Where next for Brexit and the supply chain?

It's not long now until the 29th March 2019. Will we reach an agreement before that? Will the decision be made to kick the proverbial B-can still further down the road? Will we embrace WTO and opt to go over the no-deal cliff? Or, will we revoke article 50?

As Brexit looms large and we all wonder about the impact it will have, we hear increasing numbers of stories around companies battening down the hatches and safeguarding against the worst case scenario. Nervous car makers are now deliberately vocal in sharing their concern for the viability of their long term UK based manufacturing plans. Only recently have we learned that Premier Foods has been stockpiling raw materials in the run-up to Brexit as fears persist and grow despite reassurance over gridlock at UK ports. So, how will you ensure business continuity amidst any type of transition – smooth or rocky, deal or no deal – out of the EU?

The non-political road to Brexit

We believe that regardless of what is going on in the world of politics, strong reciprocal business and supplier relationships will be a resounding factor in reducing any negative impact of Brexit. It’s true that we may all be facing new challenges and circumstances that we may not have encountered before, and these could make it harder for us to do business in the short term. Yet we believe that with this scenario comes opportunity – for new relationships to be forged and fresh approaches and new deals to be struck. It must give us the motivation to network and reconnect, possibly with contacts we may not have engaged for years and to re-energise those relationships accordingly. It forces us to reconsider our options and potentially re-invigorate business with new or renewed beginnings and fresh innovations.

The people

Strong relationships will not only withstand change, they will also seek out opportunity and take advantage of change. Understanding, empathy and collaborative engagement is required on both sides of the fence in order to make post Brexit re-negotiations faster and more effective. Business needs to continue, deals need to be done and the driving force for this is not so much politics but people. This change, possibly cultural adjustment is something we can all play a part in; it’s our responsibility – including those across the supply chain – to ensure we engage and even support each other, to open up opportunities rather than shut them down. Make no mistake, it boils down to working those relationships - and they are all about people.

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

Buckminster Fuller, American architect, systems theorist, author, designer, inventor and futurist

With the impact of Brexit on the relationships with your partners and suppliers, find out how we can help your organisation to explore the many opportunities through which it can thrive in the post Brexit era. We have over 30 years combined experience driving commercial efficiency through relationship management and negotiation, as well as defining transition modelling strategy across multiple sectors for outsource and divestment.