Keeping on the right road
WHY LOCAL BUSINESSES SHOULD GET READY NOW FOR NEXT YEAR’S NEW TRADING RULES
British vehicle manufacturing contributed some £16.6billion to the country’s economy in 2018*.
Known historically as the home of the UK motor industry, the Midlands accounted for 60 per cent of all UK car production in the 1970s. And today there’s a new breed of automotive specialist reviving the region’s passion for car making.
Based in Silverstone, David Brown Automotive is a specialist British car manufacturer building bespoke, limited-edition models that are reimagined versions of classics. Its Speedback GT model is a brand new, stateof-the-art vehicle with distinctly 1960s styling, while the Mini Remastered retains the iconic looks of the original, but comes with airconditioning, power steering and a touch-screen infotainment system, along with a luxurious interior.
The company employs around 35 people and, despite an initial slowing of orders due to Covid-19 earlier in the year, numbers are now picking up again.
Sales and marketing director Michelle Gay, says: “We export cars all over the world – that accounts for 75–80 per cent of our orders, and within that, 25-30 per cent are to EU countries. The EU is a hugely important part of our business so we’ve worked hard to ensure we’re fully prepared for December 31.”
But Michelle is aware that export isn’t the only area businesses need to focus on now that the UK has left the EU and with the transition period ending on December 31. “Because our employees make business trips to the EU, we’ve prepared ourselves for different rules on visas and work permits,” she says.
The rules around importing goods are also changing, and this is another area that David Brown Automotive has prepared for. Michelle explains: “Although we source most of our parts from British suppliers, some do come from abroad, and so we’ve built in additional time to production schedules.”
It’s essential that businesses use the gov.uk/transition website to check export rules. Now that the UK is no longer part of the EU, overseas tariffs, rules and border formalities will change. If you or your employees need to travel to the EU for work, check if you need a work permit or visa in advance of travelling.
Michelle explains how the website helped: “We used gov.uk/transition to reassure ourselves that we’d done all the right things to be prepared for the end of the transition period. Thankfully we didn’t get a nasty shock, but I am concerned that not all businesses are prepared and wouldn’t want anyone to run into problems come January 1.”