Bridgnorth bosses warn over Brexit barriers to trade
Bosses at a major Shropshire manufacturer have warned over the implications of Brexit on its supply chains.
Grainger & Worrall's specialist engine block castings for the car industry cross borders six times in a matter of days, allowing work to be carried out in Bridgnorth, Italy and Germany before the products are delivered to customers, who may also be overseas.
The company has now spoken of concerns over the impact of the effect of increased border controls on its ability to meet customer demands.
The Grainger brothers – Edward, Matthew and James – who run the Bridgnorth-based business, which employs more than 600 people, say delays of just a few days could put pressure on the £50 million-turnover company's relationships with overseas customers.
Additional border controls and paperwork to allow goods to cross borders would add complications to export and import deals, they warned.
“We cannot be 100 per cent clear at the moment of the exact impact that Brexit will have on supply chains that operate across multiple countries," said director Edward Grainger.
"However, it is fair to say we will inevitably see export controls become more complex than they are now, which, of course, has a knock-on effect on the time of delivery, cost and viability of exported products.
"Supply chains, like GW’s, are all about research and development, searching out the leading experts available no matter where they may be. This makes them very complex and we need to tackle Brexit head on to maintain these supply chains with minimal disruption.”
The company is also concerned about the issue of skills, with fellow director Matthew Grainger saying it could take "a generation" for the UK to deliver the requirements of the sector.
Grainger & Worrall is involved in the building of the new Marches Centre for Manufacturing and Technology in Bridgnorth, which aims to bring through 2,020 apprentices for the engineering sector by 2020, and it hopes that building will help bridge the skills gap.
"This will give employers a vital pool of skills to tap into as they continue to compete globally," Edward Grainger added.
