As a slight spin on their landmark "Virtual Breakfast Mornings", Made in Yorkshire today hosted an event in partnership with group patrons Tudor International Freight, regarding the "Impact of Brexit on the Supply Chain".
Over 30 industry leaders were in attendance to listen to an important and insightful presentation, led by Tudor International Freight's Adam Johnson, alongside Clarion Solicitors' Matthew Hattersley (Partner and Head of Commercial) and Bryan Richards (Senior Buyer) from Teconnex.
Established for over 25 years, Tudor is an independent, international Authorised Economic Operator delivering a personal and tailor-made service. Tudor's Director, Adam Johnson, discussed a variety of changes during his presentation in regards to importing and exporting materials across borders, logistic challenges and how to get over these.
Adam opened the presentation by assessing the commen question of "Will my company be affected by brexit?" For example, there is a common misconception that, because a deal was made between UK and EU, that this always means that "business will continue as normal"
Ultimately, Adam was keen to emphasise that, if your company is involved in the trading or movement of goods between the UK and EU countries, then your company will be affected by Brexit. Adam went on to analyse frequently asked questions, such as "What do we need to do to prepare for Brexit?", "Will Brexit increase the cost in our supply chain?" and "Will Brexit result in delays in our supply chain?".
Following this, Adam provided an in-depth and insightful "Step-by-step import guide" for businesses. This guide was 9 steps long, beginning with registering for an EORI number and ending with paying duty on the goods. Adam then went on to provide insight on the likes of Transit Procedures and Inward Processing Relief (IPR).
Teconnex UK's Senior Buyer Bryan Richard then provided insight on Teconnex's Brexit implementation. Teconnex UK are a long-standing member of Made in Yorkshire, alongside recently joining Made in the Midlands as well.
Bryan shared how Teconnex had initially put together a "Brexit team", consisting of managers from key departments. This team then had a kick-off meeting and an action plan was created with key actions. Following this, regular meetings were set up fortnightly to go over these key actions.
A particularly interesting element to Bryan's presentation was the reflection he provided in the form of "Project Feedback"; namely the main issues encountered and the things that went well during Teconnex's Brexit implementation.
Leeds-based law firm and Made in Yorkshire Patron Clarion then shared some insight on "Brexit & Logistics", with Partner & Head of Commercial Matthew Hattersley beginning his presentation.
Matthew began his presentation by emphasising the "Changes to costs" that are taking affect, with their being many inadvertent consequences of Brexit which affect UK companies.
Following this, Matthew covered the nuances surrounding "Force majuere" for companies during this time. Matthew highlighted that, this isn't necessarily something that logistic providers can always rely on, however, there there may be circumstances where it is appropriate for companies to get force majuere relief.
After Matthew's presentation, there were many questions from Made in Yorkshire members for all of the presenters to answer. After the questions were answered, attendees were sent off into smaller "Breakout Rooms" to network, socialise and discuss common challenges and solutions regarding current UK industry trends. Attendees are typically sent into 15-minute breakout groups consisting of 4-5 members each.
Any members who were unable to attend this event can still get expert insight on all things Brexit & Transporting Goods, by watching this event on-demand at Made in Yorkshire's virtual events section here.