Logistics companies and truckers facing problems at UK ports cannot put all of the fault on Brexit or the Government – they have only themselves to blame – according to Chaucer, the world’s largest dedicated Furniture Logistics company.
Contrary to most media reports, the majority of trucks continued to flow easily through UK ports post Brexit because the industry had been well prepared with all the right paperwork in place before the start of each delivery.
In the first eight days of 2021 Chaucer completed almost 100 cross channel freight movements with no hold ups because all the paperwork was in order before trucks left or arrived at the company’s depot in Rainham, Essex. This included traffic coming both into the UK and out from every part of the EU.
“We appointed a ‘Brexit Buddy’ in December 2018 to ensure that we were ready for any changes,” said Scott Dunn, Chaucer Logistics Chief Executive. “We knew that even if there was a trade deal that there would still need to be customs checks and other documentation in place.”
“Our Brexit Buddy discussed all the various possibilities in advance with our customers and put everything into place and as a result we have not experienced any hold ups and do not expect there to be major problems in the future.”
According to Chaucer it is the logistics companies who thought that everything would remain the same once the UK had negotiated a trade deal who have been caught out. Such companies failed to realised that the UK was no longer part of the customs union which was why so many were caught off guard.
The good news is that the UK and European furniture industry seems to continue to see good volume, (although down on previous years), in spite of Covid-19 and Brexit. Chaucer continues to provide logistics services for a growing number of UK furniture manufacturers to customers in every part of the EU. Similarly, EU manufacturers seem to be equally as busy with shipments to the UK.
“We are seeing a growing number of offices and hospitality venues refurbishing and getting ready for when Covid is under control,” said Scott Dunn. “We are also seeing more and more people working from home and requiring office furniture and this side of our business continues to grow rapidly.”
This trend is expected to continue for at least the next two years, say Chaucer, which offers massive opportunities for furniture manufacturers across the country.
