Davis & Shirtliff, the leading water and energy gear provider in East Africa is celebrating its seventy fifth Anniversary, a serious milestone in its corporate history. This is a most unusual achievement for any organisation, although particularly one that has the identical family shareholding and primarily the same market focus since its founding. There are few firms wherever with this claim and D&S is due to this fact extraordinarily proud of the achievement with varied occasions being held in celebration.
The firm was founded 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 rapidly because the nation recovered after the struggle focusing on boreholes, water provides and the espresso industry. One notable early venture included the water supply for Karen Estates, the complete initial water supply infrastructure being installed by the corporate as properly as for many 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 bigger premises at this time Dundori Rd location in the industrial area. An added exercise was swimming swimming pools, both residential and industrial and heaps of were constructed that are nonetheless in use today. Water Treatment was another diversification, many of the KenGen Tana River stations having D&S designed and built gear.
In 1970 partner Dick Shirtliff retired and after a interval with one other associate, Devji Shingadia, the Davis household, then represented by Eddie’s son Alec assumed control. The 70’s and 80’s noticed gradual but steady growth because the nation grappled with various financial and political challenges, although there was a specific focus on building the pump business for which the corporate is so well known, notably through illustration of the Danish producer Grundfos.
1993 was a big year for each Kenya and D&S as a end result of economic liberalisation which was the catalyst for the company’s fast growth since. It was additionally the yr that Pedrollo pumps from Italy have been first launched, now the Group’s largest provider. These two developments enabled a distribution technique to be developed as supply constraints have been removed 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 followed by establishing activities at the Coast although the merger with partner Butech. The pump enterprise grew hugely with Pedrollo and the now well-established Solar and Power Generation actions had been then added.
Since the Millennium progress has greatly accelerated, income increasing many times to KShs10 Billion today. Major initiatives have included a whole redevelopment of the Dundori Rd website with expansion into adjacent plots, the opening of subsidiaries and affiliate companies in Rwanda, Zambia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe and DRC, appreciable progress of the department community, introduction of the successful Dayliff range of own-brand products and an enormous enlargement of the product vary with Solar being particularly profitable as the company developed its give consideration to renewable vitality. More recently a major development has been institution of a large 10,000m2 Distribution Centre at Tatu City that provides the resource for increased stockholding and has reworked distribution effectivity throughout the area, this facility being accomplished in 2020. Staffing has additionally grown correspondingly, the Group now using over a thousand committed staff operating from over 70 places.
It is often stated that success is transitory and generally unsustainable, although D&S has managed to maintain unbroken development for an distinctive period of time. This has been achieved by industrial focus, manageable ambition, continuous physical and organisational investment and, importantly, residing the values established by the founders of Quality, Integrity and ‘Altiora Peto’, which translates to embracing steady change. D&S is now a widely recognised company in the region and is proud of the contribution it has made, summarised by its slogan ‘Improving Lives’ which is demonstrated both by the important nature of its actions and in addition by an energetic programme of group assist that focuses on providing water to underprivileged communities, many 1000’s of people having benefited.
Of course, the 75-year milestone is only a second in a steady journey and the Group continues to grow with a number of ongoing initiatives and nice plans for the longer term. Ably led by เกจวัดแรงดันถังลม and supported by dedicated and committed executives and employees driving this growth, the corporate is lucky that the third technology of Davis’s, Edward and Henry, have joined the enterprise so continuity is assured. The Group continues to broaden in product and markets with a particular give consideration to digital enterprise and appears forward to maintain serving the region with essential merchandise that actually Improve Lives and in addition to demonstrate that an indigenous African firm can compete internationally and be a world-class organisation.
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