Brexit impact felt in UK

News Story
- 22 Apr 2021 ( #1022 ) - United Kingdom
2 min read
European exports to the UK are down<br />PHOTO: FILM LONDON
European exports to the UK are down
PHOTO: FILM LONDON
By Allan Leibowitz
UK representatives of the major European materials handling equipment manufacturers are surprisingly tight-lipped about the impact of Brexit on their activities.

None of the majors responded to questioning from Forkliftaction News, after the first full quarter of post-Brexit trade.

Reuters reports that although around half of the EU-UK commerce has been spared from tariffs and quotas, January trade volumes crashed. But even improved February imports figures were down 11.5%.

The German federal statistics office DeStatis notes exports from that country to the UK fell by roughly 30% in January. Germany, of course, is a significant source of equipment for the UK market.

Philip Hyslop, UK area sales manager for the materials handling business unit of Hyundai, notes an overall negative impact since leaving the EU. He points to "small delays" in delivery times of orders, but laments a "significant increase in administration in exporting which has been exacerbated by lack of clarity in customs procedures given to logistics companies as well as ourselves".

Meanwhile, UK exporters seem to be faring better. Henry Stitt, a spokesman for UK plant machinery supplier PHL, says the company "is overcoming the new challenges of exporting forklifts and other equipment to Europe, despite new buffers and difficulties from the aftermath of Brexit".

PHL has been exporting plant equipment for many years, and, as a result, has extensive experience handling international customs documents day-to-day, he explains.

"PHL has delivered to customers despite difficulties in the past, and will continue to do so now, assuring customers that we continue to export to all our international customers worldwide," he says.

Similarly, safety company Pyroban is now providing a shipping option for all its European customers, making the process of transporting forklift trucks for ATEX conversion faster, cheaper and easier.

Transporting forklifts can be difficult to manage, with Brexit making it even harder. Many forklift truck brands manufacture in the EU, such as Germany, so when a customer needs Pyroban explosion protection, they are shipped to the UK for the six-week conversion process. They are then often shipped back to the EU, making the whole logistics process tough to manage.

With a new agreement in place with a global logistics firm, Pyroban says it can now provide a complete transport service for trucks coming from the EU to the UK and then going back again to mainland Europe. All transport paperwork to and from the UK factory is now taken care of by Pyroban, which in the past (before BREXIT) would still have taken a long time for forklift OEMs and dealers.

"We now just quote one price and take care of everything, like an ATEX concierge service", says Virginie Waldron, sales manager for Pyroban in Southern Europe. "We just need to know when and where to pick up and then deliver the truck at a price that will likely be comparable to or less than it would have cost our customers if they were to organise it themselves."
Hoppecke defies downturn
Hoppecke defies downturn 29 Apr 2021 - Newcastle-under-Lyme, United Kingdom - 2 min read
Logistics body urges Brexit planning
Logistics body urges Brexit planning 13 Aug 2020 - Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom - 2 min read
Ready for Brexit – regardless
Ready for Brexit – regardless 17 Oct 2019 - United Kingdom - 9 min read
Previously about:
Capow helps achieve 100% uptime for Hyundai Glovis News Story - 5 Jun 2025 - Be’er Sheva, Israel - 1 min read
Toyota-Hyundai partnership to research humanoid technology News Story - 31 Oct 2024 - Boston, United States - 1 min read
CeMAT exhibitors upbeat about technology News Story - 8 Aug 2024 - Melbourne, VIC, Australia - 10 min read
Pyroban acquires Euro Access News Story - 25 Nov 2021 - Shoreham, UK, United Kingdom - 2 min read
Pyroban adds EU distributor News Story - 22 Jul 2021 - Shoreham, United Kingdom - 1 min read
Product news News Story - 17 Sep 2020 - 1 min read
Do you have materials handling news? Submit your news here

Even the heaviest lifts must be easy to handle. That’s why N.C. Nielsen raises the bar in lifting capacity, maneuverability, operator comfort, flexibility and technical capabilities.
Heavy duty reach stackers – lifting capacity from 85 to 180 tons.
VIEW ALL OUR CUSTOM-BUILT HEAVY DUTY REACH STACKERS

Contact us now: +45 99 83 83 83 - www.nc-nielsen.com

Words of support …

At Linde Material Handling, we appreciate Forkliftaction for its competent and informative reporting and its global perspective. Forkliftaction is one of the few industry media with a transnational readership.

Heike Oder, Head of Trade Press

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Even the heaviest lifts must be easy to handle. That’s why N.C. Nielsen raises the bar in lifting capacity, maneuverability, operator comfort, flexibility and technical capabilities.
Heavy duty reach stackers – lifting capacity from 85 to 180 tons.
VIEW ALL OUR CUSTOM-BUILT HEAVY DUTY REACH STACKERS

Contact us now: +45 99 83 83 83 - www.nc-nielsen.com

Inside The News
While innovation and new technology are evolving at what seems to be an ever-increasing pace, the need to capture the data (telemetry) from this tech, and the ability to utilise it (telematics) for efficiency and cost savings, is one area attracting more and more attention ... Continue reading

PREMIUM business

Tailift Material Handling USA Inc
Part of Toyota Industries Group - Leading manufacturer of High-quality machines.

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Even the heaviest lifts must be easy to handle. That’s why N.C. Nielsen raises the bar in lifting capacity, maneuverability, operator comfort, flexibility and technical capabilities.
Heavy duty reach stackers – lifting capacity from 85 to 180 tons.
VIEW ALL OUR CUSTOM-BUILT HEAVY DUTY REACH STACKERS

Contact us now: +45 99 83 83 83 - www.nc-nielsen.com