Solartron and Brexit: Our Position

The 31^st October 2019 marks the point when Britain is set to leave the European Union. There remains significant uncertainty across industry and society about this exit and no company can claim to be immune from the effects.  Solartron Metrology believes it is important, therefore, to offer reassurance that we are ready for these changes, whatever they may be, and that we are confident our clients will see little difference in the way we do business.

Industry speculation about the effects of Brexit

There has been a lot of coverage in the media about the potential consequences of Brexit, as well as commentary and speculation among those in the metrology industry about who could be adversely affected and their readiness, or not, to deal with those consequences.

This speculation, some of it misleading, may have led to misunderstanding and concern about Solartron Metrology’s preparedness for the impact of Brexit and potential supply issues. You may have heard that our products will be delayed, due to difficulty in sourcing supplies and general supply chain logistic delays.  You may have heard that our prices will need to rise due to tariffs. 

Solartron Metrology and Brexit 

Solartron Metrology values its customers within the EU.  However, we are a global trader and regularly trade under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules when dealing with other parts of the world. This experience offers us the necessary expertise, knowledge and confidence to revert to WTO rules in the event of the UK leaving Europe with no deal. We will be able to reliably supply our European customers in the same way that we supply our clients in the US and China.

Also, any potential tariffs do not apply to our probes. Under WTO rules our products are classified as zero tariff commodities. Therefore, a no-deal Brexit will not result in a price rise, despite what others may have presumed.

In short, Solartron Metrology is not unduly concerned the impact of a ‘No-Deal’ Brexit, as we will simply revert to WTO rules when it comes to trading in the EU.

There are potential risks that we will need to mitigate.  As we noted, no company can claim to be immune.  There is a possibility of custom delays at certain ports of entry.

How Solartron Metrology has prepared for Brexit

It would be irresponsible to just wait and see what happens. Therefore, we have been busy making preparation for any possible outcome of Brexit. Solartron Metrology has brought in additional stocks of materials from suppliers within the EU, meeting the government policy of stocking up to avoid problems after October 31^st.

By stocking up we also mitigate any custom delays that could occur.  We have also worked with our suppliers to route products coming in or out of the UK in such a way as to avoid likely points of custom congestion.

Solartron Metrology is committed to maintaining the high-quality service and products for which we are already known but you should contact our friendly and expert team if you have any concerns on +44 (0)1243 833333 or sales.solartronmetrology@ametek.com.