Davis & Shirtliff, the main water and vitality tools supplier in East Africa is celebrating its 75th Anniversary, a major milestone in its corporate history. This is a most uncommon achievement for any organisation, although especially one that has the identical family shareholding and basically the same market focus since its founding. There are few companies anywhere with this declare and D&S is subsequently extraordinarily happy with the achievement with numerous occasions being held in celebration.
The firm was founded in 1946 by ex-soldiers Eddie Davis and Dick Shirtliff after leaving the military, 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 country recovered after the war specializing in boreholes, water provides and the espresso business. One notable early project included the water supply for Karen Estates, the whole preliminary water supply infrastructure being put in by the company as properly as for so much of different 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 bigger premises at the present Dundori Rd location within the industrial area. An added activity was swimming pools, each residential and business and many had been constructed which are nonetheless in use at present. Water Treatment was another diversification, lots of the KenGen Tana River stations having D&S designed and constructed tools.
In 1970 associate Dick Shirtliff retired and after a interval with another partner, Devji Shingadia, the Davis family, then represented by Eddie’s son Alec assumed control. pressure gauge ด้าน ดูด ’s and 80’s noticed sluggish however steady development as the nation grappled with varied economic and political challenges, although there was a selected give attention to building the pump business for which the company is so well known, notably through representation of the Danish producer Grundfos.
1993 was a major 12 months for both Kenya and D&S due to financial liberalisation which was the catalyst for the company’s fast progress since. It was additionally the year that Pedrollo pumps from Italy were first introduced, now the Group’s largest provider. These two developments enabled a distribution strategy to be developed as provide constraints had been 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 adopted by establishing activities at the Coast though the merger with partner Butech. The pump business grew vastly with Pedrollo and the now well-established Solar and Power Generation actions have been then added.
Since the Millennium development has greatly accelerated, revenue rising many instances to KShs10 Billion today. Major initiatives have included a whole redevelopment of the Dundori Rd site with enlargement into adjoining plots, the opening of subsidiaries and associate companies in Rwanda, Zambia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe and DRC, considerable development of the department community, introduction of the profitable Dayliff range of own-brand merchandise and a huge growth of the product range with Solar being particularly successful as the corporate developed its concentrate on renewable power. More just lately a major growth has been institution of an enormous 10,000m2 Distribution Centre at Tatu City that provides the useful resource for increased stockholding and has transformed distribution efficiency throughout the region, this facility being accomplished in 2020. Staffing has additionally grown correspondingly, the Group now employing over 1000 committed workers working from over 70 locations.
It is often stated that success is transitory and sometimes unsustainable, although D&S has managed to take care of unbroken growth for an distinctive time frame. This has been achieved by industrial focus, manageable ambition, continuous 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 widely recognised firm 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 actions and in addition by an active programme of community help that focuses on providing water to underprivileged communities, many hundreds of individuals having benefited.
Of course, the 75-year milestone is only 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 devoted and dedicated executives and staff driving this development, the corporate is fortunate that the third era 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 specific give consideration to digital enterprise and appears forward to maintain serving the area with essential merchandise that definitely Improve Lives and also to show that an indigenous African firm can compete internationally and be a world-class organisation.
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