INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Preparing for the future of trade
A new trading relationship with the EU beckons from 1 January and, for many businesses, it means upskilling employees to deal with extra documentation and procedures. Dan Robinson finds out how three East Midlands firms are getting ready by working with the Chamber’s international training team.
FUJICHEM SONNEBORN
Given the automotive industry has one of the most complex supply chains of any sector, Fujichem Sonneborn’s landmark contract to provide coatings for the new Peugeot 208 and 2008 models has not been without its complications due to Brexit. The company, which has its largest factory in
Chesterfield, is preparing to navigate more red tape when exporting its paints into the EU after signing the deal with French auto giant Groupe PSA last year, just before Britain left the bloc. Sales and logistics manager Darren Hall says: “We
work with OEMs three to five years ahead of manufacture as we need to get approvals for colours of paints for models that haven’t come out yet. “It was just before the Brexit vote that we
submitted the colours for the vehicles that have just gone into production, but the deal was signed last year. The paradox is we’re exporting vast amounts of paint into Europe while preparing to come out of the EU, so we’re having to work hard to keep supply chains moving.” The firm, which has origins stretching back to
1899, is one of the world’s top manufacturers of specialist paint coatings for automotive, wood and cosmetics packaging. Its R&D function is based at the head office in
Essex, while the manufacturing operation is located in Chesterfield, where the company opened a £5m factory three years ago and employs about 70 of its 130 workforce.
Fujichem Sonneborn manufactures paint at its Chesterfield factory
More than two-thirds of Fujichem Sonneborn’s
turnover is made up of exports and the two Brexit deadlines in 2019 forced the company to stock up its warehouses in Europe so border delays could be prevented. The end of the transition period on 1 January will
also increase the administrative burden as it must ensure the correct codes are attached to goods before export. In preparation, Darren’s sales colleague has
completed the Chamber’s international trade operations and procedures (ITOPS) course, which has equipped her with knowledge on latest exporting procedures to pass on to her accounts team based in the UK and France. The company has also been able to review its
incoterms – which define the responsibilities of sellers and buyers – so it can avoid bearing unnecessary risks and costs. He says: “Without that training, we’d be
vulnerable. It teaches you to question freight forwarders a bit more so you can bring down costs. “It also puts a degree of reality into the whole
process. When you’re sat in an office in Derbyshire, it’s difficult to know what you need to do to get something into France or Germany. “So it helps you understand what happens when someone picks up a pallet and what the port is looking for.”
More than two-thirds of the business is made up of exports
JG Pears' factory in Low Marnham, near Newark
The family business JG Pears is one of the UK’s largest processors of animal by- products and food waste. It collects materials otherwise
destined for landfill from across the UK to recycle it into the agriculture and food industries, using cutting-edge techniques at its plant just outside Newark to produce sustainable animal feed ingredients that are exported to 20 countries worldwide. “Until now, we’ve relied
heavily on freight forwarders and trackers to move things around the world,” says customer relations manager Vicky Prussia. “Exporting is something we’ve
been doing for a long time but without having to take much responsibility for it.” While the EU accounts for just
JG PEARS
The company will supply coatings for future models of the Peugeot 208. Pictured here is the current model on the market
JG Pears produces sustainable animal feed ingredients
42 business network November 2020
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