As Brexit looms 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. Only recently have we learned that Premier Foods has been stockpiling raw materials in the run-up to Brexit as fears grow over gridlock at UK ports. So, how will you ensure business continuity amidst any type of transition – smooth or rocky – out of the EU?

The road to Brexit
We believe that regardless of what is going on in the world of politics, strong supplier relationships are key to reducing any negative impact of Brexit. It’s true that we will 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 with this scenario comes opportunity – for new relationships to be forged and new deals to be struck. It gives us the chance to reconnect with contacts we may not have spoken to for years and re-energise our relationships with them. It forces us to reconsider our options and potentially even grow business with new or renewed beginnings and fresh innovations.

The people
Strong relationships will not only withstand change, they will also take advantage of change. Understanding and empathy 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 management is something we can all play a part in and it’s our responsibility – including those across the supply chain – to ensure we support each other and open up opportunities rather than shut them down.

“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

Find out how we can help with the impact of Brexit across the supply chain. We have over 30 years combined experience driving commercial efficiency through negotiation, and defining transition modelling strategies across multiple sectors.