DKSH, also known as DiethelmKellerSiberHegner, is a Swiss

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

specialising in market expansion services, e.g.

outsourcing Outsourcing is a business practice in which companies use external providers to carry out business processes that would otherwise be handled internally. Outsourcing sometimes involves transferring employees and assets from one firm to another ...

. Although its headquarters is in Zurich, DKSH is deeply rooted in communities all across the Asia Pacific region. The company offers any combination of sourcing,

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

sales Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. A period during which goods are sold for a reduced price may also be referred ...

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

and after-sales-services and is organized into four Business Units: ''Consumer Goods'' (including the Business Segment ''Luxury & Lifestyle''), ''Healthcare'', ''Performance Materials'' and ''Technology''. Its core business is supporting other companies to grow their businesses in new or existing markets. With 147 distribution centers and 58 innovation centers across 36 markets, as well as 28,060 specialized staff, it is one of the top 30 Swiss companies ranked by sales and number of employees. In 2024, DKSH generated annual net sales of CHF 11.1 billion.

Organizational background

The company has its origin in the activities of three Swiss entrepreneurs who sailed east to Asia in the August 1, 1861. Independently and within a few years of each other, Hermann Siber set off for the Japanese port of Yokohama, Wilhelm Heinrich Diethelm for Singapore, and Eduard Anton Keller for the Philippines. As the oldest of the original companies, 'Siber & Brennwald' was founded in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

in 1865. 'Siber & Brennwald' was one of the first European companies to be established in Japan, just a few months after the establishment of the "Treaty of Amity and Trade" between the two nations on February 6, 1864. In 1919, Siber & Brennwald became Siber Henger & Co after Robert Henger became a partner. In 1868, Eduard Anton Keller joined C. Lutz & Co., which was founded in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

in 1866, and renamed this existing enterprise ''Ed. A. Keller & Co.'' after he acquired it a year later in 1887. In a similar manner, in 1871 Wilhelm Heinrich Diethelm joined Hooglandt & Co., established in 1860 in Singapore. Sixteen years later, in 1887, he acquired this company and renamed it ''Diethelm & Co. Ltd''. The three ancestral companies expanded their businesses primarily in Asia. Although the European market played a subsidiary role, each headquarters was situated in Switzerland, which illustrates the intensive contact with the home country. Established in September 20, 1906, on the banks of Chao Phraya River, today the company is one of Thailand's leading business organizations, with annual sales contributing more than 30% to Group Sales. DKSH Thailand has more than 7,000 employees and a comprehensive network of branches across Thailand. In 1931 Diethelm & Co., Ltd. was granted permission by Royal Warrant to display the royal

Garuda Garuda (; ; Vedic Sanskrit: , ) is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain faiths. Garuda is also the half-brother of the D ...

emblem, the official seal of the Royal Household of Thailand. Even though the two families Diethelm and Keller always had a close-knit business and private relationship, the two companies finally merged during the 2000 summer into Diethelm Keller Holding. Two years later, in 2002, Siber Hegner joined as well and this resulted in establishing DKSH. DKSH went public in March 2012 on the

SIX Swiss Exchange SIX Swiss Exchange (formerly SWX Swiss Exchange), based in Zürich, is Switzerland's principal stock exchange (the other being BX Swiss). SIX Swiss Exchange also trades other security (finance), securities such as Swiss government bonds and deriv ...

. In 2015, the company celebrated its 150th anniversary. In March 2017 Stefan P. Butz became DKSH's new CEO, with former CEO, Dr. Joerg Wolle, replacing Adrian T. Keller as Chairman of the Board of Directors. In October 2017, DKSH acquired 60 percent of shares in PT Wicaksana which provided the basis for DKSH’s market entry in Indonesia for Business Units Consumer Goods and Healthcare. In October 2018, DKSH announced that in March 2019 Wolle would be resigning his position as Chairman after two years. Adrian T. Keller became Chairman instead of Wolle. In addition to organic growth, DKSH pursues a strategy to grow through M&A. Among the most important acquisitions of the last years are Terra Firma (2022), a leading North American specialty chemicals distributor, and Auric Pacific’s distribution business in Malaysia and Singapore (2019). With several acquisitions in Australia and New Zealand between 2018 and 2020, DKSH has strengthened both the services' portfolio and its geographical market coverage in the Pacific region. Amongst others, DKSH acquired Davies Foods, consumer goods distributor CTD, field marketing provider Crossmark, and

speciality chemicals Specialty chemicals (also called specialties or effect chemicals) are particular chemical products that provide a wide variety of effects on which many other industry sectors rely. Some of the categories of speciality chemicals are adhesives, agri ...

distributor Axieo. In May 2020, Marco Gadola was elected as the new Chairman of the DKSH Board of Directors, succeeding Adrian T. Keller.

References

External links

International DKSH websites DKSH divisions Official DKSH social media accounts
DKSH Linkedin page

DKSH Facebook page

DKSH Instagram page

DKSH TikTok page

DKSH YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dksh Service companies of Switzerland Holding companies of Switzerland Thai Royal Warrant holders Companies listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange Companies based in Zurich