September is a busy time for the D&S Group as we move into Q4 and start the annual Planning process, always an important period for us. The year so far has not been without its challenges, especially in Kenya with its constraining economic conditions and market disruptions, though D&S continues to progress as it keeps investing for the future.

Particularly we have recently established the new D&S Tanzania Distribution centre and Head Office at a new site in Mwenge, Dar-es-salaam and I am grateful to MD Ben Munyao for this excellent development that will lift the business to another level. We have also opened a new subsidiary in Burundi driven by International Business Director Anthony Wangondu and managed by Edorth Kwizera, now the eleventh country we have direct activities in! Our flagship project, the new Engineering Centre at Tatu is also progressing apace and this will be another D&S gamechanger that will provide the resource base to support our Digital aspirations.

Today the effects of climate change are being noticed everywhere, a key focus to address this being reducing carbon emissions. Maybe not widely appreciated is that pumps are the world's most common machines that have a significant carbon footprint and improving their efficiency will make a significant contribution. D&S is committed to this process through the introduction of Smart pumps, the energy and cost savings over a pump's life being very substantial.

Solar power is the other area of savings and with the ever- decreasing cost of PV solar pumps are now excellent solutions even where grid power is available. There is a revolution taking place in pumping technology and D&S is proud to be leading the industry in providing high efficiency pumping solutions.