-brand products and an enormous enlargement of the product vary with Solar being particularly successful as the company developed its give consideration to renewable vitality. More just lately a significant improvement has been institution of a large 10,000m2 Distribution Centre at Tatu City that provides the useful resource for elevated stockholding and has reworked distribution effectivity all through the region, this facility being completed in 2020. Staffing has additionally grown correspondingly, the Group now employing over one thousand dedicated staff operating from over 70 places.
It is commonly said that success is transitory and typically unsustainable, although D&S has managed to take care of unbroken development for an distinctive period of time. This has been achieved by commercial focus, manageable ambition, steady bodily and organisational investment and, importantly, dwelling the values established by the founders of Quality, Integrity and ‘Altiora Peto’, which translates to embracing continuous change. D&S is now a broadly recognised firm in the area and is proud of the contribution it has made, summarised by its slogan ‘Improving Lives’ which is demonstrated each by the necessary nature of its activities and also by an active programme of group assist that focuses on providing water to underprivileged communities, many thousands of people having benefited.
Of course, the 75-year milestone is just a second in a continuous journey and the Group continues to grow with a selection of ongoing initiatives and great plans for the longer term. Ably led by CEO David Gatende and supported by devoted and committed executives and employees driving this development, the company is lucky that the third generation of Davis’s, Edward and Henry, have joined the business so continuity is assured. The Group continues to broaden in product and markets with a particular give consideration to digital business and appears ahead to keep serving the region with important merchandise that actually Improve Lives and likewise to reveal that an indigenous African company can compete internationally and be a world-class organisation.
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