Origo’s Brexit strategy began in Dec 2018 with a series of planning meetings to map out multiple scenarios that we believed Brexit presented. We identified the implications for the different business units and highlighted actions that were needed to respond to those circumstances.
We engaged with suppliers to assess what steps were being taken in the event of a hard border/no deal scenario, i.e., alternative routes to market. Some of these options would require Origo to hold higher stocks to avoid customs/shipping delays, which we did.
We improved our ability to identify points of vulnerability across supply chains. Identifying risks, and indeed opportunities that Brexit brought, we have, from the outset, focused on those that necessitated custom duties and tariffs as well as those that would cause supply chain disruption and risk exposure. We planned early for these outcomes and this was done in conjunction with our carriers to and from the UK & Northern Ireland, US, China and mainland Europe.