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The rescue for Bentley comes from the air.

If Great Britain carries out a “hard Brexit” on January 1st and truck traffic jams for kilometers will form on the English Channel, the automaker will rely on gigantic cargo planes.

"We have five Antonovs that we have in reserve to fly bodies to Manchester," Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark said at a recent event.

Other components would also be temporarily brought to the Crewe plant by plane.

Not only the Volkswagen subsidiary will feel the rift between the Kingdom and the EU.

The negotiators in Brussels had actually set the final deadline for a contract last Sunday evening.

The talks are now continuing.

The future economic relationships are still unclear.

If there is a hard Brexit, chaotic conditions threaten from January 1st.

The British government itself expects that thousands of trucks will jam on the canal.

In addition, the British ports are already overloaded.

Japanese automaker Honda had to temporarily suspend production in Swindon this week due to logistics problems.

A hard Brexit will exacerbate the supply problem.

Source: WORLD infographic

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This does not only cause damage in the short term.

There is also a risk of considerable losses in the long term, especially for the auto industry.

The European industry association ACEA expects production on both sides of the canal to shrink by three million vehicles over the next five years.

The expected damage: 110 billion euros.

If a deal is not reached at the last minute, from January ten percent tariffs will be due on cars and 22 percent on commercial vehicles.

As lobbyists push for a deal, industry prepares for the emergency.

For Andreas Wendt, BMW Board Member for Purchasing and Supplier Network for two years, Brexit planning is now part of the routine at the end of the year.

"We are prepared again this time with appropriate stocks and transport options," he says.

This applies to the parts that are needed for production in England as well as to components that are delivered from there to other plants.

“We don't have a single supplier with whom we see the situation as critical, but we have also built in a few emergency solutions.

We are sure that we would be able to do that this time too, if it happens, ”says Wendt.

With four plants on the island, the manufacturer is particularly hard hit by Brexit.

In addition to Mini and Rolls-Royce, BMW produces engines for all brands in the group at Birmingham.

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It is unusual for car companies to set up large warehouses with components for production.

The just-in-time system has prevailed in the industry since the 1990s: Suppliers bring the parts to the factory exactly when they are needed in assembly.

Sometimes they deliver directly to the assembly line.

Planned for Brexit

What happens when this system falters was felt by the industry in the first corona wave.

From March the production lines stopped after the factories of suppliers in southern Europe were closed due to the tough lockdowns.

The industry is better prepared for Brexit.

“In procurement, we planned strategically in advance.

For example, we have stored components from England for around two weeks - to protect ourselves in the event of delivery problems, ”says Uwe-Karsten Städter, Porsche Board Member for Procurement.

Bentley has created similar supplies.

City dwellers still hope that the stocks will not be used and that politicians will come to a compromise.

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Others have given up hope.

"We have been preparing for over a year and are now assuming a hard Brexit," says Anish Taneja, Northern Europe boss at the tire manufacturer Michelin.

He not only sees effects on supply chains and prices, but also fears problems for employees if freedom of travel is restricted.

"Brexit has the potential for the economy to end in chaos," says Taneja.

Some tire models are only made in the UK factories and dealers have to rely on Michelin to deliver.

That's why his company has a plan B and a plan C in the drawer.

This includes aircraft transport and increased warehousing.

Lufthansa is also gearing up

Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa’s freight subsidiary, is also looking to January.

The company made sure that all available additional loading capacities could actually be booked.

An increased air freight offer on the routes to and from Great Britain is also being examined, it says there.

So far, no increased volume has been observed.

"Due to the shortage of capacity due to the corona pandemic, however, even without Brexit, transports are booked higher than usual."

This text first appeared in WELT AM SONNTAG.

We will be happy to deliver them to your home on a regular basis.

Source: Welt am Sonntag