Davis & Shirtliff, the leading water and energy tools supplier in East Africa is celebrating its seventy fifth Anniversary, a significant milestone in its corporate historical past. This is a most unusual achievement for any organisation, although particularly one that has the identical family shareholding and primarily the identical market focus since its founding. There are few firms anyplace with this declare and D&S is subsequently extraordinarily happy with the achievement with varied events being held in celebration.
The company was founded in 1946 by ex-soldiers Eddie Davis and Dick Shirtliff after leaving the military, 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 warfare specializing in boreholes, water supplies and the coffee industry. One notable early project included the water supply for Karen Estates, the complete preliminary water provide infrastructure being installed by the corporate as nicely as for many different of the residential estates that were developed at that time.
D&S grew with the country and in the mid-1950s the bottom was moved to new larger premises at this time Dundori Rd location in the industrial area. An added exercise was swimming pools, both residential and business and many have been constructed which are nonetheless in use right now. Water Treatment was another diversification, many of the KenGen Tana River stations having D&S designed and constructed gear.
In 1970 partner Dick Shirtliff retired and after a period with another partner, Devji Shingadia, the Davis family, then represented by Eddie’s son Alec assumed management. ร้านซ่อมเครื่องวัดความดัน ’s and 80’s noticed sluggish but regular development because the country grappled with numerous financial and political challenges, though there was a specific focus on building the pump enterprise for which the corporate is so well-known, notably by way of illustration of the Danish manufacturer Grundfos.
1993 was a significant yr for each Kenya and D&S due to financial liberalisation which was the catalyst for the company’s fast progress since. It was also the year that Pedrollo pumps from Italy were first launched, now the Group’s largest supplier. These two developments enabled a distribution strategy to be developed as supply constraints have been eliminated and the branch network 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 associate Butech. The pump enterprise grew massively with Pedrollo and the now well-established Solar and Power Generation actions were then added.
Since the Millennium development has significantly accelerated, income growing many times to KShs10 Billion today. Major initiatives have included an entire 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, appreciable development of the branch network, introduction of the successful Dayliff vary of own-brand merchandise and an enormous enlargement of the product range with Solar being especially successful as the corporate developed its focus on renewable energy. More recently a significant development has been establishment of a large 10,000m2 Distribution Centre at Tatu City that gives the useful resource for increased stockholding and has remodeled distribution efficiency all through the area, this facility being completed in 2020. Staffing has additionally grown correspondingly, the Group now employing over one thousand dedicated staff working from over 70 areas.
It is usually mentioned that success is transitory and generally unsustainable, though D&S has managed to maintain unbroken growth for an exceptional period of time. This has been achieved by commercial focus, manageable ambition, steady bodily and organisational investment and, importantly, residing the values established by the founders of Quality, Integrity and ‘Altiora Peto’, which translates to embracing continuous change. D&S is now a extensively recognised company in the region and is proud of the contribution it has made, summarised by its slogan ‘Improving Lives’ which is demonstrated each by the important nature of its activities and also by an lively programme of neighborhood help that focuses on providing water to underprivileged communities, many hundreds of people having benefited.
Of course, the 75-year milestone is only a moment in a steady journey and the Group continues to develop with a number 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 growth, 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 increase in product and markets with a particular focus on digital enterprise and looks ahead to keep serving the region with important products that actually Improve Lives and likewise to reveal that an indigenous African firm can compete internationally and be a world-class organisation.
Share