Davis & Shirtliff, the main water and vitality gear provider in East Africa is celebrating its 75th Anniversary, a serious milestone in its corporate history. This is a most unusual achievement for any organisation, although particularly one which has the identical household shareholding and primarily the same market focus since its founding. There are few companies anyplace with this claim 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 primarily 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 trade. One notable early project included the water provide for Karen Estates, the entire initial water provide infrastructure being installed by the corporate in addition to for many other of the residential estates that have 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 the present Dundori Rd location in the industrial space. An added activity was swimming swimming pools, both residential and industrial and many were 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 built equipment.
In 1970 companion Dick Shirtliff retired and after a period with one other associate, Devji Shingadia, the Davis family, then represented by Eddie’s son Alec assumed management. The 70’s and 80’s noticed gradual however steady progress as the country grappled with varied economic and political challenges, though there was a selected give consideration to building the pump business for which the company is so well known, notably through illustration of the Danish producer Grundfos.
1993 was a significant year for both Kenya and D&S because of economic liberalisation which was the catalyst for the company’s rapid development since. It was additionally the year that Pedrollo pumps from Italy had been first launched, now the Group’s largest provider. These two developments enabled a distribution strategy to be developed as provide constraints were 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 followed by establishing actions on the Coast though the merger with partner Butech. The pump enterprise grew vastly with Pedrollo and the now well-established Solar and Power Generation activities were then added.
Since the Millennium progress has significantly accelerated, revenue rising many occasions to KShs10 Billion at present. Major initiatives have included a complete redevelopment of the Dundori Rd site with expansion into adjacent plots, the opening of subsidiaries and associate firms in Rwanda, Zambia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe and DRC, appreciable 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 especially profitable as the company developed its focus on renewable vitality. More recently a major improvement has been institution of an enormous 10,000m2 Distribution Centre at Tatu City that gives the resource for increased stockholding and has transformed distribution effectivity throughout the area, this facility being completed in 2020. Staffing has also grown correspondingly, the Group now using over a thousand dedicated employees working from over 70 places.
It is often stated that success is transitory and sometimes unsustainable, although D&S has managed to maintain unbroken growth for an exceptional time period. This has been achieved by industrial focus, manageable ambition, steady physical and organisational investment and, importantly, living the values established by the founders of Quality, Integrity and ‘Altiora Peto’, which translates to embracing steady change. Protected &S is now a broadly recognised firm in the region and is proud of 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 lively programme of group help that focuses on providing water to underprivileged communities, many thousands 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 a quantity of ongoing initiatives and nice plans for the future. Ably led by Hilarious and supported by devoted and dedicated executives and staff driving this growth, the corporate is fortunate 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 selected concentrate on digital business and looks ahead to keep serving the area with essential products that definitely Improve Lives and likewise to demonstrate that an indigenous African company can compete internationally and be a world-class organisation.
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