Brexit A Raft Of New Opportunities For SMES

The company produces a comprehensive selection of products for the acute sector, for nursing homes and for community use, including electric profiling beds, dynamic therapy mattresses and bariatric products. The majority of the company’s products are manufactured in the UK, at the company’s modern production plant in West Yorkshire.

At a time when powerful global influences are challenging manufacturing around the world, particularly the emerging low wage cost countries now benefiting from investment from some of the world’s leading technology manufacturers, remaining part of the European Union may have seemed like the safer option for small and medium sized enterprises here in the UK.

However, these challengers will continue to make inroads into the global market. Is it time to take a more positive view, where Brexit could provide the UK with much greater flexibility to combat our competitors and position ourselves for the future?

At Sidhil, we are already seeing some short term advantages. The drop in the pound means our products are perceived to be cheaper, giving us some significant cost advantages over our competitors in Europe and further afield.

We have always been committed to local sourcing wherever possible, and our manufacturing base is founded on raw materials sourced primarily in the UK. In very recent months, we have been able to re-quote for tenders priced in euros and other currencies, which has enabled us to reduce our prices in some cases by up to a very competitive 5%.

Looking forward, negotiating specific deals on a free trade partnership could prove advantageous, particularly where companies take care to follow options to mitigate their currency risks and protect their trading profits by careful planning of future currency income and expenses.

It is recognised that UK SMEs are amongst the most internationalised in the world. Sidhil is no exception to this rule, selling around the globe with established markets across the African continent and in the Middle Eastern states.

Brexit has already resulted in a weaker pound, positive for our manufacturing in a global market. Yet there are many more positive benefits. The UK is now focused around high end manufacturing, and at Sidhil, we compete successfully on quality, not price. Whilst EU membership has not encouraged international competition, this is where we need to be, and we believe we can compete more effectively whilst reaping better results outside the confines of EU legislation and protectionism.

Many believe that leaving the EU will also allow us to develop a more sensible energy policy, which will impact on manufacturing costs. It is also worth remembering that an established trade deal is not necessary to trade; in past EU negotiations, the demands and requirements of the UK were just one voice amongst many. A large number of non-EU countries have seen much faster export growth into the EU than us; we do not need to be part of the single market to trade with it.

At Sidhil, we plan to look forward and focus on selling into the fast growing markets of the future. Total control over our design and manufacturing means that we can be flexible to meet the developing requirements of our customers whilst building on the strong international perception of British quality.