Davis & Shirtliff, the main water and vitality tools supplier in East Africa is celebrating its seventy fifth Anniversary, a significant milestone in its company history. This is a most uncommon achievement for any organisation, although especially one that has the same household shareholding and essentially the identical market focus since its founding. There are few corporations wherever with this claim and D&S is therefore extremely happy with the achievement with numerous events being held in celebration.
The firm was based in 1946 by ex-soldiers Eddie Davis and Dick Shirtliff after leaving the army, initially being primarily based at Westlands, in Nairobi, their neighbour being Westlands Motors that rose to prominence with the Toyota franchise.
It grew rapidly as the nation recovered after the struggle specializing in boreholes, water supplies and the espresso business. One notable early venture included the water supply for Karen Estates, the whole preliminary water provide infrastructure being installed by the company as nicely as for lots of other of the residential estates that had been developed at the moment.
D&S grew with the country and in the mid-1950s the bottom was moved to new bigger premises at this time Dundori Rd location in the industrial space. An added exercise was swimming swimming pools, both residential and industrial and lots of were built that are nonetheless in use today. Water Treatment was another diversification, most of the KenGen Tana River stations having D&S designed and built tools.
In 1970 partner Dick Shirtliff retired and after a period with one other partner, Devji Shingadia, the Davis family, then represented by Eddie’s son Alec assumed control. The 70’s and 80’s noticed slow but steady growth as the nation grappled with various financial and political challenges, although there was a specific focus on building the pump enterprise for which the company is so well-known, notably by way of representation of the Danish producer Grundfos.
1993 was a big yr for each Kenya and D&S as a result of economic liberalisation which was the catalyst for the company’s fast progress since. pressure gauge วัด แรง ดัน was additionally the 12 months that Pedrollo pumps from Italy had been first introduced, now the Group’s largest supplier. These two developments enabled a distribution strategy to be developed as supply constraints were removed and the department community was then established, initially with Kenya branches being opened in Westlands, Eldoret and Kisumu and subsidiaries in Uganda and Tanzania soon followed by establishing activities on the Coast although the merger with companion Butech. The pump enterprise grew massively with Pedrollo and the now well-established Solar and Power Generation activities had been then added.
Since the Millennium development has significantly accelerated, income rising many instances to KShs10 Billion at present. Major initiatives have included a complete redevelopment of the Dundori Rd website with enlargement into adjacent plots, the opening of subsidiaries and associate corporations in Rwanda, Zambia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe and DRC, considerable progress of the branch community, introduction of the profitable Dayliff vary of own-brand products and an enormous enlargement of the product vary with Solar being particularly successful as the company developed its concentrate on renewable vitality. More lately a major development has been establishment of a large 10,000m2 Distribution Centre at Tatu City that provides the resource for elevated stockholding and has remodeled distribution effectivity throughout the region, this facility being completed in 2020. Staffing has also grown correspondingly, the Group now employing over 1000 committed workers working from over 70 locations.
It is often mentioned that success is transitory and generally unsustainable, though D&S has managed to keep up unbroken development for an exceptional period of time. This has been achieved by commercial focus, manageable ambition, steady bodily and organisational funding and, importantly, living the values established by the founders of Quality, Integrity and ‘Altiora Peto’, which interprets to embracing continuous change. D&S is now a broadly recognised company within the region and is pleased with the contribution it has made, summarised by its slogan ‘Improving Lives’ which is demonstrated each by the essential nature of its activities and also by an active programme of neighborhood support that focuses on providing water to underprivileged communities, many 1000’s of individuals having benefited.
Of course, the 75-year milestone is just a second in a continuous journey and the Group continues to grow with numerous ongoing initiatives and nice plans for the longer term. Ably led by CEO David Gatende and supported by dedicated and dedicated executives and employees driving this development, the company is lucky that the third era of Davis’s, Edward and Henry, have joined the business so continuity is assured. The Group continues to increase in product and markets with a particular focus on digital enterprise and appears forward to maintain serving the area with important merchandise that definitely Improve Lives and in addition to demonstrate that an indigenous African company can compete internationally and be a world-class organisation.
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